I will end insurgency if elected president- Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

A former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has promised to end insurgency and other forms of insecurity in the country, if elected President under the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 general elections.

The pledge is coming amidst rising insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamic sect in the North-East and especially the Friday’s attack on Kano Central Mosque

He also denied sharing money to delegates during his recent visit to Imo State during his nationwide tour to meet the APC delegates.

The Head (Media, Publicity and ICT) in Buhari Support Organisation, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, stated this in his weekly brief on “GMB meet the party delegates nationwide tour,” read to journalists on Friday in Abuja.

“At no time did GMB, all through this meet the delegates tour, share money or lobby any delegate with money. As we all know, a leopard can never change its spot. Friends and sympathisers may have privately encouraged their colleagues to attend the delegates’ meeting, certainly not GMB directing or approving any monetary exchange, as being falsely reported by some online media,” he stated.

In his nationwide tour to meet delegates, Buhari had visited Abia, Bayelsa, Imo, Delta, Cross River and Rivers states, where Governor Rotimi Amaechi described him as a committed and focused leader whose watchword was integrity.

Maduekwe said, “The summary of all the response and the welcoming remarks by GMB at various state capitals can be summarised. He made it clear that this country must first be secured and efficiently and effectively managed if our nation is to bounce back to normalcy for our people to prosper. Leadership integrity must be the focused watchword if we must salvage Nigeria once again.

“We recall that we fought a civil war without borrowing a kobo. But now, despite budgeting well over 25 per cent of the national annual budget to defence, we are borrowing $1bn to prosecute insurgency. Yet, all we keep hearing is the low morale of our fighting forces as they melt before the rampaging ill-trained insurgents.

“A situation where about 20 LGAs of this country are under an alien flag can no longer be tolerated. APC is ready to turn the tide to bring Nigeria back into the fold of proud and respectable community of African nations. Our watch-word is: Securing our nation, prospering our people.”

He added, “One is worried to read about Nigerian soldiers giving interview to foreign media on how under-equipped they are as they face the insurgency. Effort by the National Assembly to conduct hearing on such sad development is hushed down. Same as the NASS hearing on the subsidy scam which till this date has remained a mystery to our general public.”

Buhari has also asked Nigerians to make sure their votes count during the 2015 general elections.

Buhari spoke at a reception organised for him at the APC secretariat in Enugu State on Saturday evening, where he observed that soldiers engaged in the campaign against terrorism and insurgency had complained of inadequate weapons, despite the huge security budget, as well as lack of effective leadership.

“Vote and make sure that your votes count,” Buhari told the gathering, including leaders and members of the APC state chapter as wgell as national delegates from the state.

He urged eligible voters to obtain the permanent voter card, which he described as the “ammunition” to rout the Peoples Democratic Party during the election.

The presidential aspirant noted that there was no point in asking the people to come out to meet him if they did not have voter cards.

Stressing the need to vote out the PDP in the coming polls, Buhari said 2015 would be a very crucial year for Nigeria.
  Do you agree?

null

Posted by kenics and team

It’s all lies, says Speaker as Fayose accuses lawmakers of N200m bribe demand

Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has said money is at the root of the problems between him and the House of Assembly.
The governor said his refusal to continue to “grease the lawmakers’ palms” after they had collected money from him at least three times created the latest crisis rocking the Assembly.
Fayose made the allegation on  his maiden media chat, “Meet Your Governor”, which was aired live by major electronic media in the state.
He alleged that the lawmakers demanded N1 million each before they could screen and clear his commissioner-nominees.
The governor alleged that the Speaker, Dr Adewale Omirin, demanded that the lawmakers be given at least 10 per cent of the N2 billion loan his administration intended to secure from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to finance agriculture and small scale businesses.
Fayose accused the 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers of harbouring plans to remove him from office.
The governor said he was shocked that the lawmakers could be making “unreasonable financial demands” from him when they knew the parlous condition of the state finances.
Fayose, who spoke in  Yoruba, said: “The last time I met the Speaker, he told me he was going to Abuja and he promised to see me when he returned but the next thing I heard was that he was in Lagos.
“It is you my people who can save me because it was by your votes that I am in this position today. You my fathers, my mothers, artisans, okada riders and traders must rise up and help me.
“Will you keep on looking when they want to remove me at all cost? They are blocking all the good things I want to do for you.
“When I assumed office, I discovered that the House’s running grant was N48 million of which the Speaker got N2.5 million and the Deputy Speaker N1.5 million and I told them that was no longer sustainable.
“They insisted that their own grant must be left intact but I reduced their money by 50 per cent.
“They came to me three times and they went away with something. In fact, they asked that they be given N1 million each before passing the commissioners’ list.”
But Omirin absolved himself and the 18 APC lawmakers of blame in the bribery saga.
He said it was the seven PDP lawmakers who demanded N200 million.
He accused Fayose of lying and setting the people against the APC lawmakers, saying the action could make the governor a laughing stock to the more intelligent people of Ekiti.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, the Speaker defended the integrity of the APC caucus, maintaining that it never demanded any bribe before doing the job for which they were voted to do.
He said throughout former Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration during which 75 bills were passed into law, the lawmakers never demanded for anything before doing their jobs.
The Speaker said instead of blaming the seven PDP members for demanding 10 per cent of the N2billion fund, the governor had turned full circle to accuse the APC lawmakers.
His words: “I have never seen this kind of incorrigible attitude all my life. He told us to our face that he would lie against us to set Ekiti people against us. I thought it was a joke.
“In actual fact, it was the PDP members who suggested that we should demand 10 per cent cut in the N2 billion loan and all the APC lawmakers said no. We even called the attention of the governor to this attempted fraud.
“How the governor has now turned to accuse us of demanding bribe is baffling. One good thing though is that Ekiti people know the kind of governor they have.
“The alleged N1.3billion poultry fraud case is still in court. There were many sugar coated things that he told Ekiti people about the project.
“Evidence of that lie and allegation of fraud can be found in Justice Adamu Hobon’s court at the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti where details of how the governor allegedly defrauded Ekiti people are being examined.”
The Speaker urged Ekiti people to beware of the masters of theatrics, who have turned statecraft to the theatre of the absurd, where stunts and propaganda had taken the place of reason and candour.
Omirin added: “I am happy that my colleagues and I have clean records. We have never committed crimes either in Nigeria or abroad.
“We have no question marks on our certificates. Nobody can accuse us of committing crimes abroad and sneaking into Nigeria to escape justice.
“We have never been accused of murder. None of us has criminal cases in courts. We are decent men and women who can point to where we are coming from without shame.
“Nobody can accuse us of lying under oath. None of us has ever covered a copy of dictionary with the cover of the Holy Bible and used it to swear an oath.
“Nobody can accuse us of swearing to an oath in the filling of our Code of Conduct and assets declaration form.”
Omirin said the APC lawmakers would continue to tread the path of integrity to save the state from dishonest people.

Posted by kenics and team

Fight for Nigeria’s survival, Obasanjo tells youths

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has told youths to take up the responsibility and effect the needed change in Nigeria instead of blaming the previous generations for the nation’s decay.

The former President said this at the 100th-year anniversary of Ijero Baptist Church in Lagos on Sunday.

Obasanjo said the generation before him fought for Nigeria’s independence while his generation fought for Nigeria’s unity during the civil war.

He said the subsequent generation also fought for democracy.

Obasanjo, therefore, said it was time for the next generation to make its own contribution to national development instead of complaining.

He said, “Recently, a son of my friend looked at everything around him and got angry and went to meet his dad who is my age mate. He told his father that our generation is a lost one. The father did not pay him any attention so he came to meet me.

“He told me what he told his father and justified it by telling me that he went to the university and graduated but got no job. So, our generation has failed him. So I told him that it is normal because that was how we used to blame the generation before us.

“But I told him that the generation before mine was the one that fought for our independence. Whichever way we want to criticise them, they gave us independence. Then my generation which you say is not good, fought the civil war. We fought for the unity of Nigeria and if we did not do so, you probably would need a visa to travel to Kano or Port Harcourt. Not only that but that generation also established the foundation of democracy.

“So what do you claim your generation has achieved? It is part of it. We have seen what successive leaders of each generation have done, what can we say about you? What can we say about your generation?”

Obasanjo, who noted that he attended the Ijero Baptist Church for the first time in 1946, said that the fact that the church was still standing after 100 years was worth celebrating.

The minister in charge, Rev. Olayemi Aderibigbe, who also inaugurated the Ijero Baptist Church History Book, urged youths to continue to build on the good which the church had done over the years so as to be able to give a lasting legacy to the next generation

Posted by kenics and team

APC rules out Fashola as vice presidential candidate

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has been ruled out as a running mate to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress anytime the candidate emerges, investigation by The PUNCH has revealed.

A highly placed source in the party, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity in Abuja on Sunday, said that Fashola’s religion had ruled him out of the race.

He said since it was almost certain that the party would field a Muslim as its presidential candidate, it would therefore be out of place to field another Muslim as the running mate.

Apart from a former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the party also has three other known presidential aspirants.

They are a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwakwanso; and a newspaper publisher, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah.

Out of them, only Nda-Isaiah is a Christian.

The source said that though Fashola remained the best candidate for the position, he however regretted that the issue of religion would deny the party and the country the chance of fielding the governor.

He said, “You know that the South-West is a base for the APC and it also contributed immensely to its formation. We would have preferred Fashola because of his pedigree in the state. Moreover, of all the APC governors from the zone, he is the only one doing his second term.

“But this issue of religion is the problem. Apart from this, other APC governors from the zone are also Muslims. You may need to recall that the enemies of our party tried in vain before to label the party a Muslim party.

“Even though they have failed, we may also need to be guided by the words of advice from former President Olusegun Obasanjo against any party fielding same religion ticket. This is what is hampering us concerning Fashola, whose performance and competence cannot be queried.”

The source said that even though the national leadership of the party was aware that the people of the “South-West are not religious but we are dealing with a larger society now. So, we must be careful.”

Posted by kenics and team

At last a cure for #EBOLA; GSK announces success on Ebola trial vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline has announced an initial success on phase 1 trial of an Ebola vaccine.

The first results from the trial published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that a GSK and National Institute of Health Ebola candidate vaccine was well-tolerated and produced an immunological response in each of the 20 healthy adult volunteers in the United States who received it.

In a statement released on Thursday by the pharmaceutical company, the vaccine used in the trial conducted by the NIH was co-developed by the institute’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Okairos, a biotechnology company acquired by GSK in 2013.

The statement read in part, “It uses a type of chimpanzee cold virus, known as chimpanzee adenovirus type 3 (ChAd3), as a carrier to deliver genetic material from two strains of the Ebola virus – the Sudan strain and the Zaire strain, which is responsible for the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

“GSK has been working with the NIH to accelerate development of both this bivalent version of the candidate vaccine and a monovalent version targeting only the Zaire strain in response to the current Ebola epidemic.”

Commenting on the results, Chairman of Global Vaccines at GSK, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, said, “We are very encouraged by these positive first trial results showing this type of vaccine has an acceptable safety profile and can produce an immune response against Ebola in humans. Working with partners including the NIH, we’re doing all we can to advance development of a candidate vaccine in response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa.

“It’s important to remember that these data are the first piece in the jigsaw and we’re continuing to gather other important information. Over the coming weeks, we will see results from further phase 1 trials which will tell us more about the profile of the monovalent vaccine; most significantly results from a trial in Mali which is assessing its safety and immune response in West African populations.

“If the combined data from these trials are positive, the next phases of the clinical trial programme will begin in early 2015 to see whether the immune response we are seeing in phase 1 actually translates into providing people in affected countries with meaningful protection against Ebola.”

Slaoui added that the phase 3 trials would involve the vaccination of thousands of volunteers, including frontline health-care workers in affected countries, including Liberia and Sierra Leone, and possibly Guinea.

“If the candidate vaccine is able to protect these healthcare workers as we hope it will, it could significantly contribute to efforts to bring this epidemic under control,” he noted.

Posted by kenics and team

Sultan asks Muslims to unite against Boko Haram

The Sultan of Sokoto and leader of Muslims in Nigeria, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, has challenged Islamic sects in the country to unite and fight Boko Haram insurgency.

The Sultan, while condemning the suicide bomb blasts at the Kano Central Mosque on Friday, which left about 120 worshippers dead and many others injured, stated that “those behind all the attacks are not Muslims.”

He spoke on Saturday in Abuja during a post-2014 Hajj conference organised by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria held at the National Mosque.

Abubakar said, “I do not believe those perpetrating these are Muslims, because if they are Muslims, they are not professing what Islam teaches.

“In the world over, it is the duty and responsibility of government to provide security for the citizenry. This is the time for all the various sects in Islam in this country to rally round one another and end insurgency in this country.”

The monarch said it was time for all stakeholders, particularly the Federal Government, to rise up to the responsibility of ending insurgency in the country.

He also enjoined stakeholders to join hands and end the violence being perpetrated by Boko Haram in the country.

The Secretary-General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, while condemning the attack, reiterated the need for the Federal Government to show more commitment towards ending the carnage in the North-East.

Aliyu further challenged the Federal Government to move from mere speech making on the issue of ending Boko Haram to taking decisive actions that would portray the government as serious in its anti-terrorism crusade.

The JNI scribe said, “I think it is very important that this matter be looked at with all purposes and intents, and with a very serious focus on efforts from the government which has the constitutional mandate to look after the security and welfare of the people.

“We have called with the loudest of our voice on the government but up till this moment, we hear only mere speeches not matched with actions and efforts aimed at curtailing this scourge and epidemic threatening the lives of the Muslims.

“Where have you ever heard that even in a worship environment, a mosque for people to worship is bombed and over hundred people killed? Up to this moment, no arrest has been made; nothing from the government unto whom we are going to rely. I call on all Muslim leaders, elders, parents, Imams and scholars to come together to speak and brainstorm on how they can provide succour and help in any effort that we are going to get from the government.”

Posted by kenics and team

US police officer who shot teenager resigns

The white police officer who shot black teenager Michael Brown dead has resigned, nearly four months after the confrontation that fueled protests in the US city of St Louis and across the country.

Darren Wilson had been on administrative leave since the August 9 shooting.

Darren Wilson’s resignation has been widely anticipated.

Still, it’s likely that those in Ferguson who’ve been angered that Wilson wasn’t indicted will welcome his resignation.

It’s almost impossible to imagine him as a police officer patrolling a community that believes he’s guilty of at least the wrongful death of Michael Brown.

Civil rights activists have been calling for protests to focus now on changes in Missouri state law to restrict the use of deadly force by police and to explicitly outlaw racial profiling by officers.

That’s what marchers are calling for as they make their way 190km from Ferguson to the state capital Jefferson city over the next week.
Posted by kenics and team

Davido buys N36m cars for manager, producer

Music star and HKN gang boss, Davido (David Adedeji Adeleke) reportedly spent over N35m on brand new cars for both his manager, Kamal Ajiboye and his producer, Sheyi Akerele (Shizzi).

Davido bought a brand new black Mercedes 450 GL which cost N12m for his manager while that of his producer, is a brand new black Porsche Cayenne which cost N24m.

Posted by kenics and team

No law prevents lawmakers from scaling fence –Victor Ndoma-Egba, senate leader

The Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, who is representing Cross River Central Senatorial District in this interview with SUNDAY ABORISADE defends criticisms against the Nigerian senate and the recent police invasion of the National Assembly

Some Nigerians believe that the executive has been taking the federal parliament for a ride because of the passive nature of the Senate. They cite last Thursday’s invasion of the National Assembly by the police as a case in point. What is your comment on this?

Let me say that the show of force in the National Assembly by the security agencies last Thursday was quite unfortunate and totally unnecessary because the precincts of any parliament are supposed to be sacrosanct and their action was a violation of that. I will not be able to go into the substantive issues on why it happened or did not happen because I have been told that there are several court matters on those issues and being a lawyer, I will not be making any comment.

But clearly, there is a problem with our democracy today because the franchise is being exercised on behalf of the people. It is as if the people no longer matter in our democracy. That is why the classical definition of democracy is government of the people by the people for the people. That does not appear to be happening right now. Power has been hijacked, processes have been hijacked, so the people count for little or nothing. I think this must begin to be a serious concern to the political class. There is need for the people to reconnect with democracy and exercise their franchise directly, otherwise, we will run into a major crisis.

But is it not shameful that lawmakers now scale fences?

The precincts of every parliament of the world are supposed to be sacred and I am not aware of any law that prevents you from scaling the fence to your own place. So, as long as you are not trespassing, it’s in order.

Nigerians have given up on the senate, believing that the upper chamber has become a rubber stamp body for the executive. How do you feel about this?

I don’t understand you. Can you cite instances?

For instance, Nigerians are worried that the senate had yet to speak out on the billions of naira allegedly ferried to South Africa through the backdoor.

Well, first of all, we must have some historical perspective to the senate worldwide. From history, the senate is supposed to be most sedate and that is why even constitutionally, the entry requirements are higher for senators. The senate is supposed to be a mature institution; it is designed to stabilise the polity in times of crisis. It is not to be part of the problem of the polity. If you look at the historical role of the Nigerian senate, we have consistently played that role of stabilising the polity. We should not descend into the arena.

Nigerians believe that the recent showdown the senate had with the presidency was for selfish reasons. What is your reaction to this?

I don’t agree with you on that.

Some people say most senators have lost touch with their constituencies and that’s why they are demanding for automatic tickets?

It is not a question of whether a senator is popular or not. I have talked about the people not being able to make choices in our democracy, but that certain powerful people are exercising their franchise on their behalf. So, the negotiations the senators had with the Presidency/Peoples Democratic Party leadership was aimed at cutting out those powerful people. It is a fact that quite a number of senators are still very popular with their people but some forces are saying that they don’t want them again.

Are you saying that negotiating automatic tickets would solve the problem?

Yes, and if you stay connected to your people. The decision of who runs on a party’s ticket is the decision of the party. So, the party can decide through whatever means they want to present as their candidates.

Is it true that you are desperate to continue in the senate and because of that you have been all over the place?

Let me put the issue in perspective. What constitutes the institutional memory in the senate is the aggregate memory of each member. If you have a high turnover rate of members returning, it means you also have a high turnover of loss of memory. So, it is not in anybody’s interest in every election, seeing many senators going out of parliament.

But this argument of loss of institutional memory has been faulted by some people who claim that activities of the senate and that of each senator are well documented for reference for the incoming ones.

Let me take mine for instance. How do you document my network? You can only see the records of the bills. Do you know how I got those bills? So the National Assembly all over the world is a peculiar institution and that is why in most presidential constitutions, there is no time limit because they know that high turnover has a negative impact on the institution.

So you mean the issue of automatic tickets is not a selfish agenda of the senators?

The whole idea is to sustain the memory of the institution. I am not desperate. In case you have forgotten, I had a life before Senate. I am a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, I am not desperate. I have choices. The important thing is for the people themselves to make a choice. That is the critical point. Is it the governors that should decide for the people the person who will represent them or the people themselves?

A report said you sponsored an attack against a House of Representatives member, John Enoh, who is representing Etung/Obubra Federal Constituency and vying for a senatorial seat. Is that the case?

I am a man of peace and I don’t believe in violence. The report is not true.

Wouldn’t your refusal to participate in the rescheduled ward congress in Cross River State affect your chances in the next National Assembly election next year?

Well, I opted out of the election on my own. I am a lawyer and I have been in the bar for 36 years and 10 years as a Senior Advocate. So, going to submit to the congress when I know for a fact that there was a case in court would have been prejudicial to the proceedings and I must, at every time show respect to the institution of the judiciary. So I opted out but the judgement has now been given so the congresses can go on. It is just that the activity that started before the judgement is what I am worried about but I thought that we should have shown more respect to the judiciary and our judicial process.

Are you thinking of appealing the judgement or is it in your favour?

The court failed to assume jurisdiction on the matter but I will not be appealing. I accept the judgement of the court.

Why has it been so difficult for tax payers to know how much senators earn?

Jesus Christ !! Has a minister told you how much he or she earns? Has a permanent secretary told you how much he or she earns? Has a judge told you how much he earns? Why is it that it is the National Assembly members that should make public what they earn? Anyway, details of what we earn are in the public domain. Our salaries are fixed by the federal institution in charge of wages. It is the same body that fixes salaries for everybody. It is known to the public. But if you are asking me about how much it costs me to run my office, it is a totally different issue. Have you ever asked a minister, a permanent secretary or judicial officer how much it costs them to run their offices? What I can tell you is that in the last five or six years, the budget of the National Assembly has remained at N150bn annually. That amount covers our capital; it covers recurrent, which includes salaries and allowances of the senators, members of the House of Representatives, the bureaucracy of the entire National Assembly from the Clerk down to the cleaner. It also covers the legislative aides of members of the National Assembly. It equally covers the National Assembly Service Commission and the National Assembly Institute for Legislative Studies. N150bn is a fraction of what the country spends on fuel subsidy. It is a fraction of what the nation spends on waivers being granted to businessmen and companies. N150bn is less than three per cent of the national budget. So, why are Nigerians fixated on three per cent of the budget and they are not looking at the 97 per cent? It’s amazing that three per cent is getting 97 per cent’s attention. That is what it means.

You are a SAN, which makes you an upholder of the law, can you tell us how much you earn as a senator?

This is my payment details (presents a document that shows a net payment of N619, 000 per month). My salaries are fixed by the Revenue Mobilisation, Wages and Fiscal Commission. That is the guideline for everybody.

How much is your constituency allowance?

There is nothing like constituency allowance. There is no such thing. It exists only in the imagination of the public.

Why has the senate been silent on an international embarrassment involving the Federal Government laundering money to South Africa?

What is there to talk about? There is nothing to talk about because it is a security issue. We should not discuss security issues just to grandstand.

There are some loopholes in the constitution which lawmakers have not thought about amending, is it because lawmakers want to be exploiting them?

The process of amendment is still on course.

For instance, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission will need the permission of the AGF to prosecute a lawmaker and also some lawyers have argued for and against Aminu Tambuwal stepping down after his defection.

The EFCC requires the consent of the Attorney-General in every case. It is not peculiar to the cases involving the lawmakers alone.

What has happened to the report of the National Conference?

The national conference was an initiative of Mr. President. He set up the conference and the report was submitted to him. It is left for Mr. President to determine what he does with the report.

Do you think that the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states has been justified?

Let me put it back to you as a Nigerian. Are you satisfied with the security situation in the North-East? Then if you are not satisfied with the security situation there, then something has to be done. Let us not play politics with security.

Some people say that you have reduced the dividend of democracy and constituency projects to giving out generators, sewing machines and the likes, do you think that is the best that senators can do?

Constituency projects, to my understanding, are projects that are secured in the federal budget for your constituency. People out there erroneously think that legislators are given money to go and execute constituency projects. There is no such thing. You as a lawmaker lobby and get projects that would benefit your constituents, put into the budget. That is what is called constituency projects. Any project by the president from the ministry would definitely be in somebody’s constituency. They are called constituency projects because the initiative to get them into the budget is from the legislator. We also have social responsibility programmes. For instance, I have a scholarship scheme. I have a small and medium scale business initiative scheme, I have a computer training programme. Those ones are paid for from my pocket and I can determine how I want to spend my money. I can determine to buy hairdressing items for people, it is my decision; it is my money.

After initiating projects in the budget, how do you ensure that they are executed?

As lawmakers, we monitor the projects from the moment they are accommodated in the budget. The procurement and execution now shift to the executive arm. They will award the contract, they would supervise and execute. The lawmaker’s role is just to monitor and make sure that the project is completed.

But we heard of cases whereby the executive deliberately delayed project execution till the last quarter of the year only for them to approach lawmakers for negotiations on how the amount voted for the project could be shared without executing the project?

I am hearing this for the first time. But if journalists have this evidence, they will help the society by publishing it.

Do you think it is justified for the senate to approve the president’s $1bn request as a defence budget?

If I think that it is not justified, I wouldn’t have voted for it to be approved.

Do you think that the money would be effectively utilised for that purpose?

It is for the relevant committees of the National Assembly to ensure that.

How have lawmakers imparted on the people in carrying out their oversight functions?

We are doing our best but it could be better. Legislative work requires experience, so the issue of high turnover also impacts on oversight. If you have experienced legislators, they will oversight well because they have done it again and again. They know how to go about it. If he is a brand new lawmaker, it will take him years for him to get used to it. So that is part of the implication of high turnover.

Is the senate not bothered about the economy, the fall in Naira and crash in oil price?

That is purely economics. I don’t know anything about it.

Is the senate not bothered that we keep spending billions of naira annually on subsidy when we can have efficient refineries in the country?

First of all, I don’t believe in subsidy. That has always been my position.

Is the senate likely to approve the subsidy already put in the budget for next year?

I don’t know. I can’t say. But my position is that I don’t believe in it.

The senate has approved some amount of money to maintain our refineries but they are still not producing up to capacity, do you think such spending has been justified?

The relevant committees of the senate would have answers to that.

Why do some people say you’re arrogant even though you’re a SAN and a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Human Rights?

That I am arrogant? Can you mention one person who had ever told you that? I won’t know. Why should I be arrogant? I am not the party type. I am not the type you will find in a crowd. If you say I am arrogant because you will not find me in a night club or in a party, then so be it. I once chaired the Media and Public Affairs committee. So if anybody should tell me whether I am arrogant, it should be the media because they worked with me. So they should tell me.

There was a report that you once slapped a security operative for asking you to identify yourself, do you think you acted in line with your position as a SAN?

Jesus Christ !!! I don’t recall ever slapping anybody since I was born. Young man, I have my don’ts

Posted by kenics and team

Fayose blasts Obasanjo for criticising Jonathan

The Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, flayed former President Olusegun Obasanjo for allegedly criticising   Jonathan’s administration on corruption and insecurity.

Fayose, who spoke at a summit in Ife, said that Obasanjo had no moral justification to criticise Jonathan’s administration because the former President’s government was far more corrupt than the one he criticised.

The attack from Fayose came just as notable leaders of the Yoruba race present at the summit endorsed Jonathan for a second term in office.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, led notable traditional rulers from many Yoruba towns majority of who are from Ekiti State to the summit.

The matriarch of Awolowo family, Chief H.I.D Awolowo, was represented at the summit by her daughter, Mrs. Tola Oyediran. Fayose, who spoke after all the Yoruba leaders had spoken, stated that he would not toe the line of Yoruba leaders who spoke before him.

He said, “I will differ a bit, we need to hit the nail on the head. We are dealing with monsters and we need to treat them as monsters. My name is Ayodele Fayose, the Oshokomole, ‘irunmole to n je jollof rice’.”

Apparently asking Jonathan not to lobby Obasanjo for support, Fayose said, “Even if you give your blood, your being, your strength and your life to Obasanjo, he would not support you.

“We know him more than you know him. He will not want a man with independent mind.

“Mr. President, you have refused to toe the path of unconstitutionality. You have refused to level Borno and other states like he levelled Odi in Bayelsa State.

“You are taking your time to respect human rights by not committing crime against humanity, he won’t like that.

“Your Excellency, the more you try to curry Obasanjo’s favour, the more he would continue to disparage you. If you continue to curry his favour, we are not going to curry him. He doesn’t like people that give him respect.

“Your Excellency, your second term has been concluded in heaven. Fear not! Obasanjo accused government of the day of corruption, but what happened to the N50m he shared to each senator and House of Representatives member during his third term agenda that failed?

“What do you call the donations to Obasanjo Library? That is corruption. Go and check the code of conduct, the form filled by Obasanjo. We knew when he came out of the prison; we knew his situation,

Posted by kenics and team

Blast kills five soldiers, 35 others in Adamawa

No fewer than 40 people, including five soldiers and a local hunter, were reported to have been killed following a bomb explosion on Thursday morning around Mararaba-Mubi area of Adamawa State.

Eyewitness told newsmen in Yola, the state capital, that a combined team of the military and local hunters patrolling the area after they had successful recaptured Mubi from the insurgents were mostly affected.

It was learnt that the bomb planted by the insurgents exploded and killed the 40 people instantly.

According to the eyewitness, the scene of the blast was a busy area where people returning to the town after the recaptured of Mubi gathered to do one business or the other.

The source added that the explosive might have been planted by members of the Boko Haram on the eve of the day and it went off while people, including soldiers, gathered in the morning to strategise on their next line of action.

According to the eyewitness, who spoke to newsmen on the telephone, the military had converted the venue of the blast to a checkpoint, since there was always heavy presence of people at the spot most of the time.

“My house is some metres from the scene of the incident. I stood outside my compound, watching the suburb. And all of a sudden, I heard a loud bang which shook the entire surroundings.

“The few people that were returning to the area started fleeing and the area was immediately cordoned off by the military,” he maintained.

The explosion prompted the military authorities to declare the area “a no go place” and advised returning villagers and passersby to be extra cautious along the routes.

The authorities also cautioned the people to be wary of strange objects and polythene bags within their vicinity, advising that they might be explosives fashioned out to look attractive for unknown victims.

Meanwhile, hundreds of local hunters keeping vigil with the military in the recovered areas from the insurgents in Adamawa State have vowed to ensure that they will chase the sect members out of the area.

The hunters, who were returning to the recaptured areas of Mubi and its environs, told newsmen on Thursday in Yola that their major pre-occupation was to ensure that the area was completely secured for the inhabitants to return to their homes.

The leader of the hunters, Young Moris, pledged that they would do all they could to ensure that Michika and Madagali were rid of the insurgents.

On the constraints faced by the group, Moris lamented that considering their personal sacrifices to their motherland, the state government’s gesture was not encouraging, especially in the area of mobility and feeding.

He advised politicians in the corridors of power to stop sabotaging the efforts of the government and stop playing politics with the insurgents.

Posted by kenics and team

Obasanjo’s corruption allegation against us spurious – Senate

The Senate on Thursday described as spurious and unfortunate, the allegation of corruption levelled against members of the National Assembly by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The former President had alleged on Wednesday that the federal lawmakers had compromised in the alleged corrupt practices of the current administration by collecting money directly from the executive to execute phantom constituency projects.

But the Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, in a statement in Abuja, said Obasanjo’s allegation was a deliberate attempt to denigrate the institution.

The Senate said it was unfortunate that the former President could distort the issue of constituency projects as meaning a direct monetary advance to lawmakers and thus amounting to the “promotion of corruption” by the National Assembly.

It added that the most unfortunate in the deliberate diatribe against the National Assembly, was Obasanjo’s allegation that the lawmakers were “siphoning public funds through what they call ‘constituency projects.’”

The allegation as spurious as it were, the statement added, “is very distant from the truth and is nowhere near reality,” adding that if it were so, “the former President would not have tolerated such for the period he was the President of the country.”

The statement read in part, “Former President Obasanjo for the avoidance of doubt, was the initiator of the constituency project in the year 2000 as a means of ensuring that projects were fairly spread across the country using the senatorial zones as the springboard.

“To ensure execution of the projects, ex-President Obasanjo again factored the constituency projects into the annual budgets to be implemented by the executive depending on availability of funds.

“That is to say that no lawmaker ever comes close to the funds or even determine the contractor for the said projects or when the said contract would be awarded.

“So, it looks curious and surprising that former President Obasanjo would turn around after over 10 years of initiating such a project to allege that the National Assembly is performing the function of both the executive and the parliament.

“Is it not preposterous for anybody to believe that members of the National Assembly would against the provisions of the constitution with regards to application of separation of powers, award contracts ‘to their agents to execute’ and expect the Presidency under a President Obasanjo or any other President for that matter to pay for what they are not part of?

“Such allegation stands logic on its head, as it amounts to an indictment of the Presidency for wilfully contravening the budget laws by ceding its power to execute to the National Assembly, if it was the case.”

The Senate, therefore, challenged the former President to go a step further to furnish Nigerians with details of how the National Assembly members became executors of national budget rather than being lawmakers.

“It will also help to clear the allegation once and for all, if any Presidency official not only from the time past but currently, could come forward and explain the true position of the so-called constituency projects. Doing so would at least set the records straight,” it added.

The red chamber, urged political leaders “to be wary of the consequences to our democracy of dragging the revered institution of lawmaking to public odium just to score some political point. “

Posted by kenics and team

You’ll go in 2015, APC leaders tell Jonathan

LEADERS of the opposition All Progressives Congress on Thursday told President Goodluck Jonathan that he would leave the Presidency in 2015.

The APC leaders, including a former head of state, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); ex-Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu; a former Interim Chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande; and governors of the states where the party is in power, said most Nigerians were tired of the President and would rather replace him with an APC president in 2015.

The opposition leaders spoke in Osogbo, Osun State, during the second-term inauguration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Oyebola Ojo, performed the swearing-in for Aregbesola and his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori. Ojo also administered the oath of office on the two.

Aregbesola got his second term when he was declared winner of the August 9 governorship poll in the state.

They APC governors who spoke at the ceremony are, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Abdufatah Ahmed of Kwara State,   Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State,   Babatunde Fashola ( SAN) of Lagos State and Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Mr. Moses Adeyemo.

Tinubu, who spoke mostly in Yoruba language, said the Osun electorate resisted those he referred to as “forces of repression” during the August 9 election by choosing APC, adding that the party’s new philosophy was “commonsense revolution”.

He urged every Nigerian to vote out Jonathan next year.

He said, “The revolution we are talking about is the ability to use our voter card to send those people away because they have failed woefully.

“This revolution will take care of the elderly ones, create employment and to generate enough electricity and not to lie like they are telling lies from Abuja.

“The coming election in February, anybody who has charms must prepare very well. If you can use rings fortified with charms, do it; prepare waistbands and the likes. It is not going to be easy to defeat them.

“I am grateful to my mother who is in heaven. I was not trained to be a coward. We are ready for them.”

He berated the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government for attempting to rig the Osun State governorship poll, saying deployment of 30,000 armed policemen in the state for the poll was a shameless act.

Tinubu boasted that the APC would reclaim the mandate allegedly stolen by the PDP in Ekiti State.

Buhari, who is also a presidential aspirant of the APC, said that after the loss of the party in the Ekiti State governorship poll of June 21 and the removal of Governor Murtala Nyako in Adamawa State, the people of Osun State had raised the morale of the supporters of the party by re-electing Aregbesola.

Wife of former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, Mrs. Titi Abubakar, who represented her husband, congratulated Aregbesola and solicited the support of Nigerians for the APC in 2015.

Aregbesola said the APC stood for progress and development while the PDP was a symbol of insecurity, poverty and retrogression.

He said, “Our party, the APC promises prosperity, national unity and integration, security of lives and property, job and wealth creation, rule of law and constitutionalism and deepening of democracy.

“All these have been showcased in all the states where our party holds sway in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti (until recently), Edo, Imo, Rivers, Kwara, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Borno and Yobe.

“This is what we stand for and this is why a greater number of Nigerians continue to accept us and identify with us. Our present travails therefore are temporary.

“The PDP on the other hand stands for poverty, misery and insecurity. They are prepared to sacrifice the entire country as long as their hold on power is intact. Come February next year, Nigerians are going to say enough is enough. We are going to beat them because they are beatable. The God that helped us to beat them in Osun will also beat them for us in the national election. Do not be afraid, do not despair. Victory is at hand.”

Posted by kenics and team

ON TO THE NEXT ONE!!! French Montana Dumped Khloe Kardashian . . . And Now He’s Dating A NEW CHICK!!

French Montana gets close
with his new girlfriend as the pair wait in line at
LAX. It looks like French Montana has moved on
from Khloe Kardashian as he is seen at LAX with.
a girl believed to be his new girlfriend. The girl is
described as a DJ.
The pair were keen to not be photographed
together and split up and she took a taxi whilst
he waited for his posse and limousine. Khloe his
former love interest was seen at the AMA's with
sisters Kylie and Kendall.
source media takeout.

Impeachment: APC senators embark on mobilization against Jonathan

ABUJA—All Progressives Congress, APC, Senators are allegedly making frantic moves towards mobilizing their members and aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senators to ensure the purported impeachment plot against President Goodluck Jonathan commences anytime the Senators meet next week.
It was gathered that the senators that were part of the plot to initiate the impeachment move against the President had wanted to commence that on Tuesday, but could not due to the closed-door session that the senate had with the Service Chiefs that lasted for about eight hours.
Some PDP senators, who spoke on condition of anonymity, lamented that the President does not appreciate the sacrifices they made to save the Presidency when the opposition party tried to raise issues concerning certain policies.
They cited the ongoing congresses of the party, where it was alleged that the National Working Committee and the Presidency had surrendered the party machineries to state governors, who now try to stop majority of the senators from returning to the Senate in 2015.
Some of the senators accused the President of being only interested in his re-election and was ready to sacrifice any other person to achieve his ambition.
However, it was gathered yesterday that some PDP senators were foot-dragging over the impeachment move, as they are trying to use the Senate leadership to reach the Presi-dent for their automatic tickets.
Posted by kenics and team

GLOBAL EBOLA TOLL INCREASES TO 5,689

The World Health Organization said Thursday that the global death toll from the Ebola virus had increased to 5,689 out of a total of 15,935 cases of infection, mainly in western Africa.
The earlier WHO toll from last Friday gave a death toll of 5,459 and 15,351 cases.
The WHO believes that the number of deaths is likely far higher, given the difficulty in collecting comprehensive figures and with Ebola having a high fatality rate.
The first case discovered in the current outbreak was in Guinea in December 2013.
The deadliest Ebola outbreak ever continues to affect Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone the most.
Liberia has been the worst hit of all, though the death rate there appears to be slowing.
“Case incidence is stable in Guinea, stable or declining in Liberia, but may still be increasing in Sierra Leone,” the WHO said in its update.
The WHO reported a total of 3,016 Ebola deaths in Liberia out of 7,168 cases.
In Sierra Leone it has logged 1,398 deaths, up from 1,267 previously, and 1,260 deaths have been recorded in Guinea.
In all some 600 new cases were reported in these three worst-hit countries over the previous week.
In Mali, the most recent county in the region hit by Ebola, the WHO spoke of eight confirmed cases, six of which had proved fatal.
The tolls in Nigeria — eight fatalities — and Senegal — one sole case — have remained unchanged for 57 days. Both countries have thus been taken off the danger list.
Ebola, one of the deadliest viruses known to man, is spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms such as fever or vomiting.
People caring for the sick or handling the bodies of people infected Ebola are especially exposed.
Health workers have been among the worst hit, with 340 deaths out of 592 cases.
Outside of Africa, there have been four Ebola cases diagnosed in the United States one of which was fatal.
There has also been one confirmed case in Spain, a nurse who has recovered.
Posted by kenics and team

Obasanjo blasts Jonathan again

CORRUPTION as a recurring factor in Nigeria again came under focus on Wednesday with former President Olusegun Obasanjo rapping the President Goodluck Jonathan administration and the National Assembly for promoting corruption and poor governance.

“For quite some time, the covered and hushed-up corruption has had its toll on the economy,” Obasanjo said.

He said the increasing corruption under Jonathan had damaged the economy, warning that “in the future, we will have a budget that cannot be funded.”

“We may have to borrow to pay salaries and allowances. Revenue allocation to states and local governments has already drastically reduced. Capital projects at all levels may have to be drastically cut or stopped,” he added.

The ex-President spoke in Abuja at the presentation of books by a former Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, retired Justice Mustapha Akