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Thursday, December 24, 2015
4:12 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
INNOSON VEHICLE MANUFACTURING CO. LTD
We are the premiere private vehicle manufacturing company in Nigeria. Innoson Vechicle Manufacturing Company was commisioned by His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan... » More
We are the premiere private vehicle manufacturing company in Nigeria. Innoson Vechicle Manufacturing Company was commisioned by His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan... » More
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Tuesday, December 22, 2015
8:32 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
Music Africa unleashes Yemi Alade, Kiss Daniel, others at Beach Splash 2015
After resounding success of the first experience last year with its ‘Music Beach Splash’, Music Africa, a foremost music television programme with a pedigree of transforming the African music landscape is back again this year with a bigger and better package for the lovers of music, dance, comedy and scintillating choreographic displays in the convivial, serene, coastal plain of Eleko Beach in Lagos.
Yemi Alade
Also of note is the coverage which is top draw. There have been aggressive media blitz preceding the event on the electronic media platform of Trace Urban TV, Silverbird, Music Africa and as well as NTA 2 Lagos. The post show coverage is billed to be even bigger, with print and social media coming to the fray, to give attendees memories to cherish.
The show is unique from any other this yuletide period because it is the only one that combines the blissful beach experience with extravaganza of music, superbly served with assortment of comedy, dance and other thrilling side attractions in a security conscious environment, and its free – no cover charge.
“The first edition was a huge success and we hope to surpass that with a better package this year” says the producer of the show, David Nwachukwu
“Last year we brought on board top acts like Oritsefemi, Malaika, Jaywon, Ketchup, DJ Humility and many others. This year, we want to beat that and we have lined up,Stephanie Ashley, Kiss Daniels, Oritsefemi, Orezi, Malaika, Sound Sultan, and other promising young Artistes” he added
8:24 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
27-year old Cynthia Shalom has emerged the winner of the 2015 edition of the Next Movie Star. The budding Nigerian actress, model and dance instructor beat 15 other housemates to emerge winner of the coveted crown and is set to smile home with a brand new SUV, management deal, movie contract for three years and mouthwatering wardrobe allowance.
Speaking
on her success, Cynthia said: ‘I’m very happy and excited. It’s a
humbling experience emerging winner of Next Movie Star 2015.Getting the form from the beginning, going for audition, getting picked, came to the house for the show, now I’m the winner, I have all reasons to be happy and excited.’
When asked if she anticipated that she would win at any point, she said: ‘No, because all the people that went for the audition, both in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, were talented. When we got into the house, I saw different talents but I think what gave me an edge over them was my versatility.
I’m a dancer, singer, instructor, a good cook and model. But before I moved down here, I said to myself, it is either I win or nothing at all.’The Next Movie Star Reality TV Show has over the years discovered successful stars in the African entertainment Industry since it berthed in 2005.
Those who have passed through the platform include Tonto Dikeh, Annie Idibia, Kevin Chuwang Pam, PortiaYamahan, Uti Nwachukwu, Lydia Forson, Karen Igho, Tamara Eteimo, Tomiwa Kukoyi, Halimat
Aitsegame, Boma Mac Ake, Zerziyia Wilson and others….
8:21 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
Ahead of the second edition of Olamide Live In Concert on Sunday
December 27, 2015,
a formidable lineup of Nigerian music heavyweights
has been unveiled as the supporting cast for the heavily anticipated
concert holding at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites,
Victoria Island, Lagos.
Topping the list of superstars performing alongside Olamide on the night are Wizkid, Davido, Reminisce, Phyno and Patoranking. Others who will perform are Solid Star, TJAN, Pepenazi, Niniola, Adekunle Gold, Kesh, Viktoh, Phyno, FloRocka, Ycee.
Commenting about his involvement, Davido said,
“Olamide Live In Concert is one of the biggest concerts of the year and Olamide of course is a personal friend of mine so it will be a lot of fun for both of us. I can’t wait to join Baddo onstage and I think the fans are going to love what we have in store for them on the 27th.”
You can join the conversation online using the hashtag #OLIC2.
a formidable lineup of Nigerian music heavyweights
has been unveiled as the supporting cast for the heavily anticipated
concert holding at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites,
Victoria Island, Lagos.Topping the list of superstars performing alongside Olamide on the night are Wizkid, Davido, Reminisce, Phyno and Patoranking. Others who will perform are Solid Star, TJAN, Pepenazi, Niniola, Adekunle Gold, Kesh, Viktoh, Phyno, FloRocka, Ycee.
Commenting about his involvement, Davido said,
“Olamide Live In Concert is one of the biggest concerts of the year and Olamide of course is a personal friend of mine so it will be a lot of fun for both of us. I can’t wait to join Baddo onstage and I think the fans are going to love what we have in store for them on the 27th.”
You can join the conversation online using the hashtag #OLIC2.
8:17 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
In February 2015 I saw multiple technical indications calling for a pullback (at a minimum) and a potential intermediate stock top in Apple. Additionally, Palladium was beginning to break down. Yes, I said palladium – check out the link for more.
The sell signal has played out pretty well, but it may not be over yet. So it’s time for an update to see if that intermediate stock top in Apple is playing out and whether it will get worse before it gets better.
The first thing I want to show is that the Apple stock decline hit one of the lower price targets (almost exactly) – a critical square root level. That’s a big deal. The candle off of that square root low is a very powerful candle. So Apple bulls really want to see the stock price remain above those lows.
The other thing we need to look at is the support areas shown on the chart below. The mid 80’s is a ways away but it would be a very nice area to BUY to take into new highs – IF the analysis presented in February 2015 is correct.
As you can see below, Palladium is flirting with its lows. A break of these lows “should” target the levels shown. Ultimately, I would like to see Palladium down into the target areas shown as APPL stock price approaches the mid 80’s for a potential BUY.
In summary, watch the levels shown above on AAPL and if we get down into the mid 80’s, then this might be the time to step in and buy.
Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!
Twitter: @BartsCharts
Author does not have a position in mentioned securities at the time of publication. Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.
8:10 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
White House
Obama targets Trump, says candidate 'exploiting' blue-collar fears
dec 21
The president made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with NPR that aired Monday, as Obama began his holiday vacation in Hawaii.
In seeking to explain Trump’s appeal, he pointed to “economic stresses” – from the financial crisis, technology and globalization – and “flatlining” wages.
He said “particularly blue-collar men have had a lot of trouble in this new economy, where they are no longer getting the same bargain that they got when they were going to a factory and able to support their families on a single paycheck, you combine those things and it means that there is going to be potential anger, frustration, fear.
“Some of it justified but just misdirected,” Obama said. “I think somebody like Mr. Trump is taking advantage of that. That's what he's exploiting during the course of his campaign.”
With this explanation, Obama appeared to acknowledge that the U.S. economy still has not turned around for many blue-collar workers – a theme that candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders, on the Democratic side, also are running on.
But the comments marked some of Obama’s most detailed criticism of Trump’s strategy in the Republican race.
Asked to expand on his claims – and speak to concerns in some corners that Obama is trying to change the country in an unwelcome way -- Obama got into a contentious exchange with NPR’s Steve Inskeep that touched on the issue of race.
Obama suggested there are “certain circumstances around being the first African-American president that might not have confronted a previous president.” He also pointed to “specific strains in the Republican Party that suggest that somehow I'm different, I'm Muslim, I'm disloyal to the country, etc., which unfortunately is pretty far out there and gets some traction in certain pockets of the Republican Party.”
But he added: “But that's not to suggest that everybody who objects to my policies may not have perfectly good reasons for it.”
Obama, meanwhile, also addressed his administration’s response to the Paris and San Bernardino terror attacks.
“I think that there is a legitimate criticism of what I've been doing and our administration has been doing in the sense that we haven't, you know, on a regular basis I think described all the work that we've been doing for more than a year now to defeat ISIL,” he said.
But he defended the strategy, and touted the 9,000 strikes carried out against ISIS to date.
“And so part of our goal here is to make sure that people are informed about all the actions that we're taking,” he said.
8:06 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
Many young people are very idealistic about marriage; at least, that
is the impression I get when I interact with them. At a youth gathering
sometime ago, a young man told me this story and asked for advice. His
friend and the fiancée had agreed that there will be no premarital sex,
mainly on the insistence of the lady.
The young man grudgingly agreed and looked forward to deflowering his
wife after wedding, but alas he encountered no roadblock on their first
outing. He was angry and disappointed. He then asked me, what should
his friend do?
It was my turn to fire him questions. “Did the lady tell your friend during courtship that she was a virgin?” He answered no. So the friend only assumed. “What or who is your friend marrying, the virginity or the lady?”
“The lady,” he answered. “So what is the problem? This friend who is obsessed with virginity, is he a virgin?” The answer was “no.” A lot of the time we chase shadows instead of substance.
Then I remembered a story another friend told me some time ago and I started wondering, who is a virgin? My friend said in a particular country (name withheld because I could not independently verify his tale), it is a crime or taboo for a girl to lose her “virginity” before marriage.
So what the girls do is to engage in anal penetration (AKA anal sex) and the men also grope their breasts, bums and other parts of their bodies during pre-marriage relationships. But their hymen (the membrane partially or totally covering the opening of the vagina) is still there for their future husbands to “proudly” break after marriage. My question is: are these girls still virgins? Na who be fool? Who be mumu?
Also in some relationships where fiancés and fiancées agree to no sex before marriage, they engage in all forms of sexually intimate acts, except actual vaginal penetration with the penis; are they still virgins? There are lesbians who are actively involved in same sex relationships, but have never been penetrated, so their hymen might be intact, are they virgins?
Now it gets a little complicated. A school of thought argues that rape victims, who were virgins before the rape, are still virgins, even though they have been penetrated and the hymen, broken. They argue that as long as they did not consent to the act, they are virgins because consent is a prerequisite for losing your virginity.
We know for a fact that sports women and others involved in some physical activities can inadvertently break their hymen. The implication is that there is no evidence to prove their virginity, but can those of them who have never had sex still be classified as virgins?
Who is a virgin? The simple dictionary definition of a virgin is “a person who has never had sexual intercourse.” So what is sexual intercourse? Wikipedia says sexual intercourse “is principally the insertion and thrusting of a male’s penis, usually when erect, into a female’s vagina…” This definition is old, traditional and does not address emerging trends.
Humankind has “moved” on. Same sex relationships and marriages have been legalised in many countries, a fact Wikipedia acknowledges. So, sexual intercourse now includes “oral sex,” “anal sex” and “fingering” among many other new trends.
So who is a virgin? The definition of a virgin has become a matter of individual interpretations to many, but I will associate virginity with one who is pure, chaste, undefiled, unpolluted and unadulterated. You make your deductions.
Many young men want to marry virgins, but cannot find them. Water everywhere, yet none to drink. Who are the pollutants? Why are the virgins scarce? We all know. If married men and women leave bachelors and spinsters alone and bachelors and spinsters keep their hands off one another, there will be an avalanche of virgins. We are knocking our heads over a situation we contributed in creating?
To young men looking for “virgins” to marry, this is my take. It is your life and you have a right to live it the way you like within legal limits, of course, but I have issues with people who come to equity with filthy hands. Also, what exactly do you want from marriage? You must have clarity of purpose, so that you do not focus on the ephemeral to the detriment of recurring issues in marriage.
Virginity is a virtue and it is good for spiritual reasons and the feel-good factor ( na me disvirgin, actually deflower, my wife), but transgressors should be forgiven. God’s grace, if not, I will not be here running my mouth, sorry pen.
I belong to groups who encourage young people to live chaste lives, but we do not condemn others who have made mistakes, because “there is no condemnation unto those who are in Christ Jesus.”(Rom: 8:1). “If the son of man sets you free, you are free indeed.”(John 8:36). The simple message is “go and sin no more.”(John 8:11).
Let me conclude with an analogy. Prior apologies for comparing God’s created with manmade objects, but I see a relationship between virgins/non virgins and brand new cars/fairly used cars. Everybody loves a brand new car. We love the freshness, the pride of being the person who tore off the “rubber,” but can everybody afford a brand new car?
Again if you are offered a brand new Kia Picanto and a Lexus Jeep that has done only 5000 miles, which one will you choose? Also, between a brand new Honda Accord and a Rolls Royce with a 10,000 mileage, which offers superior performance?
Which is better, marrying a virgin you will live turbulently with for the rest of your life or a spouse who is a soul mate, although she had a prior relationship? Virginity is good, godly and holy, but marriage is much more than virginity. Marriage already has trailer-loads of issues. Sort out prior issues during courtship and leave them there; do not import them into marriage.
lovers
It was my turn to fire him questions. “Did the lady tell your friend during courtship that she was a virgin?” He answered no. So the friend only assumed. “What or who is your friend marrying, the virginity or the lady?”
“The lady,” he answered. “So what is the problem? This friend who is obsessed with virginity, is he a virgin?” The answer was “no.” A lot of the time we chase shadows instead of substance.
