100 million Nigerians living in poverty, Dangote laments

The President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said that more than 100 million out of the country’s estimated population of 187 million are wallowing in poverty.

He told participants at the Executive Course No. 38, 2016 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos, Plateau State, that the situation was unacceptable to him given Nigeria’s abundant resources, according to a statement made available on Sunday.

Delivering a paper entitled: ‘Promotion of local manufacturing and poverty reduction in Nigeria: The private sector experience and policy options’, he said, “It is a curious paradox that Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, and the largest economy on the continent, also has one of the highest levels of poverty.

“It is estimated that more than 100 million out of a population of 187 million Nigerians live below the poverty line.”

Quoting a United Nations report, Dangote said youth unemployment had risen to 42 per cent this year, with many graduates roaming the streets of major cities such as Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt in search of elusive white-collar jobs, while for some who were employed, their situation could best be described as under-employment, as they were being underutilised and poorly paid.

This development, according to him, has serious security implications, as evidenced by the high rate of social ills plaguing the nation.

“The spate of kidnappings, intermittent vandalism of petroleum pipelines in the Niger Delta, and the protracted insurgency in the North-East are all fuelled, to a large extent, by the high level of endemic poverty in the country,” he stated.

Dangote pointed out that the current economic recession had further worsened the situation, as the government continued to record dwindling revenues, thus making it increasingly difficult for it to fulfil some of its obligations to the people.

He said, “Coupled with this, the activities of insurgents in the North-East have also affected the level of poverty in that part of the country. It is estimated that there are over 2.4 million Internally Displaced Persons in the region. It will take billions of naira to rebuild the North-East and fully re-settle the victims of the insurgency.”

(PUNCH)

Ford stops exportation of 500 vehicles to Nigeria

There are indications that Ford Motor Company has suspended its planned exportation of 500 units of vehicles meant for the Nigerian market owing to the current economic recession.

The United States automaker was said to have assembled the vehicles in its South African factory and completed all arrangements to ship them to Nigeria before halting the decision.

Prof. Okey Iheduru of the Arizona State University, United States, hinted at a forum in Lagos that Ford had dismantled over 500 units of vehicles meant for the Nigerian market because the Coscharis Group, its local representative, could not accommodate them.

The General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Services, Coscharis Group, Mr. Abiona Babarinde, who confirmed this in an emailed response to our correspondent’s enquiry, attributed the development to “forex-related issues.”

He said the vehicles were “to be imported as SKD (semi-knocked down) kits for (auto) assembly but got stuck in South Africa because of slow sale of what we already have in stock in Nigeria.”

Ford recently discontinued its business relationship with one of its two partners in Nigeria, RT Briscoe, leaving only Coscharis Motors as its sole representative in the country.

A statement from the Ford Motor Company of Sub-Saharan Africa sent to our correspondent via email said tough economic climate arising from the fall in oil prices, foreign exchange shortages and rapid devaluation of the naira was adversely affecting its operation in the region, including Nigeria.

The statement, which was sent by its spokesperson, Chipo Punungwe, read in part, “We continue to work through a tough economic environment in the sub-Saharan African region, including various economic factors such as lower oil prices, foreign exchange shortages and the rapid devaluation of local currencies, which have led to higher than normal inventory levels.”

Assemblers and dealers in new vehicles have complained about a drastic drop in vehicle sale this year due to recession.

A number of the companies, it was learnt, had to lay off some of their workers as their annual capacity utilisation had dropped by 97 per cent, from 500,000 to 15,000 vehicles.

The 15,000 new vehicles currently being produced in the country are less than what Toyota Nigeria Limited alone sold in 12 months some years ago.

Notwithstanding the current economic situation, Ford said it would continue to work with its partner, the Coscharis Group, to deliver quality vehicles and improved auto service to its customers in Nigeria.

“With Coscharis, we will continue to manage our business, review and optimise the movement of stock to ensure that we have a sufficient supply of vehicles to fulfil customers’ needs,” it stated.

Dasuki deceived you, bought useless weapons – Military replies Jonathan

The Military has dismissed claim by the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan that his administration purchased some warships and aircraft from the controversial $2.2b arms money.

Jonathan had absolved his former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki(rtd) of allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, that he, Dasuki, misappropriated billions of dollars meant for the procurement of arms.

