Innoson signs deal with Nigerian Air Force to produce parts for Fighter jets

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, told newsmen in Nnewi, Anambra state yesterday that the Nigerian Air Force, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company, IVM, Nnewi, Anambra state to research and produce spare parts for its fighter jets. 
He said that Innoson has been keeping the jet fleet of the the Air Force running for some months now.
Air Marshal Abubakar, who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Planning, Air Vice-Marshal James Gbum, said the MoU will improve local content and engineering and save the country a lot of money by using locally made parts instead of importing expensive parts from foreign countries.

He added:

“Our war efforts will be in vain if we don’t do something to ensure we get spare parts because some of our fighter aircrafts that have formed the back-bone of our struggle against Boko Haram, were once down due to lack of spare parts and mainly the break assemblies of these aircrafts. “The Air Chief immediately ordered our research and development cell in Kaji to start to research into this break assembly overhaul. They went ahead and carried out the research. However, the first proto-type they brought couldn’t pass the test. “The Nigerian Air Force later discovered that Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company at Nnewi, Anambra State is very capable of collaborating with the Nigerian Air Force to achieve the required standards of overhauling our break assemblies.”

 

 

Source: Vanguard

PDP Senators Visit Wike,Donate N1million To The Family Of Killed Corper(pics)

Governor Wike received the senators alongside members of his cabinet and Rivers PDP senatorial aspirants received PDP senators led by Senator Godswill Akpabio. Speaking while receiving them,he said.....

“Any person who loves Mr President won’t be causing unnecessary crisis for him. We have problem in the North East, problem in the South-East, so there is no need for another problem in the South-South.

“It is good that the elections were held so that Nigerians will know the truth about the polity. If elections are held 20 times, PDP will win.”

Speaking further,he condemed the use of soldiers for the elections, informing his guests that the military were directly involved in the elections at polling units and at the collation centres, which he stated was in violation of the Electoral Act.He lamented the killing of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Samuel Okonta during the polls, adding that his government will immortalise the late Okonta.

On his part, Akpabio said the victory recorded by the PDP in the rerun polls is “a clear case of justice being done by God”.

He stated that there is no other political party in the state outside the PDP, even as he called for tolerance in the political space to allow for the sustenance of the state’s multiparty democracy.

Meanwhile, the PDP senators donated the sum of N1million to the family of the late youth corps member through Governor Wike.

Source: http://www.trezzyblog.com/2016/03/pdp-senators-pay-wike-solidarity.html

Dead Body Of Colonel Samaila Inusa Killed By Kidnappers (Photos)

The remains of the late Army Officer who was abducted and later killed by unknown gunmen in Kaduna State, Colonel Samaila Inusa, have been laid to rest.

He was buried at the old Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Muslim Cemetery in the state capital on Wednesday.
In a press statement issued by the acting director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, said that preliminary investigation revealed that the late officer was probably killed same day he was kidnapped by his abductors.
Colonel Inusa was the Commander, 81 Battalion located in Bulabulin, Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.
He was later transferred to the Armed Forces and Command and Staff College, Jaji, where he was served until his abduction last Saturday.

Source: http://www.trezzyblog.com/2016/03/photos-from-burial-of-slain-army.html

Aggrieved PDP Reps Member-elect Write President Buhari

– Aggrieved reps-elect members in Anambra appeal to President Buhari over recent election in the state

– Blame INEC boss for discrepancies in conduct of election

– Drum support for President Buhari’s anti-corruption battle

Some aggrieved Anambra state House of Representatives members- elect have written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Leadership, the reps-elect want the president to wade into the dispute surrounding the legitimacy of those currently serving as federal lawmakers from the state.

In the letter dated March 29, 2016, the lawmakers; Emmanuel Nweke, Benedict Obaze, Anthony Offiah, Charles Odedo, Princess Ifeyinwa Anazonw, Mrs Uchenna Obi, Dr Ejike Nwene and Julius Oforma are accusing Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) of being partisan in the matter.

“Your Excellency on Thursday the 24th of March, 2016 at the All Progressives Congress (APC) NEC meeting vicariously apologized to the nation for the failure of INEC to conclusively handle the elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Rivers States.

“There is no gainsaying that INEC is a veritable institution for the attainment of the lofty democratic ideals. The INEC Chairman not only failed in Kogi, Bayelsa and Rivers states but also woefully and curiously failed in Anambra State where the issue is not even that of the rigorous conduct of elections but the simple implementation of a court judgment.

“The bitter pill of apologies was forced down the throat of Mr. President by no other than the INEC under the leadership of Professor Mahmoud Yakubu. We know that Mr. President means well for Nigeria and Nigerians hence the undeterred fight against corruption and the resolve to enthrone a convivial atmosphere for democracy,” the letter reads in part.

Only recently, the Anglican Bishop of Awka Diocese, Dr Alexander Chibuzor Ibezim the President Buhari-led administration’s performance was a long way from being impressive.

Breaking Times reports that the eminent clergyman asserted that the economy was collapsing under the federal government led by President Buhari.

He lamented that the high level of hunger in the country has made life miserable for most Nigerians.

