16 Years Old Boy Missing16 Years Old Boy Missing

Segun Majekodunmi 

Family of  16 Year old Oluwaga Adebola Samuel have been in panic and desperate search of their son after he got kidnapped on Sunday, 6th of December 2015.

Embrace The Yoruba Culture -Gani Adams Urges

Majekodunmi Segun

The coordinator of Oodua People’s Congress, Gani Adams, has urged Nigerians to embrace their cultural values and heritage.
He said this during the celebration of Elegbara festival, in Shasha area of Akowonjo in Lagos State, where members of the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, celebrated the festival with hundreds of members of the community.
Speaking on reasons for the celebration, the elated Adams said. “With what we are doing here today, we are correcting the erroneous belief that Elegbara is competing with God, while he was in heaven, but he was remorseful and sought for forgiveness from God and was forgiven and later sent down to the earth and given a great task.”
Speaking further on what the deity is about, and why they celebrate it, Adams said; “Elegbara is a major deity in Yoruba land, although, there are certain negative acts which people attributes to him. Some of these are mischief making, causing tragedies and confusion, tempting and unprincipled, and trickery, but the greater value of Elegbara lies in the fact that he is the second to Olodumare.’’
Former HOD Performing Art Department at LeedCity University Ibadan Prof. Dipo Kalejaye, Made it clear that in the first Yoruba Dictionary compiled by Bishop Ajayi Crowder defines Elegbara As The Devil and this was what changed peoples Insinuation.

Fireworks: As Yuletide Approaches

Majekodunmi Segun

Aside the buzzing and rattling of guns from Nigerian soldiers exchanging fire with insurgents in the evil forests of Sambisa in the war zones of the North-East of the country, the next noise are the ones from children throwing bangers and fireworks to welcome the coming Xmas, as if there are no laws against it
On January 26, 2012 the news media reported the story of an inferno, allegedly caused by a fireworks stored at a warehouse at Jankara market Lagos Island the havoc caused this inferno are in inexplicably painful; a kid was reportedly burnt to death, property worth of Millions were destroyed  and many were injured.
Over the years, the ban fireworks has been one of the rituals of the police banning fireworks from sale to the Nigerian public during Christmas seasons.
The ban didn’t say what happens to the sellers of fireworks, popularly called knock-out or bangers. It was understood that importers of such items risked being arrested for flouting the order.
Even as the ban has been applauded by some residents of Lagos and other states, observers are worried about the implementation and enforcement of the order by the various police commands.
These simple fireworks consist of a rolled paper tube filled with gunpowder with a fuse at the top. The banger is lit and then usually discarded by throwing it. After a short pause the banger explodes with a loud bang. Investigations showed that the ban was as a result of their potential to cause injury through misuse.
Experts stated that such ban is necessary to discourage misuse by children. Bangers are still on sale in Nigeria on yearly basis in Nigeria and nobody has been convicted before now for throwing banger and fireworks.
From Ajangbadi in Ojo areas of Lagos State to Ajegunle in Ifelodun/Ajeromi Local Government Area, to Ikotun in Alimosho to FESTAC Town and from Isolo to Oshodi, and to Onitsha in Anambra, in the South-East zone and to Calabar, to Uyo and to Warri all in South-South, it has been bangs, bangs, and bangs. These are the noise of the fireworks and knock-outs as it’s commonly called.
Manufacturers and importers of the bangers and fireworks, including the retail shop owners are smiling to their banks, as youths troop to the shops in last minute rush to buy the devices in readiness for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
It has come to the knowledge of the Nigeria Police Force that some Nigerians have started using fireworks and firecrackers in anticipation of the yuletide celebrations. With the present security situation, occasioned by recent bombings in parts of the country, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase, is advising Nigerians to desist from using fireworks, otherwise called “knock out” as the ban on it is still in force. This warning becomes crucial as there are reports that hoodlums are now using fireworks to confuse Nigerians in order to carry out their nefarious activities. Violators of this warning will be made to face the wrath of the law.
Our correspondent got Lagosians thought over the use of fireworks as christmas and New year approach  by speaking with some of them.
A Lagos resident, Ubochi Akandu, told New Telegraph that governments at both state and federal levels are guilty of fireworks and bangers because they also use it during the day and night time celebrations and parties.
The crackers are still available to professional displayers. Fireworks are made from a long tube of crackling powder and are legally classed as a fountain. The emergence of Boko Haram has increased the fear of fireworks and other explosives.
Mrs Olatunji Mother of two kids said I cannot buy banger for my children because they are too small for it, as for me the mature age I see for children to play with banger is fourteen upward"
Some parent see nothing bad in it, like a trader Mrs Babatunde she said "There is nothing bad in using banger to celebrate Christmas and New Year all we as parent have to do is to instruct our children on how to handle it"
In a conversation with our correspondent, Olufemi Davies a fourteen year old Senior Secondary School student said "If I don't throw banger during Christmas as for me that means the celebration is incomplete  though I haven't seen someone whom it has dis figured"
Mr Gbemileke a Civil Servant and father of four said "if there is one thing I will never let my children play with, it is fireworks because that was what killed cousin in Year 2000 while celebrating the New Millennium, since then I have vowed to never buy it with my Money or even play with it"
Firecrackers are commonly used in celebration of holidays or festivals, such as New Year, Halloween, and Independence Day. It was discovered that firecrackers, as well as other types of explosives, are subject to various laws in many countries, although firecrackers themselves are not usually considered illegal contraband material.
It is usually the manufacture, sale, storage, and use of firecrackers that are subject to laws including safety requirements for manufacture, the requirement of a permit to sell or store, or restrictions on the use of firecrackers.
The use of firecrackers, although a traditional part of celebration, has over the years led to many injuries. There have been incidents every year of users being blinded, losing body parts, or suffering other injuries, especially during festivities that customarily involve firecrackers such as the Xmas and New Year season. Security agencies and many governments have enacted laws completely banning the sale or use of firecrackers, or banning the use of firecrackers in the street, primarily because of safety issues but the orders have not yielded fruit.
Chairman Of Nigeria Football Federation Amaju Pinnik sustained a serious  injuries in the face while lighting a firework to celebrate Valentine's day exloded in his face in February 2012  in his Warri home, Delta state when he was the FA Chairman for Delta State It left him in coma for days before he recovered, and left him scars on his face.
Even the storage of fireworks is hazardous  if it is stored where there is heat. Government should intercede as the situation is getting out of hand.