Then I remembered a story another friend told me some time ago and I started wondering, who is a virgin? My friend said in a particular country (name withheld because I could not independently verify his tale), it is a crime or taboo for a girl to lose her “virginity” before marriage.
So what the girls do is to engage in anal penetration (AKA anal sex) and the men also grope their breasts, bums and other parts of their bodies during pre-marriage relationships. But their hymen (the membrane partially or totally covering the opening of the vagina) is still there for their future husbands to “proudly” break after marriage. My question is: are these girls still virgins? Na who be fool? Who be mumu?
Also in some relationships where fiancés and fiancées agree to no sex before marriage, they engage in all forms of sexually intimate acts, except actual vaginal penetration with the penis; are they still virgins? There are lesbians who are actively involved in same sex relationships, but have never been penetrated, so their hymen might be intact, are they virgins?
Now it gets a little complicated. A school of thought argues that rape victims, who were virgins before the rape, are still virgins, even though they have been penetrated and the hymen, broken. They argue that as long as they did not consent to the act, they are virgins because consent is a prerequisite for losing your virginity.
We know for a fact that sports women and others involved in some physical activities can inadvertently break their hymen. The implication is that there is no evidence to prove their virginity, but can those of them who have never had sex still be classified as virgins?
Who is a virgin? The simple dictionary definition of a virgin is “a person who has never had sexual intercourse.” So what is sexual intercourse? Wikipedia says sexual intercourse “is principally the insertion and thrusting of a male’s penis, usually when erect, into a female’s vagina…” This definition is old, traditional and does not address emerging trends.
Humankind has “moved” on. Same sex relationships and marriages have been legalised in many countries, a fact Wikipedia acknowledges. So, sexual intercourse now includes “oral sex,” “anal sex” and “fingering” among many other new trends.
So who is a virgin? The definition of a virgin has become a matter of individual interpretations to many, but I will associate virginity with one who is pure, chaste, undefiled, unpolluted and unadulterated. You make your deductions.
Many young men want to marry virgins, but cannot find them. Water everywhere, yet none to drink. Who are the pollutants? Why are the virgins scarce? We all know. If married men and women leave bachelors and spinsters alone and bachelors and spinsters keep their hands off one another, there will be an avalanche of virgins. We are knocking our heads over a situation we contributed in creating?
To young men looking for “virgins” to marry, this is my take. It is your life and you have a right to live it the way you like within legal limits, of course, but I have issues with people who come to equity with filthy hands. Also, what exactly do you want from marriage? You must have clarity of purpose, so that you do not focus on the ephemeral to the detriment of recurring issues in marriage.
Virginity is a virtue and it is good for spiritual reasons and the feel-good factor ( na me disvirgin, actually deflower, my wife), but transgressors should be forgiven. God’s grace, if not, I will not be here running my mouth, sorry pen.
I belong to groups who encourage young people to live chaste lives, but we do not condemn others who have made mistakes, because “there is no condemnation unto those who are in Christ Jesus.”(Rom: 8:1). “If the son of man sets you free, you are free indeed.”(John 8:36). The simple message is “go and sin no more.”(John 8:11).
Let me conclude with an analogy. Prior apologies for comparing God’s created with manmade objects, but I see a relationship between virgins/non virgins and brand new cars/fairly used cars. Everybody loves a brand new car. We love the freshness, the pride of being the person who tore off the “rubber,” but can everybody afford a brand new car?
Again if you are offered a brand new Kia Picanto and a Lexus Jeep that has done only 5000 miles, which one will you choose? Also, between a brand new Honda Accord and a Rolls Royce with a 10,000 mileage, which offers superior performance?
Which is better, marrying a virgin you will live turbulently with for the rest of your life or a spouse who is a soul mate, although she had a prior relationship? Virginity is good, godly and holy, but marriage is much more than virginity. Marriage already has trailer-loads of issues. Sort out prior issues during courtship and leave them there; do not import them into marriage.
8:03 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
For some time now, rape has become a multiple daily
occurrence in Nigeria. In spite of intense media focus, the number and
frequency of rape cases, especially the sexual abuse of under-aged
children, have increased. Even more disturbing is the fact that some of
these abuses are carried out by the biological fathers of these young
girls.
Tomorrow is International Day of the Girl Child. At a time like this,
you cannot help but remember the plight of these innocent and
vulnerable children.
But what really necessitated today’s column was a report in the Vanguard of September 7, 2015, about an investigation police officer who refrained from prosecuting a father who sexually abused his seven-year-old daughter because it is a “family issue.”
What is “family issue” about rape? I am not a lawyer, but from the little law I studied in liability insurance, I know there is a difference between civil and criminal matters. The state prosecutes alleged criminal offenders while civil matters are between individuals or groups.
Rape is listed as a criminal offence, therefore, the state is supposed to prosecute the alleged offender and if found guilty, sentenced. So what is the IPO talking about? To get more insight into the crime of rape, I contacted a lawyer friend, Barrister Peter Jude Osuji.
Under the Criminal Code of Nigeria, Rape is defined, as “having unlawful carnal knowledge of a woman or girl, without her consent, or with her consent, if the consent is obtained by force or by means of threats or intimidation of any kind, or by fear of harm, or by means of false act…
This offence is punishable by imprisonment for life, with or without caning” (Section 357 and 358 of the Criminal Code Cap “C38”, Laws of the Federation, 2004). The other offence the father committed is pedophilia. Pedophilia is “a psychiatric disorder, in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 years or younger…”(Wikipedia).
I always suspected pedophiles to be people of unsound minds, if not, what is sexually attractive about a seven-year-old girl (and your own daughter for that matter)? No boobs, no curves, no “finishing” and all the other things that make even the greatest of men become foolish when they behold the daughters of Eve.
Guilty pedophiles should either be in prison or psychiatric confinements until they are cured of the disorder. A Pedophile, who abuses his own daughter, is simply a father from hell. He should consider cutting off his member. Or is it not better to be without a sexually-functional penis than to go into your own daughter? Just wondering aloud.
The seventh senate passed a bill into law prescribing life imprisonment for pedophiles. Despite the controversy surrounding the maximum age of a minor in the bill, it fills a lacuna in the laws of the federation and hopefully President Muhammadu Buhari will sign it into law some day.
The third offence committed by the abusive father is incest. The Nigerian constitution does not provide any clear definition for incest, but under Criminal Code Act Cap 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, Section 214 clarifies it as an offence against morality; a grave offence, if I might just add.
Sexually-abused minors can get justice through the current provisions of the law against rape, but in many cases, family members of the abusers put the much-trumpeted “family name” above the future of the victims; the physical, emotional and psychological damage done to the victims becomes inconsequential. So these parents go scot free only to strike again, as was the case of the seven-year-old girl.
Tragically, the police, the agent of the state, saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting these fathers abusing their under-aged daughters, now see this offence as a “family issue.” It is this kind of inertia and handing of light sentences to offenders by some judges that have emboldened these offenders and made this heinous crime to fester.
Having studied how advanced societies operate, I firmly believe that Nigeria needs to reform its police/policing system and the judiciary / judicial system to bring about the real change many of us clamour for. These two institutions are that critical.
Currently, they leave the average Nigerian frustrated, vulnerable, helpless and hopeless. Unfortunately, these defenceless minors have become major casualties of the defective system. I suggest the Buhari government declares a state of emergency on these two sectors. Let experts tell us what we need to do to significantly improve their performances.
For sure, I know we need to look at their welfare system, retirement packages, working conditions, etc. If they need a separate salary structure, let us give it to them; just anything they need to do their jobs optimally. Thereafter, we should put stringent measures in place to weed out the bad eggs. You cannot ape Bill Gate or Aliko Dangote if you are a judge or policeman. Resign and go into business. We should also explore the possibility of state police.
While that is on, we should not sit helplessly and allow some fathers to destroy the lives of their children; neighbours, school teachers, family members, child rights protection organizations, civil rights groups, the media and everybody who has a voice should continue to speak out. We should mount pressure on the relevant government agencies to do their work.
Parents are like God in the minds of little children. They trust their parents totally. Do not breach that trust. Be good role models to your children. Protection of children is a sacred duty; it is sacrosanct (Matthew 18: 2-6 and 10, Matthew 19: 13-14).
No parent has any right to abuse his/her child or any child for that matter. Custodians, that is all you are as parents and you had better be a good custodian or the law should be allowed to take its course. Protection of family name cannot take precedence over the future of children.
Rape
But what really necessitated today’s column was a report in the Vanguard of September 7, 2015, about an investigation police officer who refrained from prosecuting a father who sexually abused his seven-year-old daughter because it is a “family issue.”
What is “family issue” about rape? I am not a lawyer, but from the little law I studied in liability insurance, I know there is a difference between civil and criminal matters. The state prosecutes alleged criminal offenders while civil matters are between individuals or groups.
Rape is listed as a criminal offence, therefore, the state is supposed to prosecute the alleged offender and if found guilty, sentenced. So what is the IPO talking about? To get more insight into the crime of rape, I contacted a lawyer friend, Barrister Peter Jude Osuji.
Under the Criminal Code of Nigeria, Rape is defined, as “having unlawful carnal knowledge of a woman or girl, without her consent, or with her consent, if the consent is obtained by force or by means of threats or intimidation of any kind, or by fear of harm, or by means of false act…
This offence is punishable by imprisonment for life, with or without caning” (Section 357 and 358 of the Criminal Code Cap “C38”, Laws of the Federation, 2004). The other offence the father committed is pedophilia. Pedophilia is “a psychiatric disorder, in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 years or younger…”(Wikipedia).
I always suspected pedophiles to be people of unsound minds, if not, what is sexually attractive about a seven-year-old girl (and your own daughter for that matter)? No boobs, no curves, no “finishing” and all the other things that make even the greatest of men become foolish when they behold the daughters of Eve.
Guilty pedophiles should either be in prison or psychiatric confinements until they are cured of the disorder. A Pedophile, who abuses his own daughter, is simply a father from hell. He should consider cutting off his member. Or is it not better to be without a sexually-functional penis than to go into your own daughter? Just wondering aloud.
The seventh senate passed a bill into law prescribing life imprisonment for pedophiles. Despite the controversy surrounding the maximum age of a minor in the bill, it fills a lacuna in the laws of the federation and hopefully President Muhammadu Buhari will sign it into law some day.
The third offence committed by the abusive father is incest. The Nigerian constitution does not provide any clear definition for incest, but under Criminal Code Act Cap 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, Section 214 clarifies it as an offence against morality; a grave offence, if I might just add.
Sexually-abused minors can get justice through the current provisions of the law against rape, but in many cases, family members of the abusers put the much-trumpeted “family name” above the future of the victims; the physical, emotional and psychological damage done to the victims becomes inconsequential. So these parents go scot free only to strike again, as was the case of the seven-year-old girl.
Tragically, the police, the agent of the state, saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting these fathers abusing their under-aged daughters, now see this offence as a “family issue.” It is this kind of inertia and handing of light sentences to offenders by some judges that have emboldened these offenders and made this heinous crime to fester.
Having studied how advanced societies operate, I firmly believe that Nigeria needs to reform its police/policing system and the judiciary / judicial system to bring about the real change many of us clamour for. These two institutions are that critical.
Currently, they leave the average Nigerian frustrated, vulnerable, helpless and hopeless. Unfortunately, these defenceless minors have become major casualties of the defective system. I suggest the Buhari government declares a state of emergency on these two sectors. Let experts tell us what we need to do to significantly improve their performances.
For sure, I know we need to look at their welfare system, retirement packages, working conditions, etc. If they need a separate salary structure, let us give it to them; just anything they need to do their jobs optimally. Thereafter, we should put stringent measures in place to weed out the bad eggs. You cannot ape Bill Gate or Aliko Dangote if you are a judge or policeman. Resign and go into business. We should also explore the possibility of state police.
While that is on, we should not sit helplessly and allow some fathers to destroy the lives of their children; neighbours, school teachers, family members, child rights protection organizations, civil rights groups, the media and everybody who has a voice should continue to speak out. We should mount pressure on the relevant government agencies to do their work.
Parents are like God in the minds of little children. They trust their parents totally. Do not breach that trust. Be good role models to your children. Protection of children is a sacred duty; it is sacrosanct (Matthew 18: 2-6 and 10, Matthew 19: 13-14).
No parent has any right to abuse his/her child or any child for that matter. Custodians, that is all you are as parents and you had better be a good custodian or the law should be allowed to take its course. Protection of family name cannot take precedence over the future of children.
8:00 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
Recently, I visited an old friend. We had not seen for a while, but
we kept in touch, via phone. In the course of the discussion, I asked
about her husband. She told me that he has left her and moved in with
his other “wife” (mother). I was not surprised because Tom (not his real
name) was always very close to the mother. In addition, the marriage is
dead in intent and purpose and now exists only on the marriage
certificate. Then I threw the bombshell; I told her I knew from day one
that the marriage was not going to last. She was stunned. “Why didn’t
you tell me,” she asked.