Speaking in the United Kingdom on Monday, the former President said he did not believe that Dasuki stole the money  because weapons were bought for the military under his government.

But reacting to Jonathan’s claim, some military sources are of the view that the immediate past President may have been “deceived” regarding the type of weapons procured, stressing that most of the weapons procured were “unserviceable and useless,” the Nation reports.

The report quoted a source as saying that the Jonathan administration bought three fairly used Alpha Jets for the Nigerian Air Force and two helicopters which were “not worth anything because they were not weaponised and the helicopters were cannibalized.”

According to the source, “The two aircraft are among the four Alpha Jets bought from the United States in 2015 by the immediate past administration to enhance the operational capability of the NAF to combat Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.

“The aircraft, however, before now, could not be deployed in the theatre of operation due to the inherent weapon delivery deficiency, hence its limited use for training purposes.

“The urgent need in recent times to commit all NAF available platforms to OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE to enhance the success of the counter insurgency operation necessitated the Service to look inward to seek ways of achieving its drive for self reliance through research and development.

“A number of vendors invited to Nigeria to assess the platforms had concluded that it would be difficult or almost impossible to undertake the project since the Original Equipment Manufacturer had long closed down the production line.

“A few others who agreed to the possibility of having the aircraft reconfigured to carry munitions have also submitted proposals for initial assessment fee ranging from $20,000 – $30,000 before they could come up with the actual cost for the project.

“Convinced that the project would work, the NAF consequently assembled a team of technicians to develop a feasible model for the project. The model worked on ground, and has since been mounted on the Alpha Jets, and test flown successfully. This feat is a major research and development breakthrough for the NAF and the nation as a huge foreign exchange saver, given that the project only cost about N4,000,000.00 compared to what would be required to have it done abroad.”

Supposed ‘Burial Slab’ Of Jesus Christ Uncovered For First Time In Centuries

A stone slab that many Christians believe once held the body of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion has been unveiled for the first time in centuries. 
National Geographic, which was filming the restoration work at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, said the marble that encased the slab since at least 1555 was removed as part of the project. 
“We were surprised by the amount of fill material beneath it,” Fredrik Hiebert, archaeologist-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, told the organization’s website. “It will be a long scientific analysis, but we will finally be able to see the original rock surface on which, according to tradition, the body of Christ was laid.”
The church is one of the most revered sites in Christianity, and includes the location traditionally believed to have been the scene of the crucifixion as well as the tomb. It’s also highly controversial, as the location was not identified until centuries after the events depicted in the New Testament. 
Today, the operation and maintenance of the church is a tense, “status quo” arrangement between several Christian denominations, including the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. At times, fights have broken out between these sects. Such disagreements have allowed parts of the facility to fall into disrepair, and last year the Israeli government temporarily shut down the church over fears of a possible collapse.  
Earlier this year, the factions agreed to a nine-month renovation to fix the crumbling chapel that was built over the revered site, and to make other long-overdue repairs. Removing the marble that encased the slab was part of that process, and will be featured in a National Geographic Channel “Explorer” episode in November. 
“We are at the critical moment for rehabilitating the Edicule” (which encloses the tomb), Antonia Moropoulou of the the National Technical University of Athens told National Geographic. “The techniques we’re using to document this unique monument will enable the world to study our findings as if they themselves were in the tomb of Christ.”

Bill Gates Confirms His children will not inherit his wealth.

The world’s top billionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda have three children – Jennifer, 20, Rory, 17, and Phoebe, 14.

He was on ITV‘s This Morning in the UK where he confirmed once again that majority of their wealth will go to charity, and only ‘a little bit’ to their kids after their demise.

“Our kids will receive a great education and some money so they will never be poorly off but they’ll go out and have their own career.
It’s not a favour to kids to have them have huge sums of wealth. Because it distorts anything they might do, in creating their own path and this money is dedicated to helping the poorest.
They know that, they’re proud of that.”

He said him and his wife will leave ‘a little bit’ for them and buttressed that his kids follow him and his wife on charitable missions and see the impact the money has on lives.