Complete Names Of 21 Ministerial Nominees Read By Saraki

Nigeria's Senate President Bukola Saraki has read out the names of ministerial nominees sent by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Senate for screening.

See the names of the 21 nominees read by Saraki during plenary on Tuesday below:

1. Rotimi Amaechi
2. Babatunde Fashola
3. Kayode Fayemi
4. Adebayo Shittu
5. Audu Ogbeh
6. Chris Ngige
7. Amina Ibrahim
8. Kemi Adeosun
9. Lai Mohammed
10. Ogbonnaya Onu
11. Ibe Kachikwu
12.Aisha Alhassan
13. Hadi Sirika
14. Udo Udoma
15. Solomon Dalong
16. Ibrahim Usman
17. Ahmed Ibeto
18. Suleiman Adamu
19. Abubakar Malami
20. Abdulrahman Dambazzau
21. Osagie Ehamere

Iran In Trouble For Fielding Men In A Female football Competition

Iran In Trouble For Fielding Men In A Female football Competition 

A FIFA medical officer on Tuesday rejected media reports that Iran had broken rules by fielding women footballers, winners of a recent Asian championship, who were actually men.

Days after Iran triumphed at the inaugural Asian Women’s Futsal Championship in Malaysia, reports emerged that eight of the Iranian team were male.
In violation of FIFA rules, the players either had yet to complete a sex change or had suffered from sexual development disorders, Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported, citing Iranian sources.

A report by an Iranian state television website said the women players had the physical strength of men and some had “male inclinations”.
An official for FIFA rejected the claims of rule breaking, though she indicated some players had previously suffered medical conditions that affected their appearance.

“There are no gender concerns for women’s futsal and football teams,” Dr Zohreh Haratian, the governing body’s appointee in Iran, told Shargh daily.

“No scientific proof exists on these claims,” she said, noting that all the players had been checked.
According to the rules, any players participating in overseas matches, should first go through gender verification by FIFA’s medical representative, Haratian explained.

“Only then the player will be permitted to play in Asian or global matches. FIFA will respond to such accusations by foreign media,” she said, naming Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabia and Britain’s Sky News.
The allegations are not new, said Haratian, also the Head of Iran’s Football Medical Assessment and Rehabilitation Center.

“In the past, a few of our female football players were accused of being bisexual,” she continued, adding that in 2010, one player suffering “an inborn disease of adrenal glands” and looked liked a man but was actually a woman.

“When FIFA understood that their problem was inborn, it rejected the claims and issued permits for them to play in matches.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/iran-in-trouble-for-fielding-men-in-a-female-football-competition/

OAU Students Protest Non-Payment Of Workers' Salaries

OAU Students Protest Non-Payment Of Workers' Salaries (photos)

The Students Union, Obafemi Awolowo University took to the street of Oyo state as its joins in the celebration of Nigeria at 55 to peacefully expressed its displeasure at the non payment of workers' salaries accross Nigeria especially in the Osun state and Oyo state. the Union and its members who despite in their period of examination came out en-masseto protest the poor funding of educational sector, have demanded that President Buhari to implement the 26% budgetary allocation to education as recommended by UNESCO.




Members of CEC were led by Students' Union President, Omotayo Akande (TY); Students' Union Vice-President, Oladunjoye Opeyemi(Oprah); Students' Union Secretary General, Oketooto Oluwaseun; the Union's PRO, Ojedokun Emmanuel (Immanuel Kant) and; the Union's Welfare Officer, Hamzat Olajide(Secrenene).
Two buses were used to convey all individuals present.
The Student Union President, Omotayo Akande took center stage to give a welcome message. He spoke on the reason for embarking on trip which was a two-way motive trip: to pay a condolence visit and embark on a protest. He further enlightened all students present on the order of programme for day.

He stated that there would be a protest at Ibadan to pass messages to the Governor of Oyo State through the media houses on the poor welfare conditions on Obafemi Awolowo Campus and the non- payment of salaries by the State Government despite receiving various funds as bailout for the disbursement of these monies.
This was a welcome idea by everyone in the bus as they all abided by the President's plan.

Along the way, the Union's President threw a question and opened the floor to all students in the bus to bear/lay their minds bare on certain intellectual discourse as pertaining the Independence day celebration.
His question was titled, " 55 years of Nigeria's Independence: Is Nigeria truly 'Independent' or 'neocolonized'"
As a preamble to the discuss, the President spoke on the unpaid salary trend, Ministerial listing, political party Ideologies and EFCC's recent recovery of stolen funds. Attempting to be comprehensive in his approach, he spoke on the HDI(Human Development Index) factor fashioned out by Europeans in order to measure a country's growth in totality of all areas. The criteria he mentioned for this HDI Measurement were just three: Gross Domestic Product(GDP), Life Expectancy and Literacy. He spoke on how developed countries could only attain 0.9 out of a 1, noting that 1 is the highest while stating that developing countries fluctuated between 0.1 and 0.2. Bringing home his argument, he spoke on the collapse of some parts of Block 4 in Awolowo Hall of Residence, the ever dwindling welfare situation on campus;he however justified these reasons in his preamble to the argument. He finally called for submissions, stating that Education was the only way out of Nigeria's socio-economic,Economic and political mess.

A submission was given to further press home his point by one of the students. Which agreed to the ever glaring fact that Education is the only solution that can be used to tackle any problem. Proper planning and the right intellectuals are all that is needed.

To conclude the argument, Omotayo Akande called on Adebayo Benjamin, ACJ's President to speak on the effect of neocolonialism and the role of the press in the whole process.
Laying Credence to the book, "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa," the ACJ President advised that as students,we should erode underdevelopment and fight for what is ours, adding that Education is our only way out.


The Union's President pleased with the trend of the arguments, pushed for an Aluta praise and worship Session that was heralded by the Two versions to the Great Ife Anthem. Lots of songs were chanted to praise the Greatness of the University and the generality of the Students.

However, when "TY" came back on stage(inside one of the buses), he observed that some of the students could not "gyrate" as they should and he stressed the need for everyone to be able to "gyrate" properly.

Immediately the buses arrived at Iwo road in Ibadan, protest placards and handbills were quickly distributed as a massive protest started in earnest.
All students, engaged in a protest blocking the traffic as they marched down to NTA Ibadan on foot, followed by the two buses at a slow pace inhibiting the flow of traffic on the way.
Interviews with the President, Vice-president and other notable individuals in the Union were taken by ACJ Correspondents.
The protest continued at NTA Ibadan but the media house proved to be obstinate and unapproachable as they refused the Union say even after the roads were blocked to attract their attention. An ultimatum was given with immediate effect. It was after much cajoling that the Union were finally given audience and a live coverage. The President of the Students' Union, Omotayo Akande spoke first, conveying his message to the Government in English after which Oketooto Oluwaseun relayed his in the Yoruba Mother tongue.