“Would you have listened? Moreover, you were in love (lust) and
everybody in love (lust) is a fool and at that point, you were the
biggest fool of them all,” I responded. In truth, everybody around her
was getting married and she was anxious to get married, and then Tom
came along and events took a dizzying pace. It is not as if I had any
special knowledge or divine message to know that the marriage would not
work; the red flags were all over. Christianity, specifically,
denomination, was a core value to my friend, but Tom was not into
church.
Tom was financially unstable, while financial stability was core to my friend. How much of friends they really were was not certain; everything was so sudden, I could not really determine. Their backgrounds are different. She came from a family that granted children individual freedom, while Tom was, still is, firmly tied to the mother’s apron strings and has sisters who see him as their private property: he is the only brother in the midst of four sisters. There were other trouble spots. As I reviewed my friend’s marriage and other marriages that collapsed due to issues that could have been sorted out during courtship, it got me thinking.
I am a firm believer that once people are married, they should be given their space to build their marriage; no intrusion as long as there is no threat to life. But should family and close friends also give their children and friends their space during courtship? No, I do not think so, not anymore; family should get involved, as long as there are no ulterior motives. These people dating need help. Many of them have blurred vision; they are too much in lust. Many focus on the immediate pleasures and gloss over fundamentals or postpone the “evil” day.
Some of them need to be told the truth, no matter how bitter. My mother always told us while growing up that it is only family or somebody close who can tell you that you have a bad breath. A stranger will not tell you. Courtship is like preparing for an examination. We have every right to help our children prepare adequately. But they only will write the exam (marriage). It is better to help them to get it right during courtship, than be settling quarrels or be embroiled in divorces later. With this firm resolve, I have decided to have a meeting with all my children, including my six-year-old daughter. After all, she knows about husband, wife and children; boyfriend, girlfriend, kissing and probably a lot more.
These so called children’s cartoon programmes on television, hmmm! Thankfully, the sex education both at home and in school is bearing positive fruits. I have already told my children some “don’ts” for any of them who wants me to be part of his/her marriage ceremony. Now, I want them to know that I will be actively involved in their courtships, when the time comes, beyond just knowing the potential spouse. I am going to go beyond the thorough background checks parents of old did. My future sons-in-law or daughters-in-law, just like my children, will also be my friends, on and off Facebook and other social media platforms. A son-in-law or daughter-in-law is after all a son/daughter you never knew.
Now that you have found each other, should you not bond and catch up on lost time? You should be friends and rub minds. I will also engage on at least one trip each with my daughters’ prospective husbands; a strictly boys’ affair. We shall be all alone eating, sleeping, waking up, sight-seeing and engaging in intellectual stimulation and other activities. I will also like to travel with my future daughters-in-law, but this time with my wife very much with us. We shall spend time together without my sons, bonding and knowing each other better. Such trips can be quite revealing.
I pray for my children; I will continue to give them advice and guidance where necessary. If they reject my advice, so be it. But I will NEVER be part of any marriage, if I have cause within my human limitations, to believe that the marriage will fail. Like Pontius Pilate, I will wash my hands off the ceremony. I deeply regret any marriage I have been part of, where I had my doubts, but kept quiet, and it ultimately failed. Henceforth, I will speak up and make enemies or keep quiet, if the situation does not permit, and stay away from the ceremony.
I will no longer grieve my conscience for anybody. Angels are not only in heaven; sometimes God makes a sinful person an angel to save someone else from disaster, marital disaster, in this case. May God give us the spirit of discernment at such times and the courage to carry out the difficult task of telling those concerned the bitter truth. My resolve is totally for the benefit of those getting married. I just want to know within my painfully limited human reasoning that they are good to go till death do them part, no more no less. I sincerely want my children and everybody getting into matrimony to be happily married and enjoy not endure their marriages.
lovers
Tom was financially unstable, while financial stability was core to my friend. How much of friends they really were was not certain; everything was so sudden, I could not really determine. Their backgrounds are different. She came from a family that granted children individual freedom, while Tom was, still is, firmly tied to the mother’s apron strings and has sisters who see him as their private property: he is the only brother in the midst of four sisters. There were other trouble spots. As I reviewed my friend’s marriage and other marriages that collapsed due to issues that could have been sorted out during courtship, it got me thinking.
I am a firm believer that once people are married, they should be given their space to build their marriage; no intrusion as long as there is no threat to life. But should family and close friends also give their children and friends their space during courtship? No, I do not think so, not anymore; family should get involved, as long as there are no ulterior motives. These people dating need help. Many of them have blurred vision; they are too much in lust. Many focus on the immediate pleasures and gloss over fundamentals or postpone the “evil” day.
Some of them need to be told the truth, no matter how bitter. My mother always told us while growing up that it is only family or somebody close who can tell you that you have a bad breath. A stranger will not tell you. Courtship is like preparing for an examination. We have every right to help our children prepare adequately. But they only will write the exam (marriage). It is better to help them to get it right during courtship, than be settling quarrels or be embroiled in divorces later. With this firm resolve, I have decided to have a meeting with all my children, including my six-year-old daughter. After all, she knows about husband, wife and children; boyfriend, girlfriend, kissing and probably a lot more.
These so called children’s cartoon programmes on television, hmmm! Thankfully, the sex education both at home and in school is bearing positive fruits. I have already told my children some “don’ts” for any of them who wants me to be part of his/her marriage ceremony. Now, I want them to know that I will be actively involved in their courtships, when the time comes, beyond just knowing the potential spouse. I am going to go beyond the thorough background checks parents of old did. My future sons-in-law or daughters-in-law, just like my children, will also be my friends, on and off Facebook and other social media platforms. A son-in-law or daughter-in-law is after all a son/daughter you never knew.
Now that you have found each other, should you not bond and catch up on lost time? You should be friends and rub minds. I will also engage on at least one trip each with my daughters’ prospective husbands; a strictly boys’ affair. We shall be all alone eating, sleeping, waking up, sight-seeing and engaging in intellectual stimulation and other activities. I will also like to travel with my future daughters-in-law, but this time with my wife very much with us. We shall spend time together without my sons, bonding and knowing each other better. Such trips can be quite revealing.
I pray for my children; I will continue to give them advice and guidance where necessary. If they reject my advice, so be it. But I will NEVER be part of any marriage, if I have cause within my human limitations, to believe that the marriage will fail. Like Pontius Pilate, I will wash my hands off the ceremony. I deeply regret any marriage I have been part of, where I had my doubts, but kept quiet, and it ultimately failed. Henceforth, I will speak up and make enemies or keep quiet, if the situation does not permit, and stay away from the ceremony.
I will no longer grieve my conscience for anybody. Angels are not only in heaven; sometimes God makes a sinful person an angel to save someone else from disaster, marital disaster, in this case. May God give us the spirit of discernment at such times and the courage to carry out the difficult task of telling those concerned the bitter truth. My resolve is totally for the benefit of those getting married. I just want to know within my painfully limited human reasoning that they are good to go till death do them part, no more no less. I sincerely want my children and everybody getting into matrimony to be happily married and enjoy not endure their marriages.
7:56 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
2016 Budget Speech delivered by President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) on Wednesday, Dec. 22
PROTOCOLS
I am honoured and privileged to present the 2016 Budget proposal. This is my first address before this joint session of the National Assembly. I have come here today, not only to address members of the National Assembly but also to speak directly to the men and women who placed us here.
I know the state of our economy is a source of concern for many. This
has been further worsened by the unbridled corruption and security
challenges we have faced in the last few years.
From those who have lost their jobs, to those young people who have never had a job, to the people in the Northeast whose families and businesses were destroyed by insurgents, this has been a difficult period in our nation’s history, lessons that we must not forget or ignore as we plan for the future.
By June 2014, oil prices averaged 112 dollars per barrel. But as at today, the price is under 39 dollars per barrel. This huge decline is having a painful effect on our economy.
Consumption has declined at all levels. In both the private and public sectors, employers have struggled to meet their salary and other employee related obligations. The small business owners and traders have been particularly hard hit by this state of affairs.
Fellow Nigerians, the confidence of many might be shaken. However, I stand before you today promising that we will secure our country, rebuild our economy and make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger than it has ever been.
The answers to our problems are not beyond us. They exist on our farmlands; our corporations; in the universities in the hearts and minds of our entrepreneurs; through the gallantry of our Armed Forces; and the resolute spirit of Nigerians, especially the youth, who have refused to give up despite all the obstacles confronting them.
This budget proposal, the first by our government, seeks to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth and prioritising the welfare of Nigerians.
We believe that this budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the terrible living conditions of the extremely poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
In the medium to longer term, we remain committed to economic diversification through import substitution and export promotion. This will build resilience in our economy. It will guarantee that the problems we have today, will not confront our children and their children. This shall be our legacy for generations to come.
2015: A Year of Global and Domestic Challenges
Today, it is widely acknowledged that the global economy has slowed down. This is particularly the case with emerging markets such as Nigeria. However, despite the weak emerging market growth rates, our domestic security challenges, declining oil prices, and the attendant difficulties in providing foreign exchange to meet market demands, the Nigerian economy grew by 2.84 per cent in the third quarter of 2015.
We have, and will continue to implement strategies that will maintain macroeconomic stability and manage the oil price shocks we are experiencing.
Upon the inauguration of this administration on 29th May 2015, we engaged key stakeholders from various sectors of our economy and interfaced with the heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in order to understand the true state of our nation. What we found prompted us to take certain strategic decisions.
On the economy, we injected new leadership at the helm of our revenue generating agencies including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). We implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which, so far, has provided greater visibility of government revenues and cash flows. We intervened to support states to navigate their fiscal challenges by restructuring their commercial bank loans and by providing facilities to enable them to pay salary arrears.
We have demonstrated a strong will to fight corruption. I am sure you will agree that the sheer scale of corruption and impunity of the past explains in part, the economic challenges we now face. On these initiatives, and the many more to come, we shall not be deterred. We will pursue the recovery of everything that belongs to the people of Nigeria. No matter where it is hidden. No matter how long it will take.
2015 Budget Performance
Distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, I now present a review of the 2015 Budget. That Budget was based on a benchmark oil price of 53 dollars per barrel, oil production of 2.28 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N190 to the dollar.
The projected revenue was N3.45 trillion, with an outlay of N4.49 trillion, implying a deficit of N1.04 trillion. Due largely to under-provisioning by the previous administration for fuel subsidy and the costs required to support the military operations in the Northeast, the government had to obtain National Assembly’s approval for a supplementary budget of N575.5 billion. I take this opportunity to thank all members of the National Assembly for the prompt passage of that bill.
2016: Budget Assumptions
After reviewing the trends in the global oil industry, we have set a benchmark price of 38 dollars per barrel and a production estimate of 2.2 million barrels per day for 2016. We have focused on non-oil revenues by broadening our tax base and improving the effectiveness of our revenue collecting agencies.
Also, with the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account, we expect significant improvements in the collection and remittance of independent revenues. To further support the drive for increased remittances, we will ensure that all MDAs present their budgets in advance, and remit their operating surpluses as required by section 22 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
We are determined to ensure that our resources are managed prudently and utilised solely for the public good. To set the proper tone, one of our early decisions was the adoption of a zero based budgeting approach, which ensures that resources are aligned with government’s priorities and allocated efficiently. This budgeting method, a clear departure from previous budgeting activities, will optimise the impact of public expenditure.
In addition to the proper linkage of budgeting to strategic planning, we are enhancing the utilisation of the Government Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (GIFMIS) to improve financial management. The recently established Efficiency Unit is working across MDAs to identify and eliminate wasteful spending, duplication and other inefficiencies. We engaged costing experts to scrutinise the 2016 budget proposals. They have already identified certain cost areas that can be centralised for economies to be made.
We have directed the extension of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to all MDAs to reap its full benefits. We will also strengthen the controls over our personnel and pension costs with the imminent introduction of the Continuous Audit Process (CAP). These initiatives will ensure personnel costs are reduced. Our commitment to a lean and cost effective government remains a priority, and the initiatives we are introducing will signal a fundamental change in how government spends public revenue.
2016: Laying the Foundation for Sustainable Growth
The 2016 budget, as outlined, is designed to ensure that we revive our economy, deliver inclusive growth to Nigerians and create a significant number of jobs.
We aim to ensure macroeconomic stability by achieving a real GDP growth rate of 4.37 per cent and managing inflation. To achieve this, we will ensure the aligning of fiscal, monetary, trade and industrial policies.
As we focus on inclusive growth, we are conscious of the current rate of unemployment and underemployment. This is a challenge we are determined to meet; and this budget is the platform for putting more Nigerians to work.
I can assure you that this administration will have a job creation focus in every aspect of the execution of this budget. Nigeria’s job creation drive will be private sector led. We will encourage this by a reduction in tax rates for smaller businesses as well as subsidised funding for priority sectors such as agriculture and solid minerals.
As an emergency measure, to address the chronic shortage of teachers in public schools across the country, we also will partner with state and local governments to recruit, train and deploy 500,000 unemployed graduates and NCE holders. These graduate teachers will be deployed to primary schools, thereby, enhancing the provision of basic education especially in our rural areas.