Housewife tortures 12- year-old girl for stealing meat

A 12-year-old girl, Mmesoma Ani, has been admitted to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Surulere, after she was allegedly tortured by her aunt, Mrs. Ogechi Iruwane.
We learnt that the mother of three allegedly used her bare hands to pinch off the victim’s chest, and inflicted injuries on her back.

 Ani was also said to have been starved for two days for allegedly stealing a piece of meat.

Our correspondent learnt that a trader on Nurudeen Street, Orile Iganmu, Lagos State, where the incident happened, raised the alarm on Tuesday.

The case was said to have been reported to the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender.

Officials of the agency reportedly apprehended the suspect and subsequently handed her over to the police at the Orile Iganmu division.

The victim was afterwards taken to LUTH.

The trader, who discovered the incident, said Ani returned an empty bottle of soft drink to her when she saw her injuries.

She said, “I observed that she was not walking well. I drew closer to her and that was when I saw that her hands were also swollen. She said her aunt flogged her. She showed me her chest and I saw that the skin covering one of her maturing breasts had been pinched off. She removed her clothes and I was alarmed when I saw serious injuries on her back.”

The trader, whose name is protected for security reason, explained that she called the attention of passersby to the injuries.

“I wanted to take her back to the aunt to ask why she battered the girl so badly without taking her to a hospital, but her neighbours told me it was not the first time she would beat her. I decided to report the matter to the OPD,” she added.

A source at the OPD said the residents prevented the suspect from escaping when she went to find out why Ani had not returned home from the errand she sent her.

He said, “The girl claimed she was 12 years old, even though she looked younger. She also looked malnourished. There were different scars on her back. The irony is that the suspect has three children and they look well-fed.

“The girl claimed that she is the 11th of 12 children. She said the woman came to take her from her parents in Enugu State in December 2015. She said she was in primary three before she was brought to Lagos, but since her arrival, she had not been going to school. She said the woman accused her of stealing a piece of meat and for about two days, she was not given food to eat.”

The Director of the OPD, Mrs. Salami Olubukola, commended the trader that reported the case, urging residents of the state to always be on the watch for child abuse cases.

“The girl is now in our care. We will not relent in our efforts to stem the tide of child abuse in Lagos State,” she added.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding that the matter would soon be charged to court.

Gun threat stops Anambra sex scandal press briefing

A press briefing scheduled for Wednesday  for Miss Anambra, Chidinma Okeke, to state her own version  of a sex scandal rocking her could not hold.

The briefing scheduled for 10am at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Anambra State council, in Awka, ended abruptly following information that some gunmen would attack the secretariat.

Miss Chidinma Okeke, was the winner of the 2015 Most Beautiful Girl in Anambra pageant competition.

Her alleged lesbian  video went virile on the social media recently .

She was reported to have vowed to expose the complicity of some top politicians and government officials in the sex scandal at the botched press conference.

But no sooner had the journalists arrived the venue  of the conference than calls started coming, threatening that some gunmen were on their  way to attack the venue.

The journalists had to flee the place for their lives.

“Life has no duplicate,” one of the journalists,  quipped.

A message sent by the embattled Okeke using her Facebook account read in part, “The moment I made public this intention to speak with journalists, I have been under threats by my blackmailers and traducers.

“They are seriously threatening to shoot me at the press conference if I ever open my mouth to say the real truth about the ugly episode.

“Since I have no protection, and if I die now, the truth will be buried forever, it’s my intention to save not just myself but other girls and other upcoming pageant by letting the world know the truth and what we go through.”

Okeke said her traducers had continued to assemble all manner of expertise and professionals to edit the video and send them in batches.

She added that she would not be surprised if more videos were published subsequently.

Meanwhile, her counsel, Ikenna Obidiegwu, told our correspondent on the telephone that his client had to stay away from the press briefing after his attempt to get the Anambra State Police Commissioner, Mr. Sam Okaula, to provide security for the beauty queen failed.

“The commissioner said the notice was too short, and that he could not mobilise police security for the queen immediately,” he said.

Obidiegwu said his client’s blackmailers were powerful people in the state, adding that at the appropriate time their identities would be unveiled.

He denied reports that his client had been smuggled out of the country.

“I was with her just 30 minutes before speaking to you,” the lawyer maintained.