Source: https://www.naij.com/780240-interesting-aggrieved-pdp-members-write-open-letter-president-buhari.html

Olajumoke Orisaguna Turns Delivery-Girl On Payporte

Payporte has given the poor girl another selling job, just when she became famous through bread selling job... 

http://www.ebiwalismoment.com/2016/03/olajumoke-to-start-delivering-goods-to.html

APC is real threat to Nigeria’s security – Fayose’s Aide

Read the press statement below...

Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the real threat to the security of Nigeria and its people, saying; “The major threat to national security is a party that lost election since June 21, 2014 and still trying to get back to power, using crude means including turning itself to the mouthpiece of the Department of State Services (DSS). 

Olayinka, who reacted to a statement by the APC in Ekiti State that the State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose was a threat to national security, said “it is only in Nigeria that a party that ran Ekiti State aground in four years and was rejected in six straight elections by the people can still be talking.” He said; “The question that Nigerians must ask the APC Spokesperson in Ekiti State, Taiwo Olatunbosun is whether he now doubles as the DSS spokesperson.

“In the last three weeks, everything the APC speculated that the DSS was going to do was exactly what the security agency did and that has reinforced the belief that the DSS was working in collaboration with the APC in Ekiti State to destabilise the Fayose-led government. “It is also a fact that the chairman of APC in Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe who is standing trial for murder was hosted to a dinner in the Presidential Villa while TKO Aluko on whose bench warrant was issued for alleged perjury is going about with armed security men.”

The governor’s spokesperson said no organisation is qualified as a threat to the security of Nigeria other than the APC that was compromising major government institutions, including DSS such that functionaries of the party were now the ones telling the security agency who to arrest and detained indefinitely in Ekiti State.

He said a party like the APC that its government kept silent when over 400 Agatus were killed by Fulani herdsmen in Benue State and women were raped, farmlands destroyed by the herdsmen in other parts of the country cannot be anything other than threat to national security. “Or what should Nigeria call a party that caused the murder of over 20 Nigerians, including Youth Corp member in Bayelsa and Rivers States just because of desperation to win elections?

“When you try to truncate democratically elected government, deny Nigerians rights to fair hearing by detaining them indefinitely and disobey court orders, while also failing to conduct free and fair elections, what is such a government inviting other than breakdown of law and order? And what should such a party in power be called other than security threat to Nigeria?”

Olayinka counselled leaders of the APC in Ekiti State, especially former governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi to stop falling prey to political 419, whom he said were collecting millions of Naira from them, claiming to be helping them to fight Governor Fayose, adding that; “The APC leaders should ask themselves what result they have achieved since they started investing their money in this ‘Fayose must go’ agenda immediately after they were defeated in the entire 16 Local Councils in the State.

“Instead of lavishing millions of Naira on TKO Aluko and others, they should rather use such money to empower the remnants of their party members in Ekiti State who are in dire need of financial help.”

Linda Ikeji 

Presidency to begin town hall meetings across Nigeria

ABUJA — The Senior Special Assistant, SSA, to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media, Garba Shehu, said yesterday that the presidency will soon begin to hold town hall meetings with Nigerians. PRESIDENT BUHARI ATTENDS APC NEC MEETING According to him, government decided to embark on such meetings because it has realised the importance of information communication to the people at the grassroots. Shehu, who disclosed this while answering reporters’ questions in Abuja, said:  “I know that there is a plan that the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, would start town hall meetings in zones.  It would then be broken down to the states and so on. “Government realises that there is a need to take information to the people and there are steps that are being taken in order to ensure that is done,” he said. Shehu criticised the National Orientation Agency, NOA, for being indifferent to the Federal Government’s change mantra. He said: “We have an agency like NOA with 773 offices nationwide.  Each has not less than five to seven staff and well-equipped, but you know also, sometimes democracy has its own dark side. “The President came and he wanted to really be fair to every Chief Executive. If he wanted to fire people on assumption (of office), he would have done it and he would not have violated any rule. “He decided to give everyone a chance to see whether they would imbibe the change mantra, to see whether they were prepared to go along (with him). “I will say with all sincerity that NOA was a source of worry for us in government; the people and the leadership never believed in what we are doing. “They never believed in change. They just folded their arms and watched us for the period of eight to nine months that they were there.  I believe the new leadership would begin to formulate things for agencies like that.” The presidential aide praised Nigerians for steadfastly supporting the present administration, especially during a period most people considered to be difficult. Shehu congratulated Nigerians on the achievements the President had recorded fighting insurgency and explained that the military had tagged their success against Boko Haram a “technical victory” because no city was currently under curfew.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/presidency-begin-town-hall-meetings-across-nigeria/

Photo: Nigerian arrested in India with 600gm of cocaine sent through postal service

A Nigerian man was arrested on Thursday March 24,  following a joint operation between India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police which led to the bursting of an international drug racket that used postal services to smuggle in contraband.

The arrested Nigerian, Frank William was found in possesion of  600gm of cocaine imported from Latin America. The cocaine, worth Rs 4 crore, was concealed in the axle of a vehicle that was sent via post from Latin America.
  
Sources said that the NCB received a tip-off that a parcel containing drugs was to arrive in India. The NCB tied up with the postal services and ANC and trailed the consignment for nearly a week as it passed through two to three countries.

When the parcel reached a post office at Khoparkhairane in Navi Mumbai, the officers laid a trap and arrested Mr Frank, when he came to collect it.

"We could have stopped the parcel at the Foreign Post Office as all post parcels are routed through it. We played along so we could reach the recipient," said an official, adding that the demand for cocaine is increasing in the city.

The officer said international drug peddlers send parcels through postal services or courier companies and provide the wrong KYC and address of the recipient.

"They then track the parcel online. When it reaches its destination city, it lies at the post office as the address is wrong. The recipient then picks it up from the post office," said Sanjay Jha, zonal director of NCB.
Sources said that the NCB had recently written to the postal authorities and even private courier services asking them to insist on verifying the KYC of the parcel sender and receiver.

"We have apprised the postal department to instal CCTV cameras and collect carbon copies of the ID proofs and KYC of the sender and receiver," said an officer.
The customs department said that it is not possible to scan all parcels sent to India through courier services. 
"The sheer volume makes it difficult. So, we carry out random checks," said an official.

Source: Times of India

Perpetua Nkwocha Weds Nwufoh In Owerri (Photos)

Super Falcon’s legendary player and coach of Clemensnäs IF from Swedish Women's Football Division 2, Perpetua Ijeoma Nkwocha tied the knot with her fiancé, Ernest Ikechukwu Nwufoh, in Owoerri on Monday March 28. 

Here are first photos from the wedding...

Source: http://www.trezzyblog.com/2016/03/super-falcons-legendary-player-perpetua.html

Easter puzzle

Easter puzzle anybody that answer this correctly will get a reward from me. Good luck guys
Let's assume you saw a laptop of 97K.

You didn't have the cash, so you borrowed 50K from your mom and 50K from your dad = 100K.

You bought the laptop which left you with 3K change.

You gave your dad 1K and ur mum 1K and kept the other 1K to yourself.

Now you owe your mum 49K and your dad 49K.

Now 49K+49K = 98K + your 1K kept = 99K.

Where is the missing 1K?

I know you are intelligent.

Solve it and tell me the answer

Nigeria: 1000 Young Nigerians To Receive N500million Grant For Start Ups

Over 1000 Nigerians will this year be beneficiaries of N500Million Naira Grant seed capital set aside for young Nigerian entrepreneurs and students.
This was disclosed this week during the launch of the YESGrant Scheme by the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) in partnership with Heritage Bank, which took place at the Four Point Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.

The event, which was very well attended by dignitaries, including representatives from the Nigerian University Commission (NUC), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as well as captains of industries and top government functionaries as part of efforts to grow more indigenous entrepreneurs among young Nigerians and deliberately create over 50,000 jobs in the next 5 years of the program circle.

Speaking during the launch, Chairman of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF), Moses Siloko Siasia, said he was inspired by the big impact small businesses can have on the economy and that was why the grant was created to provide incubator support to enable young entrepreneurial postulants with creative ideas in Agriculture, ICT and creative economy start or expand their business concepts in those areas.
“I have built businesses from the scratch and I understand the challenges people face and that is why I am optimistic that if given the necessary support, young Nigerians will not only grow the Nigerian economy, they will completely revolutionize it”.

Speaking also, the Managing Director of Heritage Bank, who was represented by the Head of Marketing Strategy Mr Obioma Emenike said he was optimistic that the initiative would lead to start ups and give a boost to economic growth and issued a call out to entrepreneurs to use their network to encourage their friends and colleagues apply for it.

The YESGrant will provide business training for up to 600 aspiring young entrepreneurs spread across all geo-political zones in Nigeria and will encourage expansion, specialization and spin-offs of existing businesses, which is to enable young entrepreneurs access a wide business professional network and improve their visibility, while entrepreneurs will receive up to 2million Naira annually as grant.

The YESGrant is to enable Nigerian students with extreme financial need pursue their academic dreams and aspiration in the areas of research and technological/scientific innovation and it will also help low income and disadvantage students with their tuition of which over 500 students will benefit from this year’s grant .

Furthermore, Students studying in Nigeria will receive up to 500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) while those studying in the United Kingdom will receive up to 3,000pounds and those studying in the United States will receive up to 5,000dollars annually as grant

To apply for the YESGrant available atwww.YESGrant.com prospective recipients must be between the ages of 18- 40, be registered members of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) and have an account with Heritage Bank prior to the disbursement of the funds in August 2016. Student’s award recipients must in addition provide their matriculation number and academic progression report.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/200841-nigeria-1000-young-nigerians-receive-n500million-grant-start-ups.html

Photos: P-square Finally Perform Together

Peter Okoye finally performed together as Psquare at the Palmundo world festival in the Netherlands
last night ..Peter still refers to himself as Mr
P.Glad to see them back on!

Federal Character Commission ‘unaware’ Of Waiver For CBN 2015 Secret Recruitment

Federal Character Commission ‘Unaware’ Of Waiver For CBN 2015 Secret Recruitment

The Federal Character Commission says it is unaware of a waiver authorising the Central Bank of Nigeria to conduct a secret recruitment of hundreds of new employees, comprising dozens of family members of serving and past senior government officials, including President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew.

BY PREMIUM TIMES
MAR 26, 2016

The Federal Character Commission says it is unaware of a waiver authorising the Central Bank of Nigeria to conduct a secret recruitment of hundreds of new employees, comprising dozens of family members of serving and past senior government officials, including President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew.

CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele
The acting chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Shettima Abba, told PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday that following media reports and public outcry in response to the recruitment, the commission wrote to the CBN demanding its staff list from 2013 to 2015.

Mr. Abba said the response from the CBN would enable the Commission confirm whether the recruitment was done in accordance with the law. The bank has two weeks — up to next Tuesday — to respond to the letter, he said.

But the chairman said his office was not aware the CBN was granted any waiver to carry out the controversial recruitment, saying the last waiver to the bank was in 2013.

“Prior to my appointment, details from the file showed that by early part of 2013 CBN requested for waiver to enable them carry out recruitment of some professional staff, including doctors, nurses, mid-wives, engineers and lawyers, etc,” Mr. Abba said.

“For one reason or the other, they (CBN) did not conclude the recruitment before they wrote back to say they had suspended the recruitment, and that they would need to write again for re-validation. Towards the end of 2013, they wrote again for re-validation, which was granted.”

The chairman said available records confirmed that the recruitment was carried out, as candidates were invited for interview in three centres, including Abuja, Lagos and one other city, with the committee in charge of financial services at the Character Commission invited to monitor the exercise.

Mr. Abba said although the CBN indicated interest in 2015 to recruit a number of junior staff as money counters, drivers, cooks, clerks and so on, for all its 37 zones across the country, he was not aware of any fresh waiver granted since 2013.

“If an agency gets a waiver, it will lapse after three months if the recruitment process is not concluded. The agency has to write again for re-validation,” the chairman explained.

“In the records with the Commission, they (CBN) have several requests for waivers, but I cannot say how many. I don’t know whether there has been a new request from them in recent times. Since I came in, I only acted, looking at previous records.

“Since junior workers cannot be recruited in Abuja, they (CBN) were advised to find a way of recruiting locally in the catchment areas. This swelled the number of people recruited,” he said.

Details of the recruitment, first reported by news website, SaharaReporters, angered many Nigerians in a country with a growing rate of unemployment.

Under the Federal Character Commission regulation, 2008, recruitment into government offices are to be duly advertised in at least two national newspapers giving qualified Nigerians a minimum of six weeks to apply.

The CBN recruitment did not follow that rule, Saharareporters reported.

Worse, the list of candidates secretly recruited by the CBN, according to the website, included President Buhari’s nephew, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s daughter, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu’s son, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’aba’s daughter.

Others are Nigeria’s Police Inspector-General, Solomon Arase’s daughter, and Minister of Internal Affairs, Abdulrahman Danbazzau’s son, among others.

CBN’s acting Director of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, told PREMIUM TIMES last week the bank did nothing illegal, as it got an approval from the Federal Character Commission to carry out “targeted recruitment of specialists” without advertisement.

The chairman of the FCC, Mr. Abba, said all Nigerians, irrespective of parentage or political affiliation, have equal right of being employed in any organisation. He said his organisation was concerned more with due process and compliance with the federal character principles.

“The constitution says there must be equity, equal opportunity and equal access to all manner of persons. The constitution gives all the states of the federation equal opportunity to be employed,” he said.

“For the fact that you are Atiku’ son; a minister or president’s daughter does not disqualify you from getting job anywhere in Nigeria, so far as you follow due process and you have the requisite qualification.”

Civil society groups and lawyers on Thursday criticized the exercise, ‎demanding the immediate withdrawal of the employment offers.

The Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, CENSOJ, Eze Onyekpere, said the exercise portrayed the nature of governance in Nigeria, “characterized by hypocrisy, patronage networks, steeped in mediocrity and lacking in merit and strivings for the best person for the job”

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/200852-federal-character-commission-unaware-of-waiver-for-cbn-2015-secret-recruitment.html

The Beef is Over! Psquare Arrives in Amsterdam with Crew for a Music Concert (Photos)

The Psquare brothers are back in full force and will be performing together in Holland for the first time since their break-up saga started.

Popular Nigerian R&B duo of twin brothers, Peter and Paul Okoye who were in the news headlines lately because of some family issues, have reconciled and moved on with their lives as a family.

The Square Records superstars arrrived Holland few hours ago and are currently in Rotterdam for the Palmundoworld Festival – a concert they are performing together as Psquare.

The brothers took to their Instagram pages to post photos from their trip to the country. It will be the first time the brothers will be performing together since their break-up saga began.

It’s amazing to see the brothers together doing what they know how to do best, entertain.

Source:updatebase 

Governor Nasir El-Rufai spends time with the Super Eagles team, assures them of full support

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai and the Executive Council members spent time with the Super Eagles team who are preparing for the qualifier against Egypt. The Governor assured the team of the full support of the government and the people of Kaduna. They will be playing their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier match against Egypt at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on Friday, March 25th. More photos after the cut...

 

I Am Afraid I did Not Succeed In The Election In Kogi, Bayelsa & Rivers - Buhari

Text of President Muhammadu Buhari’s remarks at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, March 24, 2016. 

PROTOCOLS 

We are members of the legacy party, plus APGA and DPP. We realized since 2005 that to remove the PDP from power, we must sink our differences, come together and form a party. God willing, that eventually happened and that is why we are where we are today, coming together inspite of our differences, both personal and ideological. We must not forget that. Having identified that as members of the legacy party, we again identified three fundamental things facing us. 

First, security, second, economy and unemployment and thirdly, corruption. We campaigned throughout the country on these three fundamental issues and nobody successfully challenged us and these issues remained relevant. 

On security, we have made progress. It was a very courageous decision that the party took and executed by the Executive by removing most of the military hierarchy and appointing those to take over from them, acquiring some new hard and soft ware and raising the morale of the military to go secure the rest of the country which was then 14 out of 774 local government. I have said it often that as far as I know and the service Chiefs who are on ground, they are not holding any local government. But they still have some capability especially on soft targets by using technology. 

For Niger Delta, the militants are sending some conflicting messages. Some have said they are ready to drop their arms and join the rest of the nation to build it. But part of them are still sabotaging installations which is making investments in that lucrative area of Nigeria difficult because nobody will submit his riches to financial institutions, get money only to suffer huge loss. So, the environment for investment is being sabotaged by our own selves, Nigerians. We are doing our best with the military by trying to persuade them to join the rest of the country because in unity lies our strength. 

Of course the leadership of INEC has been changed, but I appeal to the leadership of the military, security agents and INEC that what I want Nigerians to remember me for, even if I have to leave the Presidency tomorrow is that I respect them. I want all Nigerians to believe and hold their PVC as personal entitlement as Nigerians and use it the way the like, and vote for whoever they like at which ever election. If they voluntarily sold it, it is part of their right and so, let them sell it and remain at home and not participate in any election. But let the law enforcement agencies give them the confidence that nobody will come out who has money to hire thugs, give them drugs and stop them from exercising their fundamental right. 

I am afraid I did not succeed in the election in Kogi, Bayelsa, Rivers. I think that more Nigerians are killed or killed themselves in Rivers than in any particular state.At this stage of our political development, to remain brutal is shameful and as a government, I promise we will do something by the next general election. 

On the economy, the fall of oil prices after Nigeria has made itself a mono economy is a disaster. I wonder why people could not believe that in Nigeria, about 27 out of 36 states have difficulty in paying basic salaries of their workers. If from 1999 to at least 2003, oil is above 100 dollars per barrel and an export of about 2 million barrel per day, how come Nigeria failed to make some arrangement to cushion the effect of a probably volatile oil market? Again, it show failure of the last administration. But we are now to pick the pieces as an APC government and so, there is no need complaining, but let us concentrate and see how much we can do with whatever remains of the economy. We realized that agriculture and solid minerals are two areas that can quickly come to help us to recover economically, at least in terms of employment and feeding ourselves and more importantly, saving the hard currency to make sure that what is left our industries remain open, employing Nigerians and producing goods and services which is very important. 

The policy we are trying to implement is TSA. When we insist that we have to know what comes in and what goes out for us to make a comprehensive amendment to the economy. If you go and see the Central Bank Governor, he will tell you that in the TSA, we have more than N3 trillion. Where would this money have been if TSA was not in vogue? I was made to understand that vouchers would have quickly been raised towards the end of the financial year and checks made. Whether they are going into projects or private pockets, nobody can prove it to you. But that money is there, it is identified, if is quantified and when the budget comes back eventually, the Ministry of finance will see how to allocate it to the rest of the country. 

We have tried to make sure that NNPC is reorganized, so that we know how much of our crude is taken, how much it is sold and to which account the money is going. But I tell you that up to the time we came, if anybody told you that he knows how much of crude exchanges hands either on the high sea or reaching their destination and the accounts the money goes into, that person is not telling you the truth. We are getting the cooperation of countries that has received this crude. But we have to be sure of the facts in our hands before we start prosecution so that Nigerians will believe what we have been telling them. 

Again, I have to repeat myself here for you to appreciate what I am going through because you are closer to the people than myself. I was telling a British team that came to supervise the training team they sent, that when I was in uniform, you took the perceived corrupt ones and put them in safe custody and quietly told them they were guilty until they can prove themselves innocent. But now under multi-party democratic system, I see some of them ride Rolls Royce, some of them have built estates here, but they are innocent until we can prove them guilty. This situation is true and you don't need to stress your imagination to find out. If you can find out, you discover that a level eight officer has five houses, while you, as a Permanent Secretary or Commissioner is still living in a rented house. We have to get credible evidence to carry out successful prosecution and get judgement from the Judiciary. But effort is being made to give a list of recoveries in whatever currencies so far so that Nigerians will know that it is not all about long stories. 