We also intend to partner with state and local governments to provide financial training and loans to market women, traders and artisans, through their cooperative societies. We believe that this segment of our society is not only critical to our plan for growing small businesses, but it is also an important platform to create jobs and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Furthermore, through the Office of the Vice-President, we are working with various development partners to design an implementable and transparent conditional cash transfer programme for the poorest and most vulnerable. This programme will be implemented in phases.
Already, the compilation of registers of the poorest persons is ongoing. In the coming weeks, we will present the full programme, which will include our home-grown public primary school feeding and free education for science, technology and education students in our tertiary institutions. Indeed, this will mark a historic milestone for us as a nation.
The 2016 Budget
Distinguished members of the National Assembly, I now present, the 2016 Budget proposals of the Federal Government. Based on the assumptions I presented earlier, we have proposed a budget of N6.08 trillion with a revenue projection of N3.86 trillion resulting in a deficit of N2.22 trillion.
The deficit, which is equivalent to 2.16 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, will take our overall debt profile to 14 per cent of our GDP. This remains well within acceptable fiscal limits. Our deficit will be financed by a combination of domestic borrowing of N984 billion and foreign borrowing of N900 billion totaling N1.84 trillion. Over the medium term, we expect to increase revenues and reduce overheads, to bring the fiscal deficit down to 1.3 per cent of GDP by 2018.
In 2016, oil related revenues are expected to contribute N820 billion. Non-oil revenues, comprising Company Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT), Customs and Excise duties, and Federation Account levies, will contribute N1.45 trillion. Finally, by enforcing strict compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and public expenditure reforms in all MDAs, we have projected up to N1.51 trillion from independent revenues.
Although we are working to diversify our economy, we will not lose sight of the need to restructure the oil and gas sector which has been marred by corruption and plagued with inefficiencies. Accordingly, I have directed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to adjust its pricing template to reflect competitive and market driven components. We believe this can lower input costs and attain efficiency savings that will enable PPPRA to keep the selling price for all marketers of petrol at N87 per liter for now.
The current fuel scarcity with long queues at petrol stations all over the country causing social dislocation is very unfortunate. Government profoundly apologises to Nigerians for this prolonged hardship and misery. It is as a result of market speculators and resistance to change by some stakeholders. Government is working very hard to end these shortages and bring fuel to the pumps all over the country.
I have also directed the NNPC to explore alternate funding models that will enable us to honour our obligations in Joint Ventures (JVs) and deep offshore fields. We are confident that these measures can be achieved and will lower the burden that the traditional cash calls have imposed on our budget and cash flows as well as contribute towards shoring up our national reserves.
To deliver our development objectives, we have increased the capital expenditure portion of the budget from N557 billion in the 2015 budget to N1.8 trillion, in the 2016 budget.
Distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, for the first time in many years, capital expenditure will represent 30 per cent of our total budget. In future years we intend to raise the percentage allocation for capital expenditure.
This is a fulfillment of our promise to align expenditure to our long-term objectives, and a sign of government’s commitment to sustainable development.
This increased capital expenditure commits significant resources to critical sectors such as Works, Power and Housing – N433.4 billion; Transport – N202.0 billion; Special Intervention Programmes – N200.0 billion; Defence – N134.6 billion; and Interior – N53.1 billion. These investments in infrastructure and security are meant to support our reforms in the Agriculture, Solid Minerals and other core job creating sectors of our economy.
We will invest to safeguard lives and property.
We will invest in equipping our farmers with the right tools, technology and techniques.
We will invest in empowering and enabling our miners to operate in a safe, secure and humane environment.
We will invest in training our youths, through the revival of our technical and vocational institutions to ensure they are competent enough to seize the opportunities that will arise from this economic revival.
Indeed, the future looks bright. And I ask that we all work together to make this vision a reality. The 223 per cent year on year growth in capital expenditure demonstrates our desire to make Nigeria more competitive, and start the journey to deliver sustainable development in our country.
In fulfillment of our promise to run a lean government, we have proposed a 9 per cent reduction in non-debt recurrent expenditure from N2.59 trillion in the 2015 Budget to N2.35 trillion in 2016. Furthermore, we have budgeted N300 billion for Special Intervention Programmes, which takes the total amount for non-debt recurrent expenditure to N2.65 trillion.
As I mentioned earlier, the Efficiency Unit set up by this Administration together with effective implementation of GIFMIS and IPPIS will drive a reduction of overheads by at least 7 per cent, personnel costs by 8 per cent and other service wide votes by 19 per cent. Distinguished and honourable members, this budget will be executed to provide optimum value by ensuring every naira spent by this government, counts.
We will devote a significant portion of our recurrent expenditure to institutions that provide critical government services. We will spend N369.6 billion in Education; N294.5 billion in Defence; N221.7 billion in Health and N145.3 billion in the Ministry of Interior. This will ensure our teachers, armed forces personnel, doctors, nurses, police men, fire fighters, prison service officers and many more critical service providers are paid competitively and on time.
Distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, our 2016 borrowings will be principally directed to fund our capital projects. Furthermore, the sum of N113 billion will be set aside for a Sinking Fund towards the retirement of maturing loans; while N1.36 trillion has been provided for foreign and domestic debt service. This calls for prudent management on our part, both of the debt portfolio and the deployment of our hard earned foreign exchange earnings.
I am aware of the problems many Nigerians currently have in accessing foreign exchange for their various purposes – from our traders and business operators who rely on imported inputs; to manufacturers needing to import sophisticated equipment and spare parts; to our airlines operators who need foreign exchange to meet their international regulatory obligations; to the financial services sector and capital markets who are key actors in the global arena.
These are clearly due to the current inadequacies in the supply of foreign exchange to Nigerians who need it. I am however assured by the Governor of Central Bank that the bank is currently fine-tuning its foreign exchange management to introduce some flexibility and encourage additional inflow of foreign currency to help ease the pressure.
We are carefully assessing our exchange rate regime keeping in mind our willingness to attract foreign investors but at the same time, managing and controlling inflation to level that will not harm the average Nigerians. Nigeria is open for business. But the interest of all Nigerians must be protected. Indeed, tough decisions will have to be made. But this does not necessarily mean increasing the level of pain already being experienced by most Nigerians.
So to the investors, business owners and industrialists, we are aware of your pains. To the farmers, traders and entrepreneurs, we also hear you. The status quo cannot continue. The rent seeking will stop. The artificial current demand will end. Our monetary, fiscal and social development policies are aligned.
Conclusion
Mr. Senate President, Mr. Speaker, distinguished members of the National Assembly, in spite of the global economic uncertainties; we must remain steadfast in our commitment to steer this country back to greatness.
The Nigerian economy needs to move away from dependency on oil. Our growth must be inclusive. Nigerians must be part of the growth story. As a government, we shall deliver security, jobs and infrastructure. This is the right of all Nigerians.
I know many people will say “I have heard this before”. Indeed, trust in government, due to the abuse and negligence of the past, is at an all-time low. This means we must go back to basics. Our actions will speak for us. My team of dedicated, committed and patriotic Nigerians is well aware of the task ahead and I can assure you that we are taking on the challenge.
We will not betray the trust reposed in us.
We will welcome and be responsive to your feedback and criticisms.
We are here to serve. And indeed, Nigerians will get the service they have longed for and which they rightly deserve.
We as a government cannot do it alone. We will require the support of all civil servants, the organised labour, industry groups, the press and of course, our religious and traditional institutions. This is a call for all of us to stand and serve our country.
This budget represents a major step in delivering a new opportunity for Nigeria. It demonstrates our confident optimism that despite the challenging times, we have the will, resourcefulness and commitment to deliver prosperity to our people. And by the Grace of Almighty God and the sheer will and determination
of the Nigerian people, we will come out stronger and more united than ever.
Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
PROTOCOLS
I am honoured and privileged to present the 2016 Budget proposal. This is my first address before this joint session of the National Assembly. I have come here today, not only to address members of the National Assembly but also to speak directly to the men and women who placed us here.
FROM
LEFT: SENATE PRESIDENT BUKOLA SARAKI; SPEAKER, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, YAKUBU DOGARA; PRESIDENT MUHAMMED BUHARI, AND CLERK OF
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (SENATE), ALHAJI SALISU MAIKASUWA, DURING
PRESENTATION OF THE 2016 APPROPRIATION BILL BY PRESIDENT BUHARI TO A
JOINT SESSION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, IN ABUJA ON TUESDAY (22/12/15).
From those who have lost their jobs, to those young people who have never had a job, to the people in the Northeast whose families and businesses were destroyed by insurgents, this has been a difficult period in our nation’s history, lessons that we must not forget or ignore as we plan for the future.
By June 2014, oil prices averaged 112 dollars per barrel. But as at today, the price is under 39 dollars per barrel. This huge decline is having a painful effect on our economy.
Consumption has declined at all levels. In both the private and public sectors, employers have struggled to meet their salary and other employee related obligations. The small business owners and traders have been particularly hard hit by this state of affairs.
Fellow Nigerians, the confidence of many might be shaken. However, I stand before you today promising that we will secure our country, rebuild our economy and make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger than it has ever been.
The answers to our problems are not beyond us. They exist on our farmlands; our corporations; in the universities in the hearts and minds of our entrepreneurs; through the gallantry of our Armed Forces; and the resolute spirit of Nigerians, especially the youth, who have refused to give up despite all the obstacles confronting them.
This budget proposal, the first by our government, seeks to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth and prioritising the welfare of Nigerians.
We believe that this budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the terrible living conditions of the extremely poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
In the medium to longer term, we remain committed to economic diversification through import substitution and export promotion. This will build resilience in our economy. It will guarantee that the problems we have today, will not confront our children and their children. This shall be our legacy for generations to come.
2015: A Year of Global and Domestic Challenges
Today, it is widely acknowledged that the global economy has slowed down. This is particularly the case with emerging markets such as Nigeria. However, despite the weak emerging market growth rates, our domestic security challenges, declining oil prices, and the attendant difficulties in providing foreign exchange to meet market demands, the Nigerian economy grew by 2.84 per cent in the third quarter of 2015.
We have, and will continue to implement strategies that will maintain macroeconomic stability and manage the oil price shocks we are experiencing.
Upon the inauguration of this administration on 29th May 2015, we engaged key stakeholders from various sectors of our economy and interfaced with the heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in order to understand the true state of our nation. What we found prompted us to take certain strategic decisions.
On the economy, we injected new leadership at the helm of our revenue generating agencies including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). We implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which, so far, has provided greater visibility of government revenues and cash flows. We intervened to support states to navigate their fiscal challenges by restructuring their commercial bank loans and by providing facilities to enable them to pay salary arrears.
We have demonstrated a strong will to fight corruption. I am sure you will agree that the sheer scale of corruption and impunity of the past explains in part, the economic challenges we now face. On these initiatives, and the many more to come, we shall not be deterred. We will pursue the recovery of everything that belongs to the people of Nigeria. No matter where it is hidden. No matter how long it will take.
2015 Budget Performance
Distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, I now present a review of the 2015 Budget. That Budget was based on a benchmark oil price of 53 dollars per barrel, oil production of 2.28 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N190 to the dollar.
The projected revenue was N3.45 trillion, with an outlay of N4.49 trillion, implying a deficit of N1.04 trillion. Due largely to under-provisioning by the previous administration for fuel subsidy and the costs required to support the military operations in the Northeast, the government had to obtain National Assembly’s approval for a supplementary budget of N575.5 billion. I take this opportunity to thank all members of the National Assembly for the prompt passage of that bill.
2016: Budget Assumptions
After reviewing the trends in the global oil industry, we have set a benchmark price of 38 dollars per barrel and a production estimate of 2.2 million barrels per day for 2016. We have focused on non-oil revenues by broadening our tax base and improving the effectiveness of our revenue collecting agencies.
Also, with the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account, we expect significant improvements in the collection and remittance of independent revenues. To further support the drive for increased remittances, we will ensure that all MDAs present their budgets in advance, and remit their operating surpluses as required by section 22 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
We are determined to ensure that our resources are managed prudently and utilised solely for the public good. To set the proper tone, one of our early decisions was the adoption of a zero based budgeting approach, which ensures that resources are aligned with government’s priorities and allocated efficiently. This budgeting method, a clear departure from previous budgeting activities, will optimise the impact of public expenditure.
In addition to the proper linkage of budgeting to strategic planning, we are enhancing the utilisation of the Government Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (GIFMIS) to improve financial management. The recently established Efficiency Unit is working across MDAs to identify and eliminate wasteful spending, duplication and other inefficiencies. We engaged costing experts to scrutinise the 2016 budget proposals. They have already identified certain cost areas that can be centralised for economies to be made.
We have directed the extension of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to all MDAs to reap its full benefits. We will also strengthen the controls over our personnel and pension costs with the imminent introduction of the Continuous Audit Process (CAP). These initiatives will ensure personnel costs are reduced. Our commitment to a lean and cost effective government remains a priority, and the initiatives we are introducing will signal a fundamental change in how government spends public revenue.
2016: Laying the Foundation for Sustainable Growth
The 2016 budget, as outlined, is designed to ensure that we revive our economy, deliver inclusive growth to Nigerians and create a significant number of jobs.
We aim to ensure macroeconomic stability by achieving a real GDP growth rate of 4.37 per cent and managing inflation. To achieve this, we will ensure the aligning of fiscal, monetary, trade and industrial policies.
As we focus on inclusive growth, we are conscious of the current rate of unemployment and underemployment. This is a challenge we are determined to meet; and this budget is the platform for putting more Nigerians to work.
I can assure you that this administration will have a job creation focus in every aspect of the execution of this budget. Nigeria’s job creation drive will be private sector led. We will encourage this by a reduction in tax rates for smaller businesses as well as subsidised funding for priority sectors such as agriculture and solid minerals.
As an emergency measure, to address the chronic shortage of teachers in public schools across the country, we also will partner with state and local governments to recruit, train and deploy 500,000 unemployed graduates and NCE holders. These graduate teachers will be deployed to primary schools, thereby, enhancing the provision of basic education especially in our rural areas.
We also intend to partner with state and local governments to provide financial training and loans to market women, traders and artisans, through their cooperative societies. We believe that this segment of our society is not only critical to our plan for growing small businesses, but it is also an important platform to create jobs and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Furthermore, through the Office of the Vice-President, we are working with various development partners to design an implementable and transparent conditional cash transfer programme for the poorest and most vulnerable. This programme will be implemented in phases.
Already, the compilation of registers of the poorest persons is ongoing. In the coming weeks, we will present the full programme, which will include our home-grown public primary school feeding and free education for science, technology and education students in our tertiary institutions. Indeed, this will mark a historic milestone for us as a nation.
The 2016 Budget
Distinguished members of the National Assembly, I now present, the 2016 Budget proposals of the Federal Government. Based on the assumptions I presented earlier, we have proposed a budget of N6.08 trillion with a revenue projection of N3.86 trillion resulting in a deficit of N2.22 trillion.
The deficit, which is equivalent to 2.16 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, will take our overall debt profile to 14 per cent of our GDP. This remains well within acceptable fiscal limits. Our deficit will be financed by a combination of domestic borrowing of N984 billion and foreign borrowing of N900 billion totaling N1.84 trillion. Over the medium term, we expect to increase revenues and reduce overheads, to bring the fiscal deficit down to 1.3 per cent of GDP by 2018.
In 2016, oil related revenues are expected to contribute N820 billion. Non-oil revenues, comprising Company Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT), Customs and Excise duties, and Federation Account levies, will contribute N1.45 trillion. Finally, by enforcing strict compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and public expenditure reforms in all MDAs, we have projected up to N1.51 trillion from independent revenues.
Although we are working to diversify our economy, we will not lose sight of the need to restructure the oil and gas sector which has been marred by corruption and plagued with inefficiencies. Accordingly, I have directed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to adjust its pricing template to reflect competitive and market driven components. We believe this can lower input costs and attain efficiency savings that will enable PPPRA to keep the selling price for all marketers of petrol at N87 per liter for now.
The current fuel scarcity with long queues at petrol stations all over the country causing social dislocation is very unfortunate. Government profoundly apologises to Nigerians for this prolonged hardship and misery. It is as a result of market speculators and resistance to change by some stakeholders. Government is working very hard to end these shortages and bring fuel to the pumps all over the country.
I have also directed the NNPC to explore alternate funding models that will enable us to honour our obligations in Joint Ventures (JVs) and deep offshore fields. We are confident that these measures can be achieved and will lower the burden that the traditional cash calls have imposed on our budget and cash flows as well as contribute towards shoring up our national reserves.
To deliver our development objectives, we have increased the capital expenditure portion of the budget from N557 billion in the 2015 budget to N1.8 trillion, in the 2016 budget.
Distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, for the first time in many years, capital expenditure will represent 30 per cent of our total budget. In future years we intend to raise the percentage allocation for capital expenditure.
This is a fulfillment of our promise to align expenditure to our long-term objectives, and a sign of government’s commitment to sustainable development.
This increased capital expenditure commits significant resources to critical sectors such as Works, Power and Housing – N433.4 billion; Transport – N202.0 billion; Special Intervention Programmes – N200.0 billion; Defence – N134.6 billion; and Interior – N53.1 billion. These investments in infrastructure and security are meant to support our reforms in the Agriculture, Solid Minerals and other core job creating sectors of our economy.
We will invest to safeguard lives and property.
We will invest in equipping our farmers with the right tools, technology and techniques.
We will invest in empowering and enabling our miners to operate in a safe, secure and humane environment.
We will invest in training our youths, through the revival of our technical and vocational institutions to ensure they are competent enough to seize the opportunities that will arise from this economic revival.
Indeed, the future looks bright. And I ask that we all work together to make this vision a reality. The 223 per cent year on year growth in capital expenditure demonstrates our desire to make Nigeria more competitive, and start the journey to deliver sustainable development in our country.
In fulfillment of our promise to run a lean government, we have proposed a 9 per cent reduction in non-debt recurrent expenditure from N2.59 trillion in the 2015 Budget to N2.35 trillion in 2016. Furthermore, we have budgeted N300 billion for Special Intervention Programmes, which takes the total amount for non-debt recurrent expenditure to N2.65 trillion.
As I mentioned earlier, the Efficiency Unit set up by this Administration together with effective implementation of GIFMIS and IPPIS will drive a reduction of overheads by at least 7 per cent, personnel costs by 8 per cent and other service wide votes by 19 per cent. Distinguished and honourable members, this budget will be executed to provide optimum value by ensuring every naira spent by this government, counts.
We will devote a significant portion of our recurrent expenditure to institutions that provide critical government services. We will spend N369.6 billion in Education; N294.5 billion in Defence; N221.7 billion in Health and N145.3 billion in the Ministry of Interior. This will ensure our teachers, armed forces personnel, doctors, nurses, police men, fire fighters, prison service officers and many more critical service providers are paid competitively and on time.
Distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, our 2016 borrowings will be principally directed to fund our capital projects. Furthermore, the sum of N113 billion will be set aside for a Sinking Fund towards the retirement of maturing loans; while N1.36 trillion has been provided for foreign and domestic debt service. This calls for prudent management on our part, both of the debt portfolio and the deployment of our hard earned foreign exchange earnings.
I am aware of the problems many Nigerians currently have in accessing foreign exchange for their various purposes – from our traders and business operators who rely on imported inputs; to manufacturers needing to import sophisticated equipment and spare parts; to our airlines operators who need foreign exchange to meet their international regulatory obligations; to the financial services sector and capital markets who are key actors in the global arena.
These are clearly due to the current inadequacies in the supply of foreign exchange to Nigerians who need it. I am however assured by the Governor of Central Bank that the bank is currently fine-tuning its foreign exchange management to introduce some flexibility and encourage additional inflow of foreign currency to help ease the pressure.
We are carefully assessing our exchange rate regime keeping in mind our willingness to attract foreign investors but at the same time, managing and controlling inflation to level that will not harm the average Nigerians. Nigeria is open for business. But the interest of all Nigerians must be protected. Indeed, tough decisions will have to be made. But this does not necessarily mean increasing the level of pain already being experienced by most Nigerians.
So to the investors, business owners and industrialists, we are aware of your pains. To the farmers, traders and entrepreneurs, we also hear you. The status quo cannot continue. The rent seeking will stop. The artificial current demand will end. Our monetary, fiscal and social development policies are aligned.
Conclusion
Mr. Senate President, Mr. Speaker, distinguished members of the National Assembly, in spite of the global economic uncertainties; we must remain steadfast in our commitment to steer this country back to greatness.
The Nigerian economy needs to move away from dependency on oil. Our growth must be inclusive. Nigerians must be part of the growth story. As a government, we shall deliver security, jobs and infrastructure. This is the right of all Nigerians.
I know many people will say “I have heard this before”. Indeed, trust in government, due to the abuse and negligence of the past, is at an all-time low. This means we must go back to basics. Our actions will speak for us. My team of dedicated, committed and patriotic Nigerians is well aware of the task ahead and I can assure you that we are taking on the challenge.
We will not betray the trust reposed in us.
We will welcome and be responsive to your feedback and criticisms.
We are here to serve. And indeed, Nigerians will get the service they have longed for and which they rightly deserve.
We as a government cannot do it alone. We will require the support of all civil servants, the organised labour, industry groups, the press and of course, our religious and traditional institutions. This is a call for all of us to stand and serve our country.
This budget represents a major step in delivering a new opportunity for Nigeria. It demonstrates our confident optimism that despite the challenging times, we have the will, resourcefulness and commitment to deliver prosperity to our people. And by the Grace of Almighty God and the sheer will and determination
of the Nigerian people, we will come out stronger and more united than ever.
Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
7:50 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA— Former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), yesterday, secured fresh bail from an Abuja High Court sitting in Maitama.
In a ruling yesterday, trial judge, Justice Peter Affen granted him
bail, including former Minister of State (Finance), Bashir Yuguda;
former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa and his son,
Sagir Attahiru, to the tune of N250million each, with two sureties in
like sum.
Equally granted bail on the same amount was former Director of Finance in the Office of the NSA, Mr. Shuaibu Salisu. The court stressed that one of the sureties must be a retired or serving director in the federal civil service.
It said the second surety must be an owner of a landed property within the Federal Capital Territory, which value must not be below N250million.
The surety, according to the court, must tender title deeds of the said property to the Registrar of the High Court for authentication.
Besides, Justice Affen held that lawyers to the accused persons must vouch for the character of each of the sureties, who he said must also depose to an affidavit of means before the court.
Moreso, the court yesterday ordered all the accused persons to surrender their passports, even as it warned them against travelling out of its jurisdiction without express permission.
“Pending the perfection of all the bail conditions, the accused persons are to be remanded in prison custody,” Justice Affen held.
The accused persons are answering to a 22-count criminal charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
They were alleged to have connived and diverted over N13.6billion from the office of the NSA, prior to the 2015 general elections.
A company the anti-graft agency said served as conduit pipe for the alleged illegal diversion of the funds, Dahaltu Investment Limited, was also charged before the court as the fourth accused person.
Court adjourns hearing to Feb 2, 3
Meantime, Justice Affen yesterday, slated February 2 and 3 to commence full hearing in the case against the accused persons.
It will be recalled that all the accused persons had last week Tuesday, pleaded not guilty to the entire 22-count charge, even as they separately prayed the court to okay their release on bail pending hearing and determination of the case against them.
They predicated their bail applications on provisions of Sections 158, 162, 165, 167 and 168 (b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, as well as Section 36(5) (6) of the 1999 Constitution.
The accused persons, through their lawyers, insisted that the charge slammed against them by the anti-graft agency were bailable.
Whereas Dasuki, through his counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, urged the court to grant him bail on self recognition, Bafarawa and his son, Sagir, prayed the court to grant them bail on health grounds.
Meanwhile, Dasuki who is facing three different charges before three different Judges, had on Friday last week also secured N250million bail before Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf who is trying him over another19-count charge bordering on alleged N32 bilion fraud.
Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had in relation to another five-count charge involving alleged $2.1billion fraud, granted the ex-NSA bail on self recognition.
While persuading the court to release him on bail, the former Sokoto State governor, Barafawa, bemoaned that his health had deteriorated badly owing to his continued detention at the EFCC.
Likewise, his son, Sagir, pleaded the court for bail, saying he has ulcer.
Both father and son addressed the court through two different Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Chief J.O. Olatoke and Mr. H. O. Afolabi.
Similarly, the third accused, Salisu, prayed the court for bail, saying he has been in detention for over 31 days.
However, their bail motions were vehemently opposed by the EFCC which urged the court to ignore them and order accelerated hearing of the substantive charges against them.
The commission, through its lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court that the defendants have wide influence and affluence to intimidate, harass and influence the proposed prosecution witnesses if released on bail.
EFCC insisted that the defendants will escape from Nigeria once out of detention.
It told the court that the applicants were also being investigated in respect of other criminal allegations.
The prosecuting agency, via an affidavit deposed to by one of its lead detectives, Mr. Hassan Saidu, told the court that the accused persons acquired “a large volume of assets with the proceeds of crimes”.
Saidu said his team are presently tracing the assets. “If released on bail the applicants will interfere with the assets tracing activities”, he added.
Money transfered outside Nigeria
He further told the court that investigations revealed that the accused persons transferred large sums of money outside Nigeria, saying they used part of the funds and acquired several assets in Dubai and London.
“That the prosecution is prepared to prove its case within the shortest possible time if the application is refused and the court orders accelerated hearing”, Saidu averred.
Jacobs argued that it would not be in the interest of justice for the court to admit any of the accused persons to bail.
After listening to all the parties on Wednesday last week, Justice Affen adjourned his ruling till yesterday.
EFCC had in the substantive charge before the court, alleged that the accused persons diverted funds budgeted for the fight against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria.
It told the trial court that the funds were sequentially withdrawn from an account of the office of the NSA with CBN and other financial institutions.
“The funds were diverted for political campaigns and shared to third parties who have nothing to do with the NSA,” the anti-graft agency insisted.
The EFCC lawyer told the court that the accused persons have made confessional statements.
“My lord, we are talking about monies running into billions of Naira”, Jacobs added.
Two of the charges against Bafarawa and the others read:
“That you, Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd, whilst being the National Security Adviser and Shuaibu Salisu, whilst being the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, between April 14, 2014, and May 7, 2015, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit: an aggregate sum of N3,350,000,000 (Three billion, three hundred and fifty million Naira) being part of the funds in the account of the office of the NSA with the Central Bank of Nigeria, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties when you transfered same to the account of Dalhatu Investment Limited with the United Bank of Africa Plc. purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol. 4, LFN 2004.
“That you Dalhatu Investment Limited, Sagir Attahiru and Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, between April 14, 2014 and May 17, 2015, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, dishonestly received stolen property, to wit: an aggregate sum of N3,350,000,000 (Three billion, three hundred and fifty million Naira) into your account with the United Bank of Africa Plc from the account of the office of the NSA with the CBN, which belonged to the Federal Government of Nigeria and knowing the said sum to be stolen property but purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 317 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol. 4, LFN 2004.
ABUJA— Former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), yesterday, secured fresh bail from an Abuja High Court sitting in Maitama.
Atawodi, Bafarawa, Dasuki and Dokpesi
Equally granted bail on the same amount was former Director of Finance in the Office of the NSA, Mr. Shuaibu Salisu. The court stressed that one of the sureties must be a retired or serving director in the federal civil service.
It said the second surety must be an owner of a landed property within the Federal Capital Territory, which value must not be below N250million.
The surety, according to the court, must tender title deeds of the said property to the Registrar of the High Court for authentication.
Besides, Justice Affen held that lawyers to the accused persons must vouch for the character of each of the sureties, who he said must also depose to an affidavit of means before the court.
Moreso, the court yesterday ordered all the accused persons to surrender their passports, even as it warned them against travelling out of its jurisdiction without express permission.
“Pending the perfection of all the bail conditions, the accused persons are to be remanded in prison custody,” Justice Affen held.
The accused persons are answering to a 22-count criminal charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
They were alleged to have connived and diverted over N13.6billion from the office of the NSA, prior to the 2015 general elections.
A company the anti-graft agency said served as conduit pipe for the alleged illegal diversion of the funds, Dahaltu Investment Limited, was also charged before the court as the fourth accused person.
Court adjourns hearing to Feb 2, 3
Meantime, Justice Affen yesterday, slated February 2 and 3 to commence full hearing in the case against the accused persons.
It will be recalled that all the accused persons had last week Tuesday, pleaded not guilty to the entire 22-count charge, even as they separately prayed the court to okay their release on bail pending hearing and determination of the case against them.
They predicated their bail applications on provisions of Sections 158, 162, 165, 167 and 168 (b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, as well as Section 36(5) (6) of the 1999 Constitution.
The accused persons, through their lawyers, insisted that the charge slammed against them by the anti-graft agency were bailable.
Whereas Dasuki, through his counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, urged the court to grant him bail on self recognition, Bafarawa and his son, Sagir, prayed the court to grant them bail on health grounds.
Meanwhile, Dasuki who is facing three different charges before three different Judges, had on Friday last week also secured N250million bail before Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf who is trying him over another19-count charge bordering on alleged N32 bilion fraud.
Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had in relation to another five-count charge involving alleged $2.1billion fraud, granted the ex-NSA bail on self recognition.
While persuading the court to release him on bail, the former Sokoto State governor, Barafawa, bemoaned that his health had deteriorated badly owing to his continued detention at the EFCC.
Likewise, his son, Sagir, pleaded the court for bail, saying he has ulcer.
Both father and son addressed the court through two different Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Chief J.O. Olatoke and Mr. H. O. Afolabi.
Similarly, the third accused, Salisu, prayed the court for bail, saying he has been in detention for over 31 days.
However, their bail motions were vehemently opposed by the EFCC which urged the court to ignore them and order accelerated hearing of the substantive charges against them.
The commission, through its lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court that the defendants have wide influence and affluence to intimidate, harass and influence the proposed prosecution witnesses if released on bail.
EFCC insisted that the defendants will escape from Nigeria once out of detention.
It told the court that the applicants were also being investigated in respect of other criminal allegations.
The prosecuting agency, via an affidavit deposed to by one of its lead detectives, Mr. Hassan Saidu, told the court that the accused persons acquired “a large volume of assets with the proceeds of crimes”.
Saidu said his team are presently tracing the assets. “If released on bail the applicants will interfere with the assets tracing activities”, he added.
Money transfered outside Nigeria
He further told the court that investigations revealed that the accused persons transferred large sums of money outside Nigeria, saying they used part of the funds and acquired several assets in Dubai and London.
“That the prosecution is prepared to prove its case within the shortest possible time if the application is refused and the court orders accelerated hearing”, Saidu averred.
Jacobs argued that it would not be in the interest of justice for the court to admit any of the accused persons to bail.
After listening to all the parties on Wednesday last week, Justice Affen adjourned his ruling till yesterday.
EFCC had in the substantive charge before the court, alleged that the accused persons diverted funds budgeted for the fight against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria.
It told the trial court that the funds were sequentially withdrawn from an account of the office of the NSA with CBN and other financial institutions.
“The funds were diverted for political campaigns and shared to third parties who have nothing to do with the NSA,” the anti-graft agency insisted.
The EFCC lawyer told the court that the accused persons have made confessional statements.
“My lord, we are talking about monies running into billions of Naira”, Jacobs added.
Two of the charges against Bafarawa and the others read:
“That you, Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd, whilst being the National Security Adviser and Shuaibu Salisu, whilst being the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, between April 14, 2014, and May 7, 2015, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit: an aggregate sum of N3,350,000,000 (Three billion, three hundred and fifty million Naira) being part of the funds in the account of the office of the NSA with the Central Bank of Nigeria, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties when you transfered same to the account of Dalhatu Investment Limited with the United Bank of Africa Plc. purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol. 4, LFN 2004.
“That you Dalhatu Investment Limited, Sagir Attahiru and Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, between April 14, 2014 and May 17, 2015, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, dishonestly received stolen property, to wit: an aggregate sum of N3,350,000,000 (Three billion, three hundred and fifty million Naira) into your account with the United Bank of Africa Plc from the account of the office of the NSA with the CBN, which belonged to the Federal Government of Nigeria and knowing the said sum to be stolen property but purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 317 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol. 4, LFN 2004.
7:41 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
By Joseph Erunke
ABUJA – PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, commended the courage of Father Ejike Mbaka, for not only criticizing some policies of the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration but also moving against the latter’s reelection bid in the 2015 presidential poll.
Buhari, who spoke when he played host to the controversial Catholic
priest and founder of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, at the Presidential
Villa, described the pre-election exhortation of the priest, when he
descended hard on the former president, as the best in his life.
A statement by Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the president, said the president noted that the message was not only honest but also well delivered. President Buhari has “said that one of the best exhortations to the nation he has heard from the pulpit was the one made early this year by Father Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Minis-tries, Enugu.
“President Buhari expressed his apprec-iation of the Catholic priest’s exemp-lary cou-rage, “the statement read. It quoted the president as saying:” “Thank you very much for what you have done and said. It brought you out to the whole country as a man of courage. It was honest and well delivered.
“It has gone into the records as one of the best concerns expressed from the pulpit, not because it favoured me and my party, the All Progressives Congress, but because it was good for the country.“ President Buhari reaffirmed his conviction that change will come to the country, “with a lot of hard work, despite the security and economic problems.”
He appealed for the continued underst-anding and patience of Nigerians. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was present at the president’s audience with Father Mbaka described the priest as a man “who stood for truth and propriety, and declared corruption unacceptable.” He added that the Buhari administration “is committed to truth and justice, and won’t encourage corruption in any way.”
Fr. Mbaka, who in the run up to the 2015 presidential election, told his teeming follo-wers that erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan would not be re-elected because of pervading corruption and insecurity in the land, said he was happy with the mission and methodology of the Buhari administration. He also wished the President a happy 73rd birthday.
ABUJA – PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, commended the courage of Father Ejike Mbaka, for not only criticizing some policies of the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration but also moving against the latter’s reelection bid in the 2015 presidential poll.
Father-Mbaka, Osinbajo & Buhari
A statement by Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the president, said the president noted that the message was not only honest but also well delivered. President Buhari has “said that one of the best exhortations to the nation he has heard from the pulpit was the one made early this year by Father Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Minis-tries, Enugu.
“President Buhari expressed his apprec-iation of the Catholic priest’s exemp-lary cou-rage, “the statement read. It quoted the president as saying:” “Thank you very much for what you have done and said. It brought you out to the whole country as a man of courage. It was honest and well delivered.
“It has gone into the records as one of the best concerns expressed from the pulpit, not because it favoured me and my party, the All Progressives Congress, but because it was good for the country.“ President Buhari reaffirmed his conviction that change will come to the country, “with a lot of hard work, despite the security and economic problems.”
He appealed for the continued underst-anding and patience of Nigerians. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was present at the president’s audience with Father Mbaka described the priest as a man “who stood for truth and propriety, and declared corruption unacceptable.” He added that the Buhari administration “is committed to truth and justice, and won’t encourage corruption in any way.”
Fr. Mbaka, who in the run up to the 2015 presidential election, told his teeming follo-wers that erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan would not be re-elected because of pervading corruption and insecurity in the land, said he was happy with the mission and methodology of the Buhari administration. He also wished the President a happy 73rd birthday.
7:36 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
BY WALE AKINOLA & SONI DANIEL
The controversy over alleged sponsors of Boko Haram took a twist yesterday when Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka said information about a suspected financier of the terror group within the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was passed to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Soyinka also said he worked “in the background” with Australian negotiator Stephen Davis during the Niger Delta militancy crisis, and warned against dismissing his claims on those allegedly sponsoring Boko Haram.
The Nobel Laureate spoke on a day a source familiar with Boko Haram revealed that some of the school girls captured by the Islamist group in Chibok, Borno State, in April, might have been raped to death.
In a statement by Soyinka titled, The wages of impunity, he was appalled by government’s treatment of people linked with the Islamist group with kid gloves.
Soyinka said: “Finally, Stephen Davis also mentioned a Boko Haram
financier within the Nigerian Central Bank. Independently we are able to
give backing to that claim, even to the extent of naming the
individual. In the process of our enquiries, we solicited the help of a
foreign embassy whose government, we learnt, was actually on the same
trail, thanks to its independent investigation into some money
laundering that involved the Central Bank.
“That name, we confidently learnt, has also been passed on to President Jonathan. When he is ready to abandon his accommodating policy towards the implicated, even the criminalized, an attitude that owes so much to re-election desperation, when he moves from a passive `letting the law to take its course’ to galvanizing the law to take its course, we shall gladly supply that name”.
Routine raping?
Meanwhile, a source involved in efforts to free the abducted Chibok girls told Sunday Vanguard, in an exclusive interview, yesterday, that some of the victims, who could not withstand routine raping by the terrorists, passed on in the early days of their capture.
The source explained that it was unfortunate that many of the girls would never be reunited with their parents and loved ones because they were no more, contrary to the belief that they were being held up in Sambisa Forest.
He said that the insurgents had also taken more boys and girls than was being estimated, saying that most of the captives were seized unannounced by the terrorists.
The source, a negotiator, said that contrary to the claim in some quarters that President Jonathan had not done enough to secure the release of the surviving girls, it was actually Nigerians who were frustrating the release of the girls.
The source accused some Nigerian middlemen, who were using their proximity to some of the insurgents, to trade with government over the release of the girls.
According to the source, many of the negotiators were more interested in making quick gains from government than seeing to the freedom of the children.
“Throughout our effort to free the girls, many of the middlemen were simply playing games for their pecuniary interests. They would come now and tell you that they have some of the girls and, when you fix a date and time for them, they would never show up again,” the negotiator revealed.
“The main problem in the rescue effort is that most of the middlemen involved are not sincere and are just looking for money.
“What is happening to the girls is painful because efforts to get them out have not yielded any positive result five months after they were abducted by their captors.
“As a father, I really feel bad about the children and their parents but we still hope that those who are still alive would eventually be freed, no matter their health conditions and reunited with their parents.”
Read Soyinka’s statement titled, Wages of Impunity.
The controversy over alleged sponsors of Boko Haram took a twist yesterday when Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka said information about a suspected financier of the terror group within the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was passed to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Soyinka also said he worked “in the background” with Australian negotiator Stephen Davis during the Niger Delta militancy crisis, and warned against dismissing his claims on those allegedly sponsoring Boko Haram.
The Nobel Laureate spoke on a day a source familiar with Boko Haram revealed that some of the school girls captured by the Islamist group in Chibok, Borno State, in April, might have been raped to death.
In a statement by Soyinka titled, The wages of impunity, he was appalled by government’s treatment of people linked with the Islamist group with kid gloves.
Soyinka
“That name, we confidently learnt, has also been passed on to President Jonathan. When he is ready to abandon his accommodating policy towards the implicated, even the criminalized, an attitude that owes so much to re-election desperation, when he moves from a passive `letting the law to take its course’ to galvanizing the law to take its course, we shall gladly supply that name”.
Routine raping?
Meanwhile, a source involved in efforts to free the abducted Chibok girls told Sunday Vanguard, in an exclusive interview, yesterday, that some of the victims, who could not withstand routine raping by the terrorists, passed on in the early days of their capture.
The source explained that it was unfortunate that many of the girls would never be reunited with their parents and loved ones because they were no more, contrary to the belief that they were being held up in Sambisa Forest.
He said that the insurgents had also taken more boys and girls than was being estimated, saying that most of the captives were seized unannounced by the terrorists.
The source, a negotiator, said that contrary to the claim in some quarters that President Jonathan had not done enough to secure the release of the surviving girls, it was actually Nigerians who were frustrating the release of the girls.
The source accused some Nigerian middlemen, who were using their proximity to some of the insurgents, to trade with government over the release of the girls.
According to the source, many of the negotiators were more interested in making quick gains from government than seeing to the freedom of the children.
“Throughout our effort to free the girls, many of the middlemen were simply playing games for their pecuniary interests. They would come now and tell you that they have some of the girls and, when you fix a date and time for them, they would never show up again,” the negotiator revealed.
“The main problem in the rescue effort is that most of the middlemen involved are not sincere and are just looking for money.
“What is happening to the girls is painful because efforts to get them out have not yielded any positive result five months after they were abducted by their captors.
“As a father, I really feel bad about the children and their parents but we still hope that those who are still alive would eventually be freed, no matter their health conditions and reunited with their parents.”
Read Soyinka’s statement titled, Wages of Impunity.
7:29 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
By Omoh Gabriel
Many Nigerians do not seem to understand the role of the CBN in an economy. Some believe that the CBN is an authority in itself and does not take instruction from government. Yes, it is true that the CBN enjoys some autonomy; that is as far as its management is concerned. The CBN is the banker to the Federal Government and its economic and financial adviser. It is in the final analysis responsible to the president.
There have been several uninformed comments as to why the CBN paid
out so much to those who made official request to it to move money from
their deposit or their budgetary allocation from the federal government
in the last administration in particular. A little bit of history of the
evolution of central banking may help put things in the right
perspective. Economic history has it that what can be regarded as an
early central bank was the Sveriges Riksbank, established in 1668,
although it was short-lived
In England in the 1690s, public funds were said to be in short supply and were needed to finance UK’s conflict with France. The credit of William III’s government was so low in London that it was impossible for it to borrow the £1,200,000 needed at 8 per cent. In order to induce subscription to the loan, the subscribers were to be incorporated by the name of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England. The bank was given exclusive possession of the government’s balances, and was the only limited-liability corporation allowed to issue banknotes.
The lenders would give the government cash (bullion) and also issue notes against the government bonds, which can be lent again. The £1.2million was raised in 12 days; half of this was used to rebuild the Navy. The establishment of the Bank of England, the model on which most modern central banks have been based on, was devised by Charles Montagu, first Earl of Halifax, in 1694.
Central Banks therefore are creation of governments. The mandate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is derived from the 1958 Act of Parliament, as amended in 1991, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2007. The CBN Act of 2007 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria charges the Bank with the overall control and administration of the monetary and financial sector policies of the Federal Government.
The objects of the CBN are as follows: ensure monetary and price stability; issue legal tender currency in Nigeria; maintain external reserves to safeguard the international value of the legal tender currency; promote a sound financial system in Nigeria; and act as Banker and provide economic and financial advice to the Federal Government.
Like any other bank, Central Bank keeps deposit for government, its ministries, Departments and Agencies. Many Nigerians, some very faceless have accused the CBN of being used as an ATM during the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan. The CBN cannot deny a legitimate government in power access to public funds. Many of these allegations are coming from those who did not understand how the financial system works.
Nigerians must learn to understand that the relationship between the CBN and the federal government is like that between a bank and a customer who holds either a savings or current account with the bank. Just like a customer who issued a cheque to withdraw money from his account, the CBN when a payment mandate is issued by government agencies, looks at such mandate to ensure that the signature tallies with that of the mandated signatory before money from such agency’s account is released and once the CBN banking operations department is satisfied with the identity of the agency, it also checks to see that there is enough money in the account before paying; not minding whether the person wants it in cash or by transfer.
In whatever forms the agencies wants it, the apex bank has no option than to pay. The CBN does not operate as federal government’s internal auditor, whose responsibility is to check that the payment invoices and mandates being presented for payment are in accordance with corporate governance. Nigerians must also be aware that the CBN as a bank is neither a policeman nor an anti-graft agency to begin to question genuine request from constituted authority.
The question to ask those calling for the removal of the current CBN head is if today the current government issues a cheque on CBN, will the governor ask the sitting President to state what he wants the money for and how he intends to spend it? If the serving security adviser to the President issues a cheque for money to be taken from security vote domiciled in the CBN, are Nigerians saying that the CBN Governor should say no, you cannot take such funds? So long as the withdrawals have the mandate of the President, the CBN is covered.
The issue is that there are political undertones and hidden agenda in the call for the head of the Central Bank of Nigeria. In the first instance because the current CBN governor has made it clear that he is apolitical, many party stalwarts see him as a threat to their nefarious intentions. It was quite unfortunate that two weeks ago, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said that the Central Bank was turned to the ATM or piggy bank of a few people.
The CBN is being unduly vilified because most people do not understand the relationship it has with governments and its agencies that operate an account with it. Truth be told, the CBN does not honour mandates from government or its agencies with its own resources; it does so from these agencies’ funds it is holding for them in their own accounts. There is a lot of ignorance out there. The money the CBN paid out in Dasuki’s case is not CBN’s money.”
Are Nigerians aware of the details of the disbursement of the so- called Abacha loot? The fund was lodged in an account that belongs to the government of the federation. Are Nigerians aware that even the President of the country is not a signatory to the account? Are they aware that the only signatory to that account is the Accountant-General of the Federation and in all of these; nobody seems to notice that the office exists?
Is it not now an open secret that the then Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala wrote a memo asking the President to approve that the money be moved from the Federal Government account to the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser?. The CBN is at the moment being attacked by foreign investors and their media because the bank denied foreign exchange access to 41 items that can be produced locally that is now affecting their economy.
It is also facing political pressure from hawks who want to see their candidate replace the current governor. What Nigerians must know is that the economy is in very bad shape and requires all hands on deck to fix it. It was political intrigue that resulted in the removal of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from office toward the tail end of his tenure.
That was about a year ago. His removal unnerved the Nigeria economy. Then the nation was still in good financial position. Removing another CBN governor now on no serious charges will make Nigeria look like a banana republic where anything goes in the eyes of foreign investors and the international community.
Many Nigerians do not seem to understand the role of the CBN in an economy. Some believe that the CBN is an authority in itself and does not take instruction from government. Yes, it is true that the CBN enjoys some autonomy; that is as far as its management is concerned. The CBN is the banker to the Federal Government and its economic and financial adviser. It is in the final analysis responsible to the president.
CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele
In England in the 1690s, public funds were said to be in short supply and were needed to finance UK’s conflict with France. The credit of William III’s government was so low in London that it was impossible for it to borrow the £1,200,000 needed at 8 per cent. In order to induce subscription to the loan, the subscribers were to be incorporated by the name of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England. The bank was given exclusive possession of the government’s balances, and was the only limited-liability corporation allowed to issue banknotes.
The lenders would give the government cash (bullion) and also issue notes against the government bonds, which can be lent again. The £1.2million was raised in 12 days; half of this was used to rebuild the Navy. The establishment of the Bank of England, the model on which most modern central banks have been based on, was devised by Charles Montagu, first Earl of Halifax, in 1694.
Central Banks therefore are creation of governments. The mandate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is derived from the 1958 Act of Parliament, as amended in 1991, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2007. The CBN Act of 2007 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria charges the Bank with the overall control and administration of the monetary and financial sector policies of the Federal Government.
The objects of the CBN are as follows: ensure monetary and price stability; issue legal tender currency in Nigeria; maintain external reserves to safeguard the international value of the legal tender currency; promote a sound financial system in Nigeria; and act as Banker and provide economic and financial advice to the Federal Government.
Like any other bank, Central Bank keeps deposit for government, its ministries, Departments and Agencies. Many Nigerians, some very faceless have accused the CBN of being used as an ATM during the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan. The CBN cannot deny a legitimate government in power access to public funds. Many of these allegations are coming from those who did not understand how the financial system works.
Nigerians must learn to understand that the relationship between the CBN and the federal government is like that between a bank and a customer who holds either a savings or current account with the bank. Just like a customer who issued a cheque to withdraw money from his account, the CBN when a payment mandate is issued by government agencies, looks at such mandate to ensure that the signature tallies with that of the mandated signatory before money from such agency’s account is released and once the CBN banking operations department is satisfied with the identity of the agency, it also checks to see that there is enough money in the account before paying; not minding whether the person wants it in cash or by transfer.
In whatever forms the agencies wants it, the apex bank has no option than to pay. The CBN does not operate as federal government’s internal auditor, whose responsibility is to check that the payment invoices and mandates being presented for payment are in accordance with corporate governance. Nigerians must also be aware that the CBN as a bank is neither a policeman nor an anti-graft agency to begin to question genuine request from constituted authority.
The question to ask those calling for the removal of the current CBN head is if today the current government issues a cheque on CBN, will the governor ask the sitting President to state what he wants the money for and how he intends to spend it? If the serving security adviser to the President issues a cheque for money to be taken from security vote domiciled in the CBN, are Nigerians saying that the CBN Governor should say no, you cannot take such funds? So long as the withdrawals have the mandate of the President, the CBN is covered.
The issue is that there are political undertones and hidden agenda in the call for the head of the Central Bank of Nigeria. In the first instance because the current CBN governor has made it clear that he is apolitical, many party stalwarts see him as a threat to their nefarious intentions. It was quite unfortunate that two weeks ago, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said that the Central Bank was turned to the ATM or piggy bank of a few people.
The CBN is being unduly vilified because most people do not understand the relationship it has with governments and its agencies that operate an account with it. Truth be told, the CBN does not honour mandates from government or its agencies with its own resources; it does so from these agencies’ funds it is holding for them in their own accounts. There is a lot of ignorance out there. The money the CBN paid out in Dasuki’s case is not CBN’s money.”
Are Nigerians aware of the details of the disbursement of the so- called Abacha loot? The fund was lodged in an account that belongs to the government of the federation. Are Nigerians aware that even the President of the country is not a signatory to the account? Are they aware that the only signatory to that account is the Accountant-General of the Federation and in all of these; nobody seems to notice that the office exists?
Is it not now an open secret that the then Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala wrote a memo asking the President to approve that the money be moved from the Federal Government account to the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser?. The CBN is at the moment being attacked by foreign investors and their media because the bank denied foreign exchange access to 41 items that can be produced locally that is now affecting their economy.
It is also facing political pressure from hawks who want to see their candidate replace the current governor. What Nigerians must know is that the economy is in very bad shape and requires all hands on deck to fix it. It was political intrigue that resulted in the removal of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from office toward the tail end of his tenure.
That was about a year ago. His removal unnerved the Nigeria economy. Then the nation was still in good financial position. Removing another CBN governor now on no serious charges will make Nigeria look like a banana republic where anything goes in the eyes of foreign investors and the international community.
7:26 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
Okay, we know the most common one: most women lie about
the “O” word. But there are other things besides that the modern woman
lies about. Very often!
THEIR first gig
For most adult women, the first sexual experience is unforgettable and probably the best ever. Even if they have not kept in touch with their first man, they remember him with fondness if he did not leave them pregnant and stranded with a baby.
But will they ever tell their man this? Never.
Studies show the average woman lies about the age at which she was disvirgined, adding anything between 2 and 10 years to the age. For instance, if a woman got disvirgined at 14, she is likely to put the figure at 20 to her current man. Men, on the other hand, openly boast about their earlier sexual conquests.
That they check out other men
A man might be so close to the girl in his life that he would point out other women’s body parts that he finds attractive and everybody would have a good laugh. On the other hand, a woman would never do that. If she thinks the guy next door has a cute ass, she never, ever mentions it to the man in her life. Not only would she not mention it, she would never ever even make the blunder of oogling the attractive derriere when their man is around. Studies show women make lewd jokes about other men when they are with girlfriends just as much as men do, and they even fantasie but are great about hiding it.
That she hates cooking
A few years down the line, many relationships run into crisis on this account- many many women just do not like to cook.
In our part of the world, girls are raised not only to learn how to cook but to happily cook for other people for the rest of their lives, three times a day. If they cannot live up to that ‘simple’ responsibility, they are complete failures, especially in relationships.
Women are therefore happy to pretend to be kitchen genies at the beginning of relationships and would never admit to not just absolutely loving cooking. Rather, they prefer to give their man the impression that they live just to feed him as many times as possible in a day. Unfortunately, that impression is bound to waste when she insists of going out for dinner every so often when the relationship is established.
She feels insulted when he gives her money
Of course nothing makes your man feel grander than knowing he has met his woman’s need and probably even exceeded her expectations, especially if he had to bend over backwards to do it. Studies show the average woman is actually disappointed almost every time their man gives them a gift, especially when it is money.
Truth is, today’s working women have developed very sophisticated tastes that their men can barely keep up with, and they are ready to work very hard when it’s necessary to do so. But would a woman ever complain her man has not even scratched the surface when he gives her cash? Never.
She does not trust him
For all her freedoms and liberation, a woman is far less likely than a man to voice her insecurities in a relationship that the other way round.
She has watched her mother look the other way more often than not. She has heard her aunt tell her uncountable times of how it’s a man’s world. She has been called names just for showing a flash of jealousy and she has been told by the census that there are more women than men.
Her girlfriends are telling her to be wise and hold on to her straying man and so while he snoops and snoops and finds nothing, she makes minimal efforts and finds everything but does she ever mention it? Never.
The reason that hot new househelp gets a shaven head and the girlfriend is told jokingly to do her top buttons up is not because she does not trust her girlfriend or the maid but because she certainly does not trust her man.
Her man might ask the question a dozen times- “honey, do you trust me?” and her answer would be a big fat lying “Yes”
THEIR first gig
For most adult women, the first sexual experience is unforgettable and probably the best ever. Even if they have not kept in touch with their first man, they remember him with fondness if he did not leave them pregnant and stranded with a baby.
But will they ever tell their man this? Never.
Studies show the average woman lies about the age at which she was disvirgined, adding anything between 2 and 10 years to the age. For instance, if a woman got disvirgined at 14, she is likely to put the figure at 20 to her current man. Men, on the other hand, openly boast about their earlier sexual conquests.
That they check out other men
A man might be so close to the girl in his life that he would point out other women’s body parts that he finds attractive and everybody would have a good laugh. On the other hand, a woman would never do that. If she thinks the guy next door has a cute ass, she never, ever mentions it to the man in her life. Not only would she not mention it, she would never ever even make the blunder of oogling the attractive derriere when their man is around. Studies show women make lewd jokes about other men when they are with girlfriends just as much as men do, and they even fantasie but are great about hiding it.
That she hates cooking
A few years down the line, many relationships run into crisis on this account- many many women just do not like to cook.
In our part of the world, girls are raised not only to learn how to cook but to happily cook for other people for the rest of their lives, three times a day. If they cannot live up to that ‘simple’ responsibility, they are complete failures, especially in relationships.
Women are therefore happy to pretend to be kitchen genies at the beginning of relationships and would never admit to not just absolutely loving cooking. Rather, they prefer to give their man the impression that they live just to feed him as many times as possible in a day. Unfortunately, that impression is bound to waste when she insists of going out for dinner every so often when the relationship is established.
She feels insulted when he gives her money
Of course nothing makes your man feel grander than knowing he has met his woman’s need and probably even exceeded her expectations, especially if he had to bend over backwards to do it. Studies show the average woman is actually disappointed almost every time their man gives them a gift, especially when it is money.
Truth is, today’s working women have developed very sophisticated tastes that their men can barely keep up with, and they are ready to work very hard when it’s necessary to do so. But would a woman ever complain her man has not even scratched the surface when he gives her cash? Never.
She does not trust him
For all her freedoms and liberation, a woman is far less likely than a man to voice her insecurities in a relationship that the other way round.
She has watched her mother look the other way more often than not. She has heard her aunt tell her uncountable times of how it’s a man’s world. She has been called names just for showing a flash of jealousy and she has been told by the census that there are more women than men.
Her girlfriends are telling her to be wise and hold on to her straying man and so while he snoops and snoops and finds nothing, she makes minimal efforts and finds everything but does she ever mention it? Never.
The reason that hot new househelp gets a shaven head and the girlfriend is told jokingly to do her top buttons up is not because she does not trust her girlfriend or the maid but because she certainly does not trust her man.
Her man might ask the question a dozen times- “honey, do you trust me?” and her answer would be a big fat lying “Yes”
7:18 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
As fuel scarcity bites harder in Hadejia, Jigawa, the price of a
litre of petrol has risen to N300. Many petrol stations in Hadejia had
no product to sell at the time of this report. Petro is only available
at black markets where it sold at N300 per litre, well above the N87
approved pump price.
The situation has led to drastic drop in the number of commercial buses on roads in the area. Malam Ibrahim Hassan, a commercial bus driver, said that he was experiencing difficulties getting petrol to buy. Hassan said that the situation was affecting his daily revenue as “I am spending much on fuel due to the lingering scarcity. “
The driver said that he had resorted to carrying more passengers to make up for the expenses on fuel. “I am overloading passengers to avoid incurring losses. “ Malam Baballe Haruna, the Treasurer, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the area, condemned the non-availability of petrol in the area.
Haruna said that the trend had exposed members of the union to hardships, adding that most of them had parked their vehicles. He appealed to the Federal Government to adopt practical measures to end scarcity of petroleum products in the country.
The situation has led to drastic drop in the number of commercial buses on roads in the area. Malam Ibrahim Hassan, a commercial bus driver, said that he was experiencing difficulties getting petrol to buy. Hassan said that the situation was affecting his daily revenue as “I am spending much on fuel due to the lingering scarcity. “
The driver said that he had resorted to carrying more passengers to make up for the expenses on fuel. “I am overloading passengers to avoid incurring losses. “ Malam Baballe Haruna, the Treasurer, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the area, condemned the non-availability of petrol in the area.
Haruna said that the trend had exposed members of the union to hardships, adding that most of them had parked their vehicles. He appealed to the Federal Government to adopt practical measures to end scarcity of petroleum products in the country.
7:14 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
It’s no longer news that some of Nigeria’s biggest music stars such
as 2face, Patoranking, Cynthia Morgan, Runtown, Oritse Femi, Sound
Sultan, Black Magic were live in Sapele on August, 8th 2015 for Star
Music Trek #SapeleRocks.
One of the major highlights of the concert was when a lady fan beat the venue security and ran onstage while 2face was performing.
The unidentified lady grabbed the pop icon from behind, pulled him close, stripped off her top and attempted to take 2face’s clothes off.
Annie Idibia who was present to cheer her husband’s performance looked dazed at the occurrence.
Everyone including the security had thought it was one of creative director Efe Omorogbe’s skits but apparently it wasn’t.
It took a while before the security could pull her away from the Star Music Trek stage.
One of the major highlights of the concert was when a lady fan beat the venue security and ran onstage while 2face was performing.
The unidentified lady grabbed the pop icon from behind, pulled him close, stripped off her top and attempted to take 2face’s clothes off.
Annie Idibia who was present to cheer her husband’s performance looked dazed at the occurrence.
Everyone including the security had thought it was one of creative director Efe Omorogbe’s skits but apparently it wasn’t.
Annie Idibia’s reaction to happening on stage
7:09 AM
GREEN PROJECT CONCEPT & SERVICES
LAGOS — The Federal Government,
yesterday, said it would neither be cowed nor threatened by MTN’s court
action against the N1.4trn fine which was later reduced to N780 billion,
insisting that the telecommunications company risks another fine if it
fails to pay on deadline.
Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, made the statement yesterday in reaction to the suit instituted by the telecom operator at a Lagos High Court, weekend.
The minister, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare, however, admitted that MTN had the right to seek court’s interpretation if it feels unsatisfied with the action of the regulator but made it clear that nothing would stop the government from imposing additional fine on the operator, at the expiration of the deadline.
According to the minister, “it is the right of MTN to approach the court but there was an infraction, which MTN admitted to have committed before it pleaded for leniency that led to the reduction of the fine from N1.4 trillion to N780 billion and the subsequent December 31, 2015 deadline to pay.
“If it has decided to go to court, it is still within the ambit of the law. I will not intervene, since they have gone to court, we will allow the court to decide if it is right for MTN to commit those infractions and breach the laws of the land.”
He, however, said that “it is unwise for MTN to go to court after the Federal Government had magnanimously reduced the fine. It will surely be fined for violating the rule at the expiration of the deadline, should it fail to pay the initial fine.”
Why we are in court —MTN
Meanwhile, MTN, yesterday, also insisted that its action was induced by commitment and belief in the long term sustainability of its business.
According to the company’s Human Resources & Corporate Services Executive, Amina Oyagbola, “the N780 billion fine has potentially dire consequences for the company, its employees, partners, stakeholders as well as the entire Nigerian telecommunications industry.
Being a significant contributor in Nigeria, MTN has an obligation to protect the interests of its ecosystem of millions of Nigerians who are directly and indirectly affected by its business operations and continuity.
According to Oyagbola, “the decision to seek judicial determination was reached after careful consideration of all factors, including extensive attempts at a sustainable resolution. It is important to state that seeking judicial determination was a last resort. We hold the Nigerian Government, its national objectives, laws and regulations in the highest regard.”
She, however, added that notwithstanding the action, the company will continue to engage with the Nigerian authorities in an effort to reach an amicable resolution in the interest of all stakeholders.
The NCC sanctioned MTN for refusing to remove over 5.1 million unregistered telephone subscribers from its network.
The regulator fined the telecoms operator N1.04 trillion, but later reduced it by 25 per cent after the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, amid pressure and negotiations from the company’s parent body in South Africa.
The NCC also reviewed the deadline from November 16 to December 31, 2015.
Ahead of that date, the MTN Group, last Thursday, said in a statement from Johannesburg, South Africa, that it was taking legal action over the matter and subsequently filed the suit at the weekend, lining up about six Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs.
According to the firm, since its previous advice to its shareholders on December 4, 2015 that all factors relating to the sanctions were thoroughly and carefully considered, including a review of the circumstances that led to the fine and subsequent reduction by NCC, there were enough grounds upon which to challenge the fine in court.
Claiming to act on legal advice, MTN queried the manner the fine was imposed, describing it as “not in accordance with the NCC’s powers
Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, made the statement yesterday in reaction to the suit instituted by the telecom operator at a Lagos High Court, weekend.
The minister, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare, however, admitted that MTN had the right to seek court’s interpretation if it feels unsatisfied with the action of the regulator but made it clear that nothing would stop the government from imposing additional fine on the operator, at the expiration of the deadline.
According to the minister, “it is the right of MTN to approach the court but there was an infraction, which MTN admitted to have committed before it pleaded for leniency that led to the reduction of the fine from N1.4 trillion to N780 billion and the subsequent December 31, 2015 deadline to pay.
“If it has decided to go to court, it is still within the ambit of the law. I will not intervene, since they have gone to court, we will allow the court to decide if it is right for MTN to commit those infractions and breach the laws of the land.”
He, however, said that “it is unwise for MTN to go to court after the Federal Government had magnanimously reduced the fine. It will surely be fined for violating the rule at the expiration of the deadline, should it fail to pay the initial fine.”
Why we are in court —MTN
Meanwhile, MTN, yesterday, also insisted that its action was induced by commitment and belief in the long term sustainability of its business.
According to the company’s Human Resources & Corporate Services Executive, Amina Oyagbola, “the N780 billion fine has potentially dire consequences for the company, its employees, partners, stakeholders as well as the entire Nigerian telecommunications industry.
Being a significant contributor in Nigeria, MTN has an obligation to protect the interests of its ecosystem of millions of Nigerians who are directly and indirectly affected by its business operations and continuity.
According to Oyagbola, “the decision to seek judicial determination was reached after careful consideration of all factors, including extensive attempts at a sustainable resolution. It is important to state that seeking judicial determination was a last resort. We hold the Nigerian Government, its national objectives, laws and regulations in the highest regard.”
She, however, added that notwithstanding the action, the company will continue to engage with the Nigerian authorities in an effort to reach an amicable resolution in the interest of all stakeholders.
The NCC sanctioned MTN for refusing to remove over 5.1 million unregistered telephone subscribers from its network.
The regulator fined the telecoms operator N1.04 trillion, but later reduced it by 25 per cent after the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, amid pressure and negotiations from the company’s parent body in South Africa.
The NCC also reviewed the deadline from November 16 to December 31, 2015.
Ahead of that date, the MTN Group, last Thursday, said in a statement from Johannesburg, South Africa, that it was taking legal action over the matter and subsequently filed the suit at the weekend, lining up about six Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs.
According to the firm, since its previous advice to its shareholders on December 4, 2015 that all factors relating to the sanctions were thoroughly and carefully considered, including a review of the circumstances that led to the fine and subsequent reduction by NCC, there were enough grounds upon which to challenge the fine in court.
Claiming to act on legal advice, MTN queried the manner the fine was imposed, describing it as “not in accordance with the NCC’s powers
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