The protest moved to the National Union of Journalists(NUJ),Oyo council secreteriat in Ibadan where the Union was warmly received as their press statements were taken before another media coverage was given.

Buhari 100 Days: Nothing To Celebrate – Labour Party, Afenifere

Buhari 100 Days: Nothing To Celebrate – Labour Party, Afenifere

For the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere President Muhammadu Buhari has performed below the expectations of Nigerians in his 100 days assessment.

Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin said “the failure to have a cabinet in 100 days has led to a situation where governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has taken over the powers of the minister of Industry doing a list of what can be imported into the country.
Only God knows the number of people exercising powers that they dont have today. Look at the illegal bailouts being packaged for the states in clear contravention of the fiscal responsibility act which could have been prevented through a robust debate at the executive council.”

Robust debate
Besides, Odumakin said “the 100 days have also witnessed serial violations of the Federal Character principle through skewed appointments. Day-for-day, Boko Haram has killed more people in the last 100 days and we dont even hear a word of empathy for the victims these days.
Perhaps, the greatest disappointment of the period is the brazen denial of promises made to the electorate by the APC before the elections. They have denied the 100 days without telling us what to expect in the remaining days.”

I doubt Buhari’s good intentions —Ajulo, LP scribe
Giving a cursory glance at the president’s 100 days in office, National Secretary of the Labour Party, LP, Dr Kayode Ajulo expressed doubt over the president’s good intentions in fixing Nigeria.
Ajulo said “President Muhammadu Buhari has recorded one hundred days in office as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. A hundred days means he has spent approximately three months since his inauguration as president on May 29.”

“On the whole, one is left to wonder if President Buhari, his good intentions notwithstanding, has taken upon himself a responsibility so huge to bear in his goal to fix Nigeria”, he said.

In addition, he said “regardless of what the army of praise-singers, in whose eyes the President can do no wrong, may say, it is in tune with globally acceptable best practices to evaluate his performance as president so far; indeed in view of our unique circumstances as a leadership-challenged nation, it is also very prudent and also necessary for every socially conscious and well-meaning Nigerian- particularly those who clamored and voted him in as president- to conduct a personal scientific evaluation of the performances of the man who promised to usher in change, and a new season for Nigerians and Nigeria.

“His party’s manifesto, his campaign promises, which are presently being denied and the level to which he has redeemed his promises are the standards by which his performance should be evaluated.

Performance evaluation
President Buhari has been severally described by many as a man of integrity whose word is his bond. He is generally perceived as an austere man who belongs to that class of men for whom materials acquisitions take a distant second place to honour, moral rectitude and integrity. If this is so, he should not have any issues with those who seek to hold him to account based on promises made while seeking their votes.

“It is on record that as a candidate, he promised to address three major issues concerning Nigeria namely Security, Corruption and Economy. Areas such as Security, corruption, Economy, National Unity and Integration should serve as a yardstick for ascertaining if Nigerians are on the right track or if we have been given a ‘dud cheque’ by the APC.”

www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/buhari-100-days-nothing-to-celebrate-labour-party-afenifere/

List Of 41 Imported Items CBN Ban From Forex

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently issue a directive stopping some imported goods and services from the list of items valid for forex in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Markets. This policy implies is that, those who import these items can no longer buy foreign currency from the official window to pay the overseas suppliers. Rather, they will have to source forex from the parallel market or Bureau De Change to pay for their imports. The items include the following: Rice Cement Margarine Palm kernel/Palm oil products/vegetables oils Meat and processed meat products Vegetables and processed vegetable products Poultry chicken, eggs, turkey Private airplanes/jets Indian incense Tinned fish in sauce(Geisha)/sardines Cold rolled steel sheets Galvanized steel sheets Roofing sheets Wheelbarrows Head pans Metal boxes and containers Enamelware Steel drums Steel pipes Wire rods(deformed and not deformed) Iron rods and reinforcing bard Wire mesh Steel nails Security and razor wine Wood particle boards and panels Wood Fibre Boards and Panels Plywood boards and panels Wooden doors Toothpicks Glass and Glassware Kitchen utensils Tableware Tiles-vitrified and ceramic Textiles Woven fabrics Clothes Plastic and rubber products, polypropylene granules , cellophane wrappers Soap and cosmetics Tomatoes/tomato pastes Eurobond/foreign currency bond/ share purchases It is important to emphasize that the importation of these items are not prohibited or banned. It only means that importers of these items are no longer qualified to get foreign exchange from the CBN or the official market to buy these items from overseas. http://www.newsheadlines.com.ng/latest-business/2015/08/12/list-of-40-imported-items-cbn-ban-from-forex/

Unpaid Salaries: Osun Lawmakers Now Sweep Chambers

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Lanre Ogunlefe, says the non-payment of civil servants’ salaries in Osun State has degenerated to the extent that he even witnessed the Majority Leader of the House of Assembly sweeping the floor of the Assembly by himself because workers refused to come to work. Ogunlefe said this during a telephone interview with Channels Television on a programme titled Sunrise Daily while reacting to the petition written by Justice Folahanmi Oloyede against Governor Rauf Aregbesola which was dismissed by the Osun legislature. Oloyede, who is one of the only 12 judges in the entire state, had come under fire by the state government and the All Progressives Congress for writing a petition against the governor and had been accused of playing partisan politics. However, Ogunlefe, who is Oloyede’s lawyer, said the allegation of financial recklessness against Aregbesola were obvious and accused the lawmakers of doing a shoddy job. He said, “The House of Assembly consists of APC and PDP members. Only APC members constituted the ad hoc committee which investigated the matter. And in a House that has both the APC and the PDP, you would expect that some PDP members would be part of the committee. “They did not even want to grant us a hearing. They said the governor had responded and I said can we have a copy of the response but they refused give it to us. “They said we should provide evidence. The evidence is there. Projects are abandoned. Hospitals are closed. A very young boy of about seven was brought to the hospital and his arm was about to be amputated because he could not get anti-tetanus injection. “And when we got to the House, the Majority Leader was sweeping the floor of the House and trying to make the House conducive for the meeting. There were no workers there and I said how can a Majority Leader be sweeping the floor? Then a policeman said, ‘You know that workers are on strike.’” The senior advocate said it was unfortunate that nearly all the states in the country could not pay salaries including oil-rich states such as Bayelsa and Delta. He said governors would curb their excesses only when the immunity clause is removed from the constitution. In his response, the Chief Whip of the House, Mr. Oladoyin Bamisayemi, said the judge had no business writing the petition. He said he and other lawmakers in the Assembly had not been paid in eight months as well. He added that some of the lawmakers had to even rely on their wives for financial support. Bamisayemi, who was also a member of the seven-man committee that investigated the allegations levelled against Aregbesola, said, “Most of the governors cannot pay salaries I agree. But why are their own judges over there not raising dust? It is unfortunate. We feel the pains of the workers; however, it is not peculiar to Osun alone. “Our Assembly was inaugurated on July 2 and we have not been paid a penny. We have not even been able to pay for training for the new members. It will interest you to know that we are being owed seven months’ salaries of the previous Assembly. I am a second term lawmaker and I am owed seven months of the last dispensation. “The lawmakers that have left will have to come back to collect their money. So, we also have problems. We all try to eke out a living here and there, relying on our wives.” http://www.punchng.com/politics/unpaid-salaries-osun-lawmakers-now-sweep-chambers/

AIT Staff Beg Buhari To Intervene In Salary Crisis

AIT Staff Beg Buhari To Intervene In Salary Crisis

Some members of staff of the Africa Independent Television (AIT) in Kaduna state have called on the federal government to intervene in their salary crisis, Daily Trust reports. The workers claim that the management have refused to pay their salary and alleged that the non-payment of salaries was a deliberate action from the management. Daily Trust reports that one of the workers who pleaded anonymity claimed that the salary for August, 2014 was paid on Tuesday, August 11, 2015. He claimed that when the management paid any month’s salary, it would take another five months before another payment was made. “There has been no communication or excuse whatsoever from management for non-payment of staff salary. When they pay for one month, it will take about four to five months before another payment will be made,” “A lot of people have left the organisation due to this problem while more people are planning to leave; yet the management are not bothered. “We feel the non-payment is deliberate because the money is there but we are not been paid. “The non-payment is inflicting suffering on us because we have families that we cannot cater for, we find it difficult to feed, pay our children’s school fees, house rent and other utility bills,” He called on the Nigerian Union of journalist and the federal government to look into the matter as it was fast becoming unbearable. “We are really suffering and some of us cannot quit our jobs because there are no available jobs out there.” l

Diamond Bank CFO, Yinusa Resigns 

Diamond Bank has informed the Nigerian Stock Exchange that its Chief Financial Officer Abdulrahman Yinusa has resigned.

According to the press release the resignation becomes effective after his garden leave which commenced on Monday, August 3, 2015.

According to the Bank, Mr. Yinusa had indicated his intention to pursue other interests and opportunities, and the board has accepted his resignation and wishes him success in his future endeavours.

Diamond Bank share price has lost 38% in value in the last one year and lost 30% this year alone.
The company has been reporting weaker earnings quarter after quarters with loan impairments taking its toll.





.http://nairametrics.com/b-r-e-a-k-i-n-g-diamond-bank-cfo-resigns/

Recover Stolen Oil Money, Buhari Tells NNPC Boss

Recover Stolen Oil Money, Buhari Tells NNPC Boss 

A NEW helmsman took the reins yesterday at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, the Executive Vice Chairman/General Counsel of ExxonMobil (Africa), as Group Managing Director (GMD), asking him to give recovery of stolen oil money a priority, among other targets.

Buhari may also appoint Kachikwu, who beat three other candidates in the race for the job, as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources to ensure synergy, a source said last night.

Those also considered and discreetly screened for the job, source told The Nation learnt, are former Petroleum Products Prices Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) Executive Secretary Stanley Reginald; Shell Petroleum Development Company Managing Director Mr. Osagie Okunbor and a NNPC Deputy General Manager, whose name was not disclosed.

At the final negotiation with Kachikwu, the President gave him six terms of reference to reshape the corporation. They are to:

1. Clean up the NNPC system of corrupt elements;

2. Recover all stolen crude oil funds;

3. Work with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Directorate of State Service (DSS) to trace and recover stolen oil cash;

4. Review the structure of the NNPC to compete globally;

5. Giving targets to all subsidiaries and put in place performance benchmarks; and

6. Fix all refineries, which must work at optimal level, “even if it means using expatriates in the interim”.

A source said: “The new GMD of NNPC was picked after a thorough search by the President. Actually, at the end of the search, the choice was narrowed down to four candidates.

“The President opted for Kachikwu who is the Vice President of Exxon Mobil, not only in Nigeria but in Africa. Buhari was impressed by his impeccable credentials as the most senior black African in any multi-national oil firm in the world with 30 years experience.

“Apart from being a First Class graduate, Kachikwu also obtained PhD in Law which enabled him to rise to company secretary in Exxon Mobil.”

But it was not easy for the President to convince Kachikwu to accept the job because he was afraid that he might be messed up like other Nigerians, a source said.

“In their negotiation, President Buhari repeatedly said: ‘I won’t interfere with your work; I will give you a free hand because I want to reform this oil sector once and for all.’ The GMD accepted the job following what he realized as “the infectious patriotism and genuine intention of the President,: the source said.

Kachikwu yesterday took the reins at a brief ceremony held at the NNPC Towers, Abuja .

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, in a statement, said the new helmsman expressed gratitude to his predecessor, Dr. Joseph T. Dawha, for holding the Corporation. He pledged to work assiduously in achieving the President’s growth aspiration for the oil and gas industry.

“ExxonMobil Upstream affiliates in Nigeria congratulate our Vice-Chairman and General Counsel, Dr. Emmanuel Kachikwu, on this opportunity to serve Nigeria as Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). We thank Dr. Kachikwu for his many contributions to ExxonMobil Nigeria, and wish him well in his new role.”

Inside the NNPC

The NNPC is the national oil company, through which the Federal Government regulates and participates in the country’s petroleum industry.

An Act to dissolve the former Nigerian National Oil Corporation and to establish the NNPC was created in 1977. The NNPC was established on April 1, 1977, as a merger of the Nigerian National Oil Corporation and the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel.

By law, the NNPC manages the joint venture between the Federal Government and some foreign multinational corporations including Shell, Agip, ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Total. Through collaboration with these companies, the Federal Government conducts petroleum exploration and production.