For the party, I will like you to continue to make sacrifice. I know you are being harassed since the election that they haven't seen anything on the ground. Well, if you have any explanation that could be accepted, is that you have three more years to go. When we came in after 16 years of PDP, each government had 42 ministries. We reduced them to 24, removed 21 Permanent Secretaries. We sat down and reflected seriously. We were all in the process of taking over at a time of national budget. So, imagine the volume of work and with what happened in the National Assembly, the padding, it would appear that below the Permanent Secretaries, there are still a lot of bureaucracies that are still with them. So, you have to appreciate the position we are in. Having cut 42 to 24, correspondingly, the parastatals will be cut down to some size and realigned and the boards reconstituted. We gave a blanket order which we had to rescind when we said all boards are suspended or dissolved. We had to go back and lick our vomit in terms of university boards because we found out that according to their laws, they cannot choose Vice Chancellors unless the Boards seat down, interview prospective candidates who wants to be VCs. So, there is nothing wrong in saying sorry and going back on your decision. So, we said sorry and allow all the universities to continue with their boards. But for the rest, eventually, we will make it. So, please, try to bear with us as we reflect on where we found ourselves. 

For globetrotting, sometimes, you need to present your case on personal basis to your economic colleagues and neighbors. Nothing is better than personal touch and I believe that we are learning a lot and eventually, the nation will realize so, I don't envy you on the harassment you are going through from your constituencies. Take it with a lot of determination and we will be all right, God willing. 

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/i-am-afraid-says-buhari/

ADAM JOHNSON SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS IN PRISON

The former England international has been handed a custodial sentence following a hearing at Bradford Crown Court on Thursday and will now spend six years in jail

Former Sunderland and England winger Adam Johnson has been sentenced to six years in prison. 

Johnson was found guilty by jury of one charge of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl earlier this month at Bradford Crown Court - he lodged an appeal against that conviction on Thursday - having already pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and one of grooming on the opening day of his trial on February 10. 

Johnson, whose contract was terminated by Sunderland following his guilty plea, ran into court to avoid the media scrum and then listened to a statement from the victim in which she detailed the impact the case has had on her personal life and schoolwork. 

The prosecution also highlighted the way Johnson's supporters had continued to harangue the victim on social media. 

For the defence, psychologist Dr Philip Hopley claimed Johnson was "socially and psychologically immature" for his age and his physical development growing up "was somewhat retarded". 

Dr Hopley also recalled how Johnson was unable to discuss the crimes he had committed due to the shame he felt, with the footballer suggesting "being in prison would offer some relief. I just want to let people I have hurt get on with their lives". 

Johnson, according to Dr Hopley, also told him "explicit messaging was common practice among his fellow footballers". 

Summing up, judge Jonathan Rose said: "All of this is entirely your own responsibility and your own fault. 

"She had only just turned 15 when you began to groom her...because you found her sexually attractive even though you knew her to be just 15. 

"Your standing and your offending are the only reason this child has suffered abuse." 

Johnson, who showed no emotion when the verdict was delivered, has signed the sex offender's register and has a restraining order placed on him against the victim. He must also pay £50,000 prosecution costs. 

Johnson's parents were in court on Thursday but his sister Faye stayed away, having explained why in a Facebook post. 

She wrote: "Today is the sentencing for my brother, the worst day of my life. 

"I just wanted to let all of the supporters know that I will not be attending Bradford Crown Court, the reason for this is Adam has always been my hero, my brother and my best friend, I just don't want him to see the pain in my eyes! 

"Instead I will be at home with my little boy, Adam's number 1 fan, Adam's daughter and the mother of his child Stacey. 

"I remain proud of my big brother and I am 100 per cent behind him and I always will be." 

After Johnson's conviction, Sunderland released a statement refuting claims the club knew of the former Manchester City man's intention to plead guilty. 

However, chief executive Margaret Byrne subsequently resigned from her position citing a "serious error of judgment" in recommending the 28-year-old be allowed to play for the club despite being told by Johnson's lawyer in May 2015 that his client had kissed the girl and sent her a series of suggestive WhatsApp messages.
Source :goal.com

Senate Reduces 2016 Budget By N17bn

PUNCH: The Senate, on Wednesday, passed the 2016 Appropriation Bill and reduced the budget size from the initial N6.077trn presented to the federal parliament by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 23, 2015, to N6.060trn, a difference of N17bn.

The federal lawmakers approved the N1.587trn as the capital expenditure portion of the budget and the recurrent expenditure of N2.646.3trn.

They also approved N351.37bn as Statutory transfers, N1.475.3trn for Debt Service, and N2.2trn for Fiscal deficit.

The federal parliamentarians also adopted the oil benchmark of $38; Crude production of 2.2000m barrel per day and the exchange rate of N197 to $1 for the implementation of the budget.

Explaining how the difference of N17bn was identified, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, admitted that the 2016 budget proposal contained a number of errors of omissions, particularly in the area of personnel cost.

He said his committee therefore filled some of the gaps would could still raise serious concerns in the course of the year because there were many outstanding cases. 

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, explained after the formal passage of the appropriation bill that his colleagues had done his part and requested the president to do the needful by signing it to law for immediate implementation.

http://www.punchng.com/update-senate-passes-reduces-2016-budget-by-n17bn/

Fuel Scarcity Will Persist Till May–kachikwu

By Levinus Nwabughiogu
ABUJA – At a time when Nigerians were expecting respite from the pangs of the lingering fuel scarcity in the country, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu has apparently dashed their hopes, stating that the current queues at gas stations would persist till late May.