$15m Scandal: Patience Jonathan wants the EFCC to pay her N200m for damages

A Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed December 7, 2016 to hear the N200m fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Skye Bank Plc to challenge the freezing of four bank accounts containing $15m.

The EFCC placed a ‘No Debit Order’ on the four accounts opened in the name of four companies which were linked to a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Jonathan, Waripamo-Owei Dudafa.

The EFCC froze the four bank accounts on July 7, 2016 in the course of investigating Dudafa for money laundering.

But Patience had sued the EFCC and Skye Bank claiming the ownership of the $15m found in the four bank accounts.

The matter came up for the first time before Justice Babs Kuewumi on Wednesday.

At the hearing, Patience’s lawyer, Mr. Granville Abibo (SAN), applied to discontinue the earlier motion filed by his client for the purpose of amending it.

Justice Kuewumi granted the application and struck out the motion.

Abibo then informed the court that he had filed and served a new motion on the defendants.

But the EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, said the suit was not ripe for hearing.

Abibo then urged the court to restrain the EFCC from tampering with the $15m in the frozen accounts pending the determination of the suit.

He said despite being served with court processes, the EFCC was still making moves that could overreach the court.

But Oyedepo urged the court to discountenance Abibo’s submission, saying that the accounts had long been frozen before Patience filed the suit and so the issue of interference with the accounts did not arise.

After listening to the parties, Justice Kuewumi adjourned till December 7, 2016 for the hearing of the case.

Patience is urging the court to compel the EFCC to immediately remove the ‘No Debit Order’ placed on the four bank accounts in question.

She also wants the court to order Skye Bank to pay her damages in the sum of N200m for what she termed a violation of  her right to own personal property under Section 44 of the 1999 Constitution.

Filed in support of the suit was an affidavit deposed to by one Sammie Somiari.

Somiari said it was Dudafa who helped Patience to open the four bank accounts which the EFCC froze.

According to him, Dudafa had on March 22, 2010 brought two Skye Bank officers, Demola Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi, to meet Patience at home to open five accounts.

He, however, claimed that after the five accounts were opened, Patience later discovered that Dudafa opened only one of the accounts in her name while the other four were opened in the names of companies belonging to Dudafa.

The four companies, whose accounts have now been frozen and which have also been charged with money laundering along with Dudafa, are Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Seagate Property Development & Investment Co. Limited; Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited; and Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited.

Naira weakens to 470 on fresh dollar shortage

The naira tumbled to 470 against the United States dollar on Wednesday, down from 455 on Tuesday as fresh dollar shortage hit the official and parallel foreign exchange markets.

The local currency has been relatively stable, hovering around 455 against the greenback in the last one week.

This came after Travelex and First Bank of Nigeria Limited commenced sale of foreign exchange to Bureau De Change operators following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s approval.

Forex traders, however, said on Wednesdays that the scheme had failed to ease the biting dollar shortage in the country.

“What we get from Travelex is not sufficient,” one trader told Reuters, referring to the demand in the market.

At the official market, the naira closed at 305.50 per dollar, a level it had maintained for more than two months, supported by the CBN interventions.

Earlier, the CBN asked international money transfer operators to sell dollars directly to the BDC operators to boost liquidity and narrow the gulf between the parallel market and the official market rates.

Travelex sells around $15,000 to 1,000 retail currency outlets weekly, but the amount is a fraction of what is required to cover the demand from individuals and small businesses.

Dollar shortages have caused many firms to halt operations and lay off workers, compounding an economic crisis exacerbated by the fall in global oil price, which accounts for 70 per cent of Nigeria’s budget revenue.

The CBN has struggled to support the naira as the nation’s external reserves continue to fall. Traders said the naira had been testing new lows as they tried to find thresholds where liquidity could begin to return.

British director Howard Davies died at age 71

Award-winning British theater director Howard Davies has died. He was 71.

His family said in a statement Wednesday that Davies died of cancer Tuesday.

He was active for many years in both London and New York, directing a series of well-received plays.

In Britain he won the coveted Best Director Laurence Olivier Awards three times for his work on "The Iceman Cometh," ''All My Sons" and "The White Guard."

He was nominated three times for prestigious Tony Awards for his work on Broadway.

A National Theatre statement calls him "one of the very greatest" directors of his generation.

My life in Manchester is a disaster - Mourinho

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says living alone in a hotel in the City of Manchester is a 'bit of a disaster'.

Mourinho has been living in the city's Lowry Hotel since being appointed United manager in the summer and the former Chelsea boss whose family is in London claims he is loath to venture out because of the persistent hordes of photographers camped outside his hotel.

"I just want to cross the bridge and go to a restaurant. I can't, so it's really bad.
"For me it's a bit of a disaster because I want sometimes to walk a little bit and I can't.

"The reality is that my daughter will be 20 next week, my son will be 17 in a couple of months. They are very stable.

"University in London. Football in London. Friends. So they are in an age where they can't chase me like they did before. So for the first time the family lives in a different way." Mourinho told Sky Sports.

Mourinho who reportedly earns more than £10m a year is believed to be searching for an apartment but hinted that he is missing his family.

Recession will end before 2017 – Minister

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, has assured Nigerians that they will start seeing the effort of President Muhammdu Buhari from the end of this year and early next year.

Enelamah made the remark in Abeaokuta, the Ogun State capital while addressing journalists at the 8th Session of the National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment.

The Minister said the Buhari-led administration will surprise Nigerians in the coming year, stressing that the government is working to end the current economic recession ravaging the country.

According to him,”You will start seeing result at the end of this year and early next year. As far as I am concerned, next year is a year of results. All the work we are doing will start yielding results from this quarter.

“The level of delivery in 2017 will surprise everybody. People may be saying we are not doing anything but it is impossible for a man to start broadcasting a plan we haven’t really put together well.”

Recall that the President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had recently said the Buhari-led administration was sending the right signal in its push to diversify the nation’s economy. 

US election: Chris Okotie projects Trump’s victory, says Obama made people hate God

Popular Nigerian pastor and General Overseer of the Household of God Church International Ministries, Chris Okotie, has drummed up support for the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, in the November 8 United States, U.S election.

Pastor Okotie said the 44th and current President of the U.S, Barack Hussein Obama, has turned people away from God, hence, the 70-year-old Republican nominee deserves to win.

On his Facebook page, Okotie wrote, “America’s problem is not gender inequality or a parochial appreciation of immigration sensibilities.

“It is the manifest do goodness of secular humanism as defined by a generation of haters of God and his anointed who are given to a sinister spirit of hedonistic nihilism.

“This is not about Trump or Clinton but the spirit and philosophy that galvanize their political platforms as Republicans and Democrats.

“It is righteousness that exalts a nation not competence and glib political rhetoric.

“Obama and the Democratic party have placed America precariously on the edge of a precipice in diametrical opposition to God.

“Trump’s victory is the first step towards a national reconciliation and rapprochement with God.

“Who is on God’s side?” the former presidential candidate in Nigeria added.

Finance minister explains 2017 budget figures

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, yesterday, said the Federal Government would put forward the sum of N6,866,335,052,740 as 2017 budget.

She told members of the Senate Committee on Finance, led by its chairman, John Owan Enoh (PDP, Cross River Central), that government would present the figure because it spends over N3 trillion on salaries, pensions and debt services, leaving a paltry amount for capital projects.

The committee members were on an oversight visit to her ministry.

Adeosun said government’s efforts at realising money from revenue generating agencies were being hampered by high-level corruption in agencies, especially the Nigerian Customs Service, and solicited intervention of the National Assembly in curbing leakage.

She said: “Salaries on their own are about N1.8 trillion to N1.9 trillion. And by the time you add the Judiciary, the National Assembly, pensions, and others, you are at N2 trillion. Add debt service, which is about N1.4 trillion. So, if you want to bring down the size of the budget, you won’t be able to do very many capital projects.

“That’s the problem, and that has been the vicious circle that has been affecting Nigeria for so long. By the time we pay salaries, pay debts, nothing is left. So, I think for the next few years, we have to take a gamble, as a nation. We must take a gamble that if we fix our roads, fix power, can we generate more than that additional cost? I think we can.”

Enoh said the visit was “driven by the collective decision of the Senate, a few weeks ago, that all its standing committees embark on oversight visits to all ministries, departments and agencies of government.”

He said: “This is October. The Medium Term Expenditure Framework is already sent to the National Assembly for approval, so that the 2017 budget can come. We have a few revenue challenges; above all is the performance of the independent revenue of government. So, we think that the minister would take advantage of this meeting and bring us to speed on a few of these things.”

The committee berated the minister over what it described as poor handling of agencies under her watch, resulting in monumental leakage. “There are a lot of drain pipes and leakages in the Customs. I don’t think the ministry, under your watch, has given sufficient attention to this,” said Enoh.

Adeosun admitted that the Nigerian Customs Service was financially bankrupt. She said her ministry was working with the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, to correct its financial fate.

“On the issue of Customs, we are working very closely with them. They have some challenges. The general contraption in the economy has really affected their level of input-forex scarcity and so on. They have some leakages. We are working with them to try and block these. Largely, all their scanners are not working, except the one in Idiroko.”

I disagree there’s demonism in Aso Rock

I feel that it is totally out of order in the wake of our civilisation to speak or associate our revered seat of power with demonism and diabolism as being peddled about now. Having spent six years working as Presidential Adviser to two former great presidents, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and the late President Musa Umar Yar’adua, I feel I should use this medium to fault this erroneous impression being created even though, my opinion here is a product of personal experience.

It is very unfortunate that the seat of power of the most populous African nation like the Aso Villa would be so denigrated, thereby elevating non-existing spiritual forces as responsible for selective and few cases of illnesses and deaths that is not in any way related to witchcrafts or demons.

As far as I am concerned, the supernatural exists in people’s minds depending on their strength and state of mind, it is so easy to think that their presence is evidentiary but in reality, it is a matter of perspective or someone’s spiritual leaning.

Most supernatural events as far as I am concerned can be dismissed as hoaxes, fabrications or mysterious events or even malaria induced hallucination. Otherwise how will anybody at that level link a common fire outbreak in a flat, which at worse may have been as a result of an electrical fault or negligence to the manipulation of spiritual forces?

Due to the nature of my functions as a Presidential Adviser on National Assembly matters, which was most demanding and challenging because at that time, there was strict adherence to the doctrine of the separation of powers so there was need for very long meetings to convince legislative leaders at the embryonic stage of any policy.

As a result, there were many instances when I would have to leave the villa sometimes at 2am and even 3am, and I never experienced any confrontation or feelings of ghosts or negative forces as I walked through the quiet corridors of the villa to the car park during those hours.
Also, despite being hypertensive, there was never a single day within those six years that my blood pressure became unmanageable or put me in bed. On the contrary, I had a feeling of wellbeing which could be attributed to the fact that I loved my job and appreciated the opportunity to contribute my quota to the development of democracy and the nation.

This was also a period of time when everybody worked 24/7 round the clock as exemplified by former President Obasanjo, who enjoyed good health and over the period of that four years, there was never a day that I heard him complain of being unwell neither did I hear that any of the men that worked 24/7 lost any organ of their body.

I also did not hear that people like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Oby Ezekwesili, Andy Uba, El Rufai, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, Hajiya Mariam Ibrahim and others experienced any strange encounter or illness either personal or within their families because these are people that worked round the clock with the president.

The few deaths recorded in Aso Villa were medically traceable and not as a result of some mystical powers. Cancers and other life threatening ailments are more often than not genetic.

With due respect, I am however in shock that the writer whom I have tremendous respect for as a frontline Journalist with sound mind can find a space in his mind for such thoughts in today’s contemporary world, where every human being is convinced that the only supernatural power in heaven and on earth is God and that presence of God that we all worship – both Christians and Muslims – had always prevailed in that villa.

That is not to say that people cannot momentarily feel unwell with the common stress induced symptoms and we all know that extreme stress and pressure can cause momentary loss of libido. So, would that mean that such person had been struck by juju? However, I find it entertaining that despite losing the whole essence of a man’s being those men did not resign and run out of Aso villa.

To be candid, I am very shocked that this matter is even being mentioned. But for the umpteenth time, I think that these claims are figments of the writer’s imagination. Aso Rock does not need any redemption and such should not be said of a sacred place that hosts world leaders. Nigerians have gone past such superstitions. We have passed that stage. It doesn’t portray us positively as a nation that is interested in making obvious advancements either in technology or any other strata of national growth.

In fact, there is remarkable religious tolerance in Aso Rock. The Muslims have their mosque where they pray and Christians have their chapel. Former President Obasanjo introduced early morning devotions before the start of each day perhaps as a way of showing gratitude to God and seeking God’s guidance in the enormous task at the time considering the fact that he miraculously came back to power after a long period of incarceration, although some individuals attended the prayer sessions so as to have some access to the president.

If there are witchcrafts or demons in Aso Rock, are we now attributing same to affecting Mrs. Buhari? I don’t think so. This brings me to the issue of the first lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari. I do admire her from a distance. Her love and concern for her husband probably pushed her to grant that interview. But our dear first lady, in my opinion, once your husband has emerged as a presidential candidate of a serious political party that is likely to win election, you have lost him to that political party.

The moment your husband is announced winner of that election and now becomes president of the nation, you have lost him to the nation that he is now obliged to serve. At this point, despite all your contributions through campaigns, prayers and goodwill, etc, to that victory, your husband has been hijacked. The gladiators will now spring into action. In short, you don’t want to know what first ladies go through. Typical examples include loneliness and frustration due to non-inclusion in political issues and decision making.

Generally, first ladies are accepted as politicians during elections to campaign, which of course, she is obliged to, but after the elections, she is no longer seen as a politician and it might even be difficult to make inputs in political issues and as a woman. I feel her pains as this can be very frustrating. But first ladies do manage to bear these pains and sacrifices involved and ensure that the public is not aware. The public only see the glamour of being a first lady.

Also, on the issue of cabal, it is important in my opinion for us to note that presidents, through interactions and maybe long term relationships, identify those he can trust, those that share his visions and those he feels are totally committed to his success and these are the people we call ‘cabal’. There is no ‘cabal’. Every president comes with his ‘personal persons’ that represent his comfort zone.

In politics, there can be characters within the system that deliberately carry out actions that are counterproductive to the president’s success, which may be of concern to the first lady. Even within political parties, there are individuals who work very hard to ensure that their party does not win elections. There is no first lady that has not gone through what Mrs. Buhari is complaining about.

My advice is that first ladies should identify laudable charity projects that can impact on peoples’ lives or can reduce mortality rates, reduce sufferings and hunger. So she should please concentrate and take her charity project to the highest global level as she is doing now as this will leave an indelible mark and she will forever be loved and respected. She should not allow her family to be used for entertainment.

Finally, First Ladies should concentrate on their charity works, play that needed supportive roles to their husbands. We women should pray to God to give us the strength and courage of Hillary Clinton, who is bold enough to come out and aspire to be what her husband was (President of America). Probably, she quietly understudied him.
May God bless Nigeria and give us the strength and courage to survive these difficult times for it will all pass.

– Ita-Giwa is a former Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters and political leader of the Bakassi people of Cross River State

We’ll return Nigeria to good old days of accountability — Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has restated the determination of his administration to restore the country to the “good old days of accountability”.

Speaking at a meeting Tuesday with the Director, Global Upstream of Shell Oil Company at the State House, Abuja, President Buhari said he would leave a legacy of improved infrastructure, particularly in the power sector, and ensure better security in the Niger Delta.

“It is only by doing this that investors’ morale and confidence will return, and the economy will be positioned on the path of growth,” the president said.

President Buhari, who commended Shell for their faith in the economy and staying power, gave assurances on some issues of concern raised by the company.

On the protracted issue of cash calls, the president assured that the Federal Executive Council would soon consider a proposal for the easing of unpaid arrears owed by the government.

President Buhari assured that the security of oil infrastructure will continue to be prioritised side-by-side with the dialogue with stakeholder-communities in the Niger Delta.

He, however, urged oil companies to take more responsibility in the protection of oil installations to complement the efforts of Nigerian Navy in the region.

In his remarks, the Shell Director, Andrew Brown, informed the president of the resumption of oil exportation through the Forcados terminal following its restoration.

He called for continued protection by the Nigerian Navy in view of repeated threats of attacks by militants.

Mr. Brown commended the anti-corruption posture of the Buhari administration as well as the efforts to streamline and stabilize the economy for long term projects, saying all the efforts will go a long way to reinforce Shell investment plans in Nigeria.

Train crushes man to death

 

An unidentified elderly man was on Tuesday crushed to death by a train in Enugu.

Our correspondent gathered that several persons were also injured in the incident, which occurred on a rail track located around the popular Ogbete main market in Enugu metropolis.

Eye witnesses said the train, which was said to be returning from Port Harcourt, appeared suddenly on the track at high speed.

It was alleged that the train did not blow its horn to alert people who were on the rail track at the time of the incident.

Our correspondent learnt that traders use the rail track for commercial activities.

An eye witness who did not wish to be named said the train nearly crushed a tricycle, otherwise known as ‘Keke NAPEP’, before killing the elderly man.

He claimed that the driver of the train would have killed several people, but for ‘divine intervention’.

“If not God who moved the vehicles out miraculously, we all would have perished,” the man, who claimed he was among the survivors, said.

Spokesman, Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the development.

Amaraizu described the accident as “horrible”, and wondered why the driver of the train did not blow the horn to alert pedestrians who were on the rail track.

Senate passes motion to reintroduce toll gates

The Senate has passed a motion for the reintroduction of toll gates on federal roads in the country.

The motion, titled ‘Need for the Re-establishment of Toll Gates On Our Federal

Highways,’ was moved Senator Suleiman Nazif, representing Bauchi-North Senatorial District, during Tuesday’s plenary.

48-year-old hands over family to son, commits suicide

A 48-year-old man, Segla Hunvu, has committed suicide in the Mowo, Badagry area of Lagos State.

Our correspondent learnt that Hunvu, who stayed on Jogbenu Street, Torikovi Town, Mowo, was found dangling with a rope around his neck on Thursday.

A relation, who did not want his name in print, told PUNCH Metro that Hunvu had informed his eldest son, a few days to the incident, to take care of himself and his younger ones.

He said, “Hunvu came to the Ajegunle, Apapa area on Monday to see his younger brother, Michael Hunvu. We did not know he came to bid us farewell. He had earlier told his eldest son, who is a teenager, to take good care of himself and his younger ones.

“He did not come out clearly to say he wanted to kill himself. Nobody knew the reason he killed himself. It is suspected that he was frustrated.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that Michael reported the matter at the Morogbo Police Division.

A police source told our correspondent that after Hunvu left the Ajegunle area, he entered his house when his children were not around and hanged himself in a room in the house.

He said, “The children tried reaching him on the telephone, but calls made to him did not connect.

“It was after some days that his body was found in the room.”

Our correspondent learnt that policemen, who visited Hunvu’s apartment, found him hanging from the rope, took photographs and deposited the corpse in a morgue.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding that the family members had requested the corpse for burial.

(PUNCH)

Nanny beheads disabled child

A Moscow nanny on Monday pleaded guilty to murdering the four-year-old disabled child in her charge after brandishing the child’s severed head on the street.

“I plead guilty; that’s what she said,” an interpreter said as Uzbek national Gyulchekhra Bobokulova went on trial, Interfax news agency reported.

In a chilling case, Bobokulova was arrested in February as she waved the severed head of four-year-old Anastasia outside a Moscow metro station.

The girl’s headless body was later found in the family’s flat, which had been set on fire.

The prosecutor at Moscow’s Khoroshevsky district court read out the charges that 39-year-old Bobokulova had strangled Anastasia, who had cerebral palsy, and then beheaded her.

She then overturned an oil lamp that set the apartment ablaze and went outside carrying the child’s head.

Witnesses said that the nanny paced for around 20 minutes on the street dressed in black, waving the severed head and threatening to blow herself up.

Russia’s national television channels refused to cover the grisly killing in a controversial move that the Kremlin defended, saying the subject was “probably too monstrous to be shown on television.”

Her trial is being covered by state television, however.

In March, at her first court appearance following her arrest, Bobokulova said that “it was what Allah ordered,” speaking in broken Russian.

Bobokulova is being held in custody at a psychiatric hospital within Moscow’s ageing Butyrka jail.

She has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and ruled not mentally capable. Prosecutors will ask for her to be incarcerated in a high-security psychiatric facility.

She is charged with the murder of a minor, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, as well as arson and making a false report of an explosion.