For lack of supervision, the NNPC degenerated to a rent-collector for the government with less attention to transparency and accountability.

Between 2007 and 2009, auditors found that the corporation over-deducted funds in subsidy claims to the tune of N28.5 billion and has not been able to account for the money.

In 2008, Willbros Group Inc of United States (U.S.) admitted making ‘suspicious’ payments of over $6.3 million to officials of the corporation and its subsidiary – the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) for assistance in obtaining and retaining contracts at the Eastern Gas Gathering System (EGGS).

In 2004, ABB Vetco Gray, a U.S. company and its UK subsidiary – ABB Vetco Gray UK Limited – admitted paying over $1 million in bribes to NAPIMS’ officials, in exchange for obtaining confidential bid information and favourable recommendations from government agencies.

After the publication of a report In November 2013 by Swiss, a non-governmental advocacy organisation – Erklärung von Bern – allegations of fraud surfaced, placing the NNPC under suspicion of siphoning $6.8 billion of crude oil revenues.

From 2013, the NNPC has been battling with the allegation of non-remittance of $20 billion into the Federation Account.

These allegations, among others are responsible for the continued calls for the sanitisation and repositioning of the corporation.

Emir Of Kano, Sanusi, Visits Buhari At The Presidential Villa (Photos)

The Emir of Kano Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi visited President Buhari at his residence this night (August 4th) at the Presidential Villa , Abuja.

Mourinho has tipped the Super Eagles’ midfielder Mikel Obi to replace Terry as Blues’ skipper owing to the number of years he has spent at the Stamford Bridge

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has earmarked John Obi Mikel as a likely replacement for John Terry as the Blues’ captain.
The Super Eagles star has spent nine years with the Stamford Bridge lords since his controversial move from Norwegian side, Lyn in 2006 and had since won over 224 caps with four goals to his credit.
With 34-year-old Terry’s career with the London side winding down, it means the English champions will have to select a new skipper and Mourinho feels Obi – the team’s second longest serving player may just be accorded with the honour of wearing the skipper’s armband.
“Mikel is, after John, the guy with most years of Chelsea,” Mourinho told Dailymail.co.uk
“I think (Cesc) Fabregas has personality for a captain too. Eden is coming with big status now and was voted one of the top 10 players in Europe last year.
“In my opinion he should be in the top three not in the top 10. Let’s see what is going to happen but we have these people. But let’s say John and Branislav are our captains and the others are ready to come,” he said.
Mikel recently ended speculation over his Chelsea future by insisting he is happy at Stamford Bridge.  The 28-year-old was linked with the likes of Al Ain and Fenerbahce during the transfer window but remained with the Blues despite the interest.

Man Forces Manhood Into 4-year-old Girl's Mouth In Lagos 

A 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged before Isolo Magistrates’ Court for defiling and engaging a 4-year-old girl in sexual activity in Lagos State, western Nigeria.

The suspect, Nwanagbaihu Chinonso, was allegedly caught by one of his neighbours after he had already forced his joystick into the little girl’s mouth to suck.

The incident happened at Fakeye Street, off Isuti Road, Egan where the suspect resides with the victim’s parents.

What would have been the attraction for a 24-year-old man to engage a 4-year-old girl in sexual activities was the question on the lips of residents of Egan where the incident happened.

court of law Chinonso was handed over to the police at Igando Division by the residents for prosecution. At the station, he allegedly confessed to committing the crime and blamed it on temptation.

He is now facing a two-count charge of defilement and engaging in sexual activity with a minor before the court.

When he was arraigned in court, the presiding Magistrate, Mrs A.O. Adedayo, ordered him to be remanded in prison custody pending when he will be granted bail.

P.M.NEWS gathered that Chinonso’s journey to prison started one afternoon when the victim strolled to his apartment and he closed his door without locking it from inside.

The police alleged that he carried the victim and inserted his finger into her private part and thereafter forced his joystick into her mouth to suck.
While the act was going on, a neighbour who suspected a foul play suddenly opened the half locked door and saw what Chinonso was doing with the victim.

The woman raised the alarm which attracted other neighbours.

Having been caught in the act, Chinonso could not deny what he had done. Rather, he started pleading with the neighbours for forgiveness.
The neighbours rebuffed his pleas and handed him over to the police.

It’s Wrong To Exclude South East From NASS Leadership, Says Yakassai 

The exclusion of South East legislators from the leadership of the National Assembly is a threat to national unity, according to elder statesman, Alhaji Tako Yakassai.
Yakassai, in an interview with reporters in Kano on Tuesday, expressed surprise that the leadership of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) did not consider the ethnic nationality in its office sharing.

Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from the South East, emerged as the Deputy Senate President out of the crisis that followed sharp disagreements in the APC on the candidates that were to fill the positions.
His emergence is still being hotly resisted by the APC.

Yakasai described the sharing of positions of the APC as lop-sided, and an indication that the governing party is subsuming national interests under personal interests.

His words: “It is quite shocking that at the end of the meeting of some All Progressives Congress leaders at Aso Rock, called by President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Gbajamiala, who contested the Speakership against Yakubu Dogora and lost, emerged the Leader of the House.
“I can recall that before President Buhari’s intervention, the Dogara group accepted to concede the position of the Leader of the House to the Gbajamiala’s group, but with the condition that the position will not go to the South-West.”

Yakassai said further: “It was surprising that after the meeting between the National Chairman of APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, Gbajabiamiala and Dogara at the Villa, they came back and did otherwise.

“Again, immediately after Femi (Gbajabiamila) was announced the Leader of the House, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu paid a visit to the Villa apparently to thank President Buhari for intervening in favour of Femi Gbajamiala.

“Now, in the House leadership, South-West has two major slots and the South-East has nothing. This is not a good development.”

Yakasai, who was Political Adviser to former President Shehu Shagari, warned that with the set up in the House of Representatives, those now clamouring for the removal of Senator Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President, should be wary of the consequences.

According to him, Ekweremadu is the only representative of the South-East in the National Assembly leadership.

He advised Buhari to be conscious of the marginalisation already suffered by the South-East while constituting his cabinet so as to ensure proper representation of that region in the government of the day.

http://dailytimes.com.ng/its-wrong-to-exclude-south-east-from-nass-leadership-says-yakassai/

Former minister of Education and chartered accountant, Oby Ezekwesili and her husband, Pastor Chinedu were spotted at a Bible College graduation which held during the RCCG's annual convention hours ago.