The minister who doubles as the Group Managing Director, GMD of the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation, NNPC added that he was not a magician to make the queues disappear overnight.

According to him, it was even a “magic” that the stations were still getting volume of products they dispense to the public, judging from the prevailing circumstances at NNPC.

The Minister also revealed NNPC’s import rates have moved form 50 percent to all- time 100 percent, saying that the 445 barrels allocated to crude swap now service 50 to 55 percent importation of refined product.

But giving a glimpse of hope on how to achieve lasting solution to the product scarcity, Kachikwu stated that government was working to beef up the reserves.

He stated that the when the refineries come on full stream, locally refined products would be left unsold in the reservoir to boost supply and availability of the products.

The minister was fielding questions with the State House Correspondents after leading officials of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas‎ Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to a meeting with president Mohammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja on Wednesday on when the queues at the gas stations would disappear.

He said: “One of the trainings I did not receive is that of a magician but I am working very hard to ensure some of these issues go away‎. And let’s be honest, for the five, six months we have been here, NNPC has moved from a 50 percent importer of products to basically a 100 percent importer. And the 445 barrels that were allocated was to cover between 50 and 55 percent importation.

“So, it is quite frankly sheer magic that we even have the amount of products at the stations. We are looking to see how to get foreign exchange imput. The president and I discussed extensively on how to get more crude directed at importation. His excellency will rather have less crude but have individuals in the society suffer less with inconveniences than have more crude and have them continue to suffer.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/fuel-scarcity-will-persist-till-may-kachikwu/

2face Idibia To Annie Idibia – ”thanks For Managing Me” 3rd Year Anniversary

Nigeria best Afro Beat, Reggae, Hip hop artiste to name but few, 2face Idibia has written a beautiful wedding anniversary message to his wife, Annie Idibia as they celebrate their 3rd Anniversary today. He shared the above photo on his Instagram with the caption

“Make una help me thank this babe as she gree 2 manage me o. May the Almighty continue 2 guide us. Happy wedding ANNIEversary” 

http://www.exlinklodge.com/2016/03/2face-idibia-to-annie-idibia-thanks-for.html

Nigeria Police 2016 Recruitment Of 10,000 Personnel

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has warned that there would be no short-cut into the Nigeria Police Force in the recruitment of 10,000 personnel.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2015 approved the recruitment of 10,000 policemen at the National Security Summit in Abuja.
In a statement Wednesday, Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations of the commission, told journalists that Mike Okiro, Chairman of the commission, gave the warning while unveiling a portal for the exercise in Abuja.
The statement said that the portal would be opened to the public on April 1 to herald the commencement of the exercise.
“The process leading to the recruitment of 10,000 Policemen as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari at the National Security Summit in Abuja last year, has commenced,” the statement said.
It said the unveiling of the portal was in actualisation of the presidential directive on the recruitment of the 10,000 Policemen.
The statement noted that the exercise was remarkable because there had not been recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force for more than five years.

It said that thousands of policemen who died in the course of service, dismissed or retired, had not been replaced since the last five years.
The statement stressed that the recruitment would strengthen and re-energise the force to tackle more security challenges facing the country.
It explained that the exercise could not begin last year because the funding was not captured in the 2015 budget.
The statement urged interested applicants to access the portal through the commission’s website:www.psc.gov.ng or that of the Nigeria Police Force:www.npf.gov.ng.
It said that no fee would be charged for the processing of the forms which would be filled on-line.
“We are not charging money. It is free, absolutely free,” it said.
The statement said that the exercise would be in three entry points of Constable, Cadet Inspector and Cadet ASP, while there would also be recruitment into the Specialist cadre.
It said that applicants for Police Constables are expected to possess five credits including Mathematics and English Language at Senior School Certificate Examination in not more than two sittings.
It said that for Cadet Inspectors, in addition to having the requirements of Police Constables, candidates would be expected to have an Ordinary National Diploma (OND), Advanced Level (A level), National Certificate in Education (NCE) or their equivalents.
The statement said Candidates for Cadet ASP must possess a University degree or a Higher National Diploma (HND).

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/200700-nigeria-police-begin-recruitment-10000-personnel.html

Picture Of Saraki Signing 2016 Budget

The senate president just share this with a quote

"I just affixed my signature on @NGRSenate's approval of S.B. 212: The 2016 Appropriation Bill which passed today."

http://www.musbizubeat.com/2016/03/heres-picture-senate-pres-saraki-signing-2016-budget/

Apple releases iOS 9.3 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch featuring Night Shift, Touch ID Notes and more — here are all the new features

Following a lengthy beta period, Apple has now released iOS 9.3 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. iOS 9.3 is a significant feature update for Apple’s mobile operating system, with brand new additions like Night Shift, Touch ID Notes and more. iOS 9.3 runs on every iOS 9-capable device, including the brand new iPhone SE. The update appears to weigh in at a hefty 1.7 gigabytes.

See our full walkthrough of all the new iOS 9.3 features after the break …

iOS 9.3 runs on every iPhone all the way back to the 2011 iPhone 4s, although older device owners may want to wait on upgrading in case of performance issues. Performance issues are not a problem on newer hardware, with iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus as smooth as ever.

iOS 9.3 is supported by every iPad generation since the iPad Air. iOS 9.3 also runs on the fifth and sixth-generation iPod touch. We’ve embedded Apple release notes … but read on for our coverage of iOS 9.3

iOS 9.3 Release Notes Page 1iOS 9.3 Release Notes Page 2iOS 9.3 Release Notes Page 3
iOS 9.3 Release Notes Page 4iOS 9.3 Release Notes Page 5iOS 9.3 Release Notes Page 6

iOS 9.3 features a lot of new stuff, somewhat uncharacteristically for a .x update, including Night Shift (official Flux for iOS), Touch ID Notes, Verizon WiFi Calling, changes to Apple News, many new 3D Touch gestures and more. We go through everything new below …

EVERYTHING NEW IN IOS 9.3

Night Shift, Automatic Color Temperature Changes

Night Shift is long-awaited for many iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users … the feature automatically shifts the color temperature of the screen over the course of the day, gradually reducing the amount of blue light the IOS display emits as daylight ends. This makes your screen look more yellow, but ostensibly has health benefits: it should let your eyes more easily relax and there are studies that indicate this feature can make it easier to fall asleep after using your iPhone in bed.

Night Shift can be enabled in Settings to turn on and off automatically with a schedule; you’ll probably want to set it based on the automatic sunset and sunrise schedule option. However, you can also enable it manually through Control Center: Tap the sun/moon icon in the center of the bottom row of Control Center.

Night Shift is limited to a certain subset of supported hardware, unfortunately. iPhone 5, 5c, 5th-generation iPod touch, iPad mini, iPad 2, iPad 3 and iPad 4 owners all lose out on the ability to adjust the color temperature of their screens.

Notes With Password Protection And Touch ID

As part of iOS 9.3, Apple has added some security features to the Notes app. You can now secure specific notes with a password. On devices equipped with a fingerprint sensor, you can also secure them with Touch ID protection.

Tap the lock button in the Share Actions and set a passphrase, along with a hint reminder. One password is used to protect every note you lock — it’s not a unique password per note. When you back to view this note, you will need to supply either a valid fingerprint or the password to see the contents. The title of the note is always visible in list view, so be sure not to include sensitive data in the first few lines.

Be aware that on non-updated devices, these protected notes are not available. Check all your devices are up-to-date with the latest OS version before using the new Notes features to keep everything in sync.

Landscape Apple News, Top Stories Improvements 

Apple has rolled out some enhancements to the News app in iOS 9.3 You can now play embedded videos inline with the main news feed; play buttons replace images where appropriate. You can also view the entire app in landscape on iPhone, useful to take advantage of the additional real estate on an iPhone 6s Plus. There’s a new swipe gesture too, revealing Like, Save and Share actions. Moreover, iOS 9.3 News has a new presentation for Top Stories putting them right at the top of the feed.

Add Activity To Health Dashboard, Discover Health Apps 

In iOS 9.3, you can now add Apple Watch Activity statistics (Move calories, Exercise minutes and Stand hours) to the Health app Dashboard. The dashboard is black in appearance, matching the Activity app. When in Day view, the widget shows the Activity rings and three lines of stats. In other timelines (Week, Month, Year), the widget instead shows a graph over time of the tracked Activity metrics.

Health has some other changes too. In detail views for health data, there are new App Store suggestions which track that particular data type. For instance, viewing Steps recommends apps like Movesum, Pedometer++ and CARROT Fitness.

Workout Tab In Activity App

The Activity app, revealed on the Home Screen when pairing an Apple Watch, now includes an additional tab to show detailed information for Workouts conducted using Apple Watch. There are filter options to drill down by workout type or date recorded. You can also see an overview summary on a month-by-month basis with totals and averages.

New 3D Touch Quick Actions For Stock Apps

 

iPhone 6s launched with 3D Touch in September but it didn’t seem like iOS 9 was completely ready for the new hardware feature, with many apps not taking advantage of the pressure-sensitive screen. Apple has filled out the available Quick Actions for stock apps in iOS 9.3. You can now press firmly on the app icons for Settings, Weather, Compass, App Store, iTunes Store and Health to reveal new quick shortcuts. Quick Actions for Settings is notable; 3D Touch is now the fastest way to open WiFi and Bluetooth settings.

CarPlay Updates For Music And Maps

As CarPlay displays render from the iOS device itself, updates to iOS seamlessly improve the CarPlay experience too. With iOS 9.3, CarPlay users will see For You and New tabs in the Apple Music app as well as the addition of Nearby to the Maps app. Nearby brings local points-of-interest and businesses (restaurants, coffee shops, etc) to just one tap away.

Full Screen Video In Podcasts And Apple Music For iPad

Source: http://9to5mac.com/2016/03/21/apple-releases-ios-9-3-for-iphone-ipad-and-ipod-touch-featuring-night-shift-touch-id-notes-and-more-here-are-all-the-new-features/