Oby looked radiant in her blue native attire while Pastor Chinedu settled for a black native attire.

They were also spotted in one of the church's major activities that happened on Tuesday (yesterday).
See more photos below:

Former minister of Education and chartered accountant, Oby Ezekwesili and her husband, Pastor Chinedu were spotted at a Bible College graduation which held during the RCCG's annual convention hours ago.

Oby looked radiant in her blue native attire while Pastor Chinedu settled for a black native attire.

THE Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), on Tuesday, said the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit a total sum of $12.3 billion (N2.5 trillion) crude oil proceeds into the Federation Account over a period of 10 years.

NRGI, an international independent body that monitors the oil and gas sector globally, in a report entitled: “Inside NNPC Oil Sales: A Case for Reform in Nigeria,” said NNPC did not forward any revenue from the sales of Okono crude oil between 2005 and 2014.
According to the report, the sales totaled over 100 million barrels with an estimated value of $12.3 billion.
“In other words, the corporation has provided no public accounting of how it used a decade’s worth of revenues from an entire stream of the country’s oil production,” the report said.
Knocking the handling of oil sales by the corporation, NRGI said “NNPC’s approach to oil sales suffers from high corruption risks and fails to maximise returns for the nation.
“These shortcomings also characterise NNPC as a whole. Over 38 years, the corporation has neither developed its own commercial or operational capacities, nor facilitated the growth of the sector through external investment.
“Instead, it has spun a legacy of inefficiency and mismanagement. Its faults have been described by a number of scathing reports, many commissioned by government itself.
“Despite NNPC’s debilitating consumption of public revenues and performance failures, successive governments have done little to reform the company,” it further added.
The report also said it was found that the management of NNPC’s oil sales had worsened in recent years, particularly since 2010.
“The largest problems stem from the rising number of ad hoc makeshift practices the corporation has introduced to work around its deeper structural problems.
“For instance, NNPC entered into poorly designed oil-for-product swap deals when it could no longer meet the country’s fuel needs.

“Similarly, it began unilaterally spending billions of dollars in crude oil revenues each year, rather than transferring them to the treasury, because NNPC’s actual budget process fails to cover operating expenses.
“Some of these makeshift practices began with credible goals. But over time, their operation became overly discretionary and complex, as political and patronage agendas surpassed the importance of maximising returns,” the report noted.
The report added that “these poor practices come with high costs. Average prices for the country’s light sweet crude topped $110 per barrel during the boom of 2011 to 2014. Yet, during that same period, as shown, treasury receipts from oil sales fell significantly. While volumes lost to oil theft explain some of the decline, NNPC’s massive revenue withholdings and an increase in suboptimal sales arrangements are also to blame.
“Mismanagement of NNPC oil sales also raises commercial, reputational and legal risk for actors worldwide: the sales involve some of the world’s largest commodity trading houses, are financed by top banks, and result in the delivery of crude to countries across the globe,” it added.
In its recommendations to the government on how to correct the ills in the corporation, NRGI said the government should pursue two tracks of reform.
“The first involves urgent reforms to NNPC’s management of oil sales (to ‘stop the bleeding’). At the same time, however, the government should also pursue a course of deeper structural reforms to NNPC (to ‘cure the patient’). If it does not, a new round of costly, ad hoc coping mechanisms will emerge,” the report concluded.

http://tribuneonlineng.com/rot-nnpc-corporation-failed-remit-n25trn-10-years-%E2%80%94report

Drunken motorcyclist in court for killing woman

The victim
| credits: Afeez Hanafi

A commercial motorcyclist popularly called okada rider, Solomon Eni, has been arraigned before an Ojokoro Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ikeja for allegedly causing the death of a woman.

Twenty-five-year old Eni was said to be taking the unidentified woman, said to be to in her 30s, to the Jankara Junction bus stop in the Ijaiye area of Lagos around 9.30pm on June 27 when the accident occurred on Clem Road.

It was learnt that Eni rode on top speed, overtaking vehicles indiscriminately. He reportedly veered off the road and rammed into the fence of a transformer while trying to overtake a car.

The woman was said to have been thrown from the okada and smashed her head on the fence. She reportedly died on the way to a hospital where she was rushed to.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the deceased’s family, as of Sunday, had yet to be reached as her mobile phone was reportedly stolen at the scene of the incident.

ADVERTISEMENT

Our correspondent was told that the rider, who confessed to the police to have taken a local gin shortly before the incident, was reeking of alcohol when he was arrested.

Eni told the police that the driver of the car forced him off the road.

He said, “I was going to Kola from Alakuko when the woman stopped me. We passed through Clem Road on our way to Jankara Junction where she was going to.

“I was on top speed when a vehicle overtook me. I marched break and I was forced to ram into the fence of a transformer. I didn’t know what happened again until the following day when I found myself at the police station.

“I just took hot Sabri (local gin) that day. I know I am not supposed to drink and ride. I regret my action.”

A police prosecutor, ASP Lugard Ahonle, brought the suspect before a chief magistrate, Mrs. T. Akani, on five counts bordering on reckless riding, manslaughter and riding without licence.

The offences, according to the police, are punishable under sections 3 (2); 7 (1);18, Cap 548, Vol. 7; 27, Cap 548; and 33, Cap 124, Vol. 6, of the Road Traffic Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2012.

The charges read in part, “That you, Solomon Eni, on June 27, 2015, at about 21.35hrs on Clem Road, Ijaiye, in the Lagos Magisterial District, being the rider of a motorcycle with registration number, JGD 129 WY, did ride same in a dangerous and reckless manner on the highway without due care for other road users.

“That you on the same date, time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did ride the said motorcycle in a dangerous and reckless manner, causing the death of a woman, whose name and address have yet to be known.

“That you rode the motorcycle on the public highway without licence and certificate of insurance.”

The defendant owned up to four of the charges.

He however pleaded not guilty to the second count, which accused him of causing the death of the woman.

The magistrate adjourned the case till July 30, 2015 for hearing and sentencing.

ADVERTISEMENT

Eagles won’t underrate Djibouti —Oliseh

Sunday Oliseh

Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, has said his team will not underrate any opponent as Nigeria brace up to face either Djibouti or Swaziland in the second round qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Nigeria have a bye in the first round, alongside 26 other teams, as revealed in the preliminary draw held in St.Petersburg, Russia on Saturday.

The Super Eagles will begin their campaign for a place at the 2018 finals in November, away to the winners of the Djibouti vs. Swaziland first round playoff.

Nigeria are ranked 57th in the current FIFA ranking, while Swaziland and Djibouti are ranked138th and 207th respectively. But while expressing his joy at the draw, Oliseh would rather not dismiss any opponent as minnows.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I am happy with the draw. We are not playing the first round, which is a preliminary round. We will also be playing the first leg of the second round away which means we have an advantage of playing the more crucial return leg at home, in front of our fans,” Oliseh said on the Nigeria Football Federation website.

The 40-year-old former international warned against complacency, admitting that there are dangerous teams that could spring surprises if taken for granted.

“Djibouti and Swaziland need to be given the respect that they deserve and either of them that we face in the second round will not be underrated. We respect every team and we will battle anyone that emerges with our full strength,” the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder said.

“With the draw now concluded, we can safely say that the race to Russia has officially started. I am optimistic we will run this race very well. We will give it our very best and pray it will be good enough to get us one of the five slots available for Africa.”

Oliseh will lead the Super Eagles to his first competitive match as the coach when they regroup in September to visit the Taifa Stars in Tanzania for a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match. He also plans to release a provisional team list for the match in August.

And ahead of the game against Tanzania, the Eagles coach is reportedly seriously considering capping Flying Eagles stars Musa Mohammed and Kelechi Iheanacho.

A top team official informed AfricanFootball.com that Oliseh is rebuilding with the future in mind and as such he wants to start working immediately with Musa, Iheanacho as well as Moses Simon, who has already been capped by the Eagles.

“The top three Flying Eagles stars under consideration by the Eagles coach are Musa at rightback as well as Iheanacho and Moses Simon in attack,” the official said.

“Oliseh already is very much abreast of the exploits with Moses Simon at Gent as he followed him last season.

“He has also followed Musa and Iheanacho when he was on the FIFA study group for the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup, which Nigeria won in style in Abu Dhabi.”

‘Baba Go Slow’ Appellation Given To Buhari Is What Best Suits Nigeria

YORUBA Monarchs have said the slow and steady approach adopted by President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle daunting challenges facing the country has shown that Nigerians have now elected a president with quality and good leadership traits.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ramos will stay at Real Madrid – Agent

| credits: Getty Images

President of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, has met with the player and he is ready to meet the defender’s requests of $10 million per season, his agent has confirmed.
The Spanish defender had been linked with Manchester United in the summer transfer.

ADVERTISEMENT

WAEC threatens to withhold May/June 2015 results over debts

Hundreds of candidates who sat for the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination may not have their results released in the next two weeks, the West African Examinations Council has announced.
No fewer than 19 states of the federation owe the council about N4bn examination registration fees.
The WAEC Head of National Office, Lagos, Mr. Charles Eguridu, announced this on Monday at a briefing in Lagos.
He, however, failed to make public the affected states.
Eguridu said, “A total number of 19 states in the country owe the Council in respect of entry fees for state government sponsored candidates for the May/June 2015 WASSCE. Some states also still owe the Council registration fees for the May/June 2014 WASSCE.
“We have written to the affected state governments without any response. The poor response of the debtor states is threatening the smooth operations of the Council.
“We, therefore, want to publicly plead with the affected states to off-set the registration fees of their candidates as soon as possible, as we cannot guarantee that the results of their candidates for the May/June 2015 will be released along with others.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Nigerian graduates globally competitive, says UNIlorin VC

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdul Ambali, has said that Nigerian graduates are competing favourably with their peers from across the world.
Ambali said Nigerian graduates were able to compete favourably because of the acceptable standard of education in the country.
The vice-chancellor, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja, added that Nigerian graduates had always acquitted themselves creditably in the Diaspora.
Ambali said, “I think the standard is acceptable because if you look at our graduates anywhere you go around the world and you see them, they are working in high places and they are proving themselves.
“So if the standards were lower they would not be able to compete with their peers where they are now. So, to me it is a relative term because the standard in not falling to me.
“We have a lot of room to improve; for example, we need to improve the quality of our teachers especially at the primary and secondary school levels.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I have been saying this; it is whatever we harvest at those levels especially the secondary school level that comes to the university and in the university you can do minimum modelling to shape them into what the country wants.”
Ambali, therefore, urged state governments to invest more on secondary education in view of its position as the bridge between basic and tertiary education.
He said,”Students should have better classrooms; they should have better teachers and better learning environment because it is the products of these three issues that make up a good candidate for the next level.
“For example, if the classrooms are crowded; if there are no teaching facilities in the classroom; no teaching aids in the classroom; no enough materials to carry out the necessary practical, then the quality of education will become questionable.
“If the teachers are not well paid; they are not well mobilised; they cannot concentrate on their primary assignments.”
On the issue of the cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities, Ambali said 180 had been pegged as minimum score required of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) candidates.
He said though some universities were under pressure to offer admission to candidates, each university could still fix a score in conformity with its own standard to enable them to get the best applicants.
According to him, JAMB’s minimum cut-off mark for Medicine is between 230 and 235, but individual universities are at liberty to conduct post-JAMB screening to get the best of the candidates.

Waku: Saraki's Wife Ordeal Mastermind By Tinubu

A frontline politician and former Vice Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator JKN Waku on Saturday, pointedly accused a National Leader of the APC, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of being the mastermind of a petition over which the wife of the Senate President, Mrs Toyin Saraki, has been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).


The APC chieftain decried a situation where Tinubu will be exploring his personal relationship with the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, to embarrass and torment fellow party members as well as overheat the polity.


According to him, "I have chosen to speak out on this issue and make my findings on this issue known to the public. After days of painstaking enquiries, I discovered that both Tinubu and Lamorde maintain a mutually beneficial relationship since the days of Lamorde as the EFCC Director of Operations and based in Lagos between 2003 and 2007 when Tinubu was equally the governor of Lagos.”


Waku, who is also an ACF member of Board of Trustees (BOT), said: "I also discovered from my findings in EFCC that the so called petition against Mrs Saraki was personally given to Lamorde by Tinubu under the guise that he was submitting the petition on behalf of the APC leadership to punish Saraki for working against the party's leadership on the choice of National Assembly leaders.


"This was followed by a promise to help secure a second term for Lamorde as EFCC chairman."
Senator Waku said he is highly disturbed that EFCC is again being dragged into the political arena to settle political scores like some years ago.


Waku said: "I want to use this opportunity to caution our leaders that no individual's ambition to create a fiefdom for himself should be allowed to drag our party into unnecessary controversies and endlessly overheat the polity.


"The party has done its beat to send lawmakers to the National Assembly to work for the nation and no particular political party, and as such, they should allow our Senators and Reps members to settle down and work in the overall interest of the nation, which is far and above every other sectional interest.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/waku-sarakis-wife-ordeal-mastermind-by-tinubu/215580/

Diamond Bank Stuns Shareholders With Worst Quarterly Result Since 2012 
 Diamond Bank Plc released its 2015 half year results showing earnings per share dropped year on year by 45% to N0.52 (2015 H1: N0.95)

The Bank in its second quarter result posted Net Interest Income of N29.7billion 3.2% higher than the N28.8 billion it posted in the first quarter of the year.

However, the bank saw income from commissions and fees rise 14% to N9.5billion.
Things however went south for the bank after it posted an operating expense of N27 billion (N24.1billion).

Diamond Bank also continued to take in impairment charges recording another N6.5billion this quarter alone. Most of its provisions have come from bad overdraft loans
The Bank has now provided for a cumulative loan loss of N65billion since Q1 2013.

We also noted that the bank’s deposits dropped significantly by 9% to N1.4trillion
Also of note was the fact that the bank lent about 18.7% of its Loans and Advances to other banks.

http://nairametrics.com/diamond-bank-stuns-shareholders-with-worst-quarterly-result-since-2012/

House Crisis 'Over', As Dogara And Gbajabiamila Factions Reconcile

The crisis in the house of representatives over principal positions is over, Abdulmumin Jibrin, spokesman of Consolidation Group, has said – ahead of Tuesday’s reconvening of the lower chamber.

According to Jibrin, “gladiators” in the Femi Gbajabiamila camp have settled for the “Dogara formula” for the allocation of principal positions.

Gbajabiamila and Yakubu Dogara, the speaker, had been enmeshed in a rift over the sharing of principal positions of the house.

While Jibrin is pro-Dogara, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, the newly proposed majority leader, is pro-Gbajabiamila.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, Jibrin said: “Please recall that since the inauguration of the house, the issue of those that will assume the positions of the remaining principal officers among members of our party, All Progressives Congress (APC), has been enmeshed in deep controversy.

“Specifically, this controversy surrounded those who will occupy the vacant positions of House Leader, Deputy House Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip. Several efforts were made to find solution to the crisis and a couple of proposals were advanced. It is in this spirit that the Speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara, proposed in what is now known as the Dogara formula an equity team.

“Mr Speaker’s argument has always been since the north-east and south-west have produced the speaker and deputy speaker, the remaining principal officers positions should go to the north-west, north-central, south-south and south-east in the spirit of equity, fairness, justice, a strong precedence and provision of the constitution. In the interest of peace, unity and harmony in the House, Speaker Dogara reached out extensively to individuals and groups and committed lot of energy and time toward finding an amicable solution to the nagging issue.

“This became extremely necessary in order to actualise the needed peace and unity in the House so as to commence work for the Nigerian people and provide support for our President, Muhammadu Buhari. Let me reiterate our resolve that President Buhari is going to enjoy the maximum and unprecedented support of the APC caucus in the House in order for him to achieve all the laudable programmes of this government.

“Permit me to point out, however, that the intense consultations carried out by Speaker Dogara is what eventually led to the birth of the Dogara Formula that saw the emergence of what is now known as the Equity Team. In line with the Formula, the Equity Team has Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC Kano, North West) as House Leader, Hon Buba Jibrin (APC Kogi, North Central) as Deputy Leader, Hon Pally Iriase (APC Edo, South South) as Chief Whip and Hon. Chika Okafor (APC Imo, South East) as Deputy Chief Whip.

“Interestingly, both the Speaker and a great majority of the APC caucus in the House including gladiators in the Gbajabiamila’s group like Hon Mongunu, Hon Doguwa and Hon Pally support and stand by the Equity Team. We have  commenced collection of signatures which has reached advanced stage to affirm the Dogara formula. All other interests, including those excluded from the principal officers, specifically Hon Gbajabiamila and Hon Mongunu will be duly accommodated with commensurate responsibility to serve. Since the Speaker has about 200 positions to share out, many members will have the opportunity to serve the country.

“In light of this development, it is heart-warming to announce to you that the disagreement in the House, which many have erroneously labelled as crisis, has finally come to an end. We hereby express our deep appreciation to Mr President for his fatherly disposition during this disagreement. We also commend our party for its patience and understanding and re-affirm our continued support for the realisation of its objectives.

“We thank Speaker Dogara for his maturity and gentle disposition towards ensuring that the disagreement is amicably resolved. We thank our other colleagues who disagreed with us for their willingness to dialogue and accept our compromise position for the peace and stability of the House and overall national interest.  We will make a particular mention of Hon Mongunu, Doguwa and Pally for their patience, maturity and understanding. Finally, we thank Nigerians and once again pledge that this House will now get down to work for the Nigerian people.”

Gbajabiamila is yet to comment on the latest development, which means he can no longer be majority leader as proposed by the party leadership.

World's First Malaria Vaccine Approved 

The world’s first malaria vaccine has received a green light from European drugs regulators who recommended it should be licensed for use in babies in Africa who are at risk of the mosquito-borne disease.

The shot, called RTS,S or Mosquirix, would be the first licensed human vaccine against a parasitic disease and could help prevent millions of cases of malaria in countries that use it.

The vaccine was developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline in partnership with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative,

Recommendations for a drug licence made by the European Medicines Agency are normally endorsed by the European Commission within a couple of months.

Mosquirix, also part-funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will also now be assessed by the World Health Organisation, which has promised to give its guidance on when and where it should be used before the end of this year.

Malaria killed an estimated 584,000 people in 2013, the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

More than 80 percent of malaria deaths are in children under the age of five.

Andrew Witty, GSK’s chief executive, said EMA’s positive recommendation was a further important step towards making the world’s first malaria vaccine available for young children.

“While RTS,S on its own is not the complete answer to malaria, its use alongside those interventions currently available such as bed nets and insecticides would provide a very meaningful contribution to controlling the impact of malaria on children in those African communities that need it the most,” he said in a statement.

http://www.punchng.com/news/worlds-first-malaria-vaccine-approved/

Nigerians Turned Back From Buhari's Town Hall Meeting

So Many Nigerians were turned back from the townhall meeting with President Buhari in the US after they failed to secure an invite to the event. The Nigerians who were angry at their inability to enter the venue for the meeting said they drove many miles only for them to be barred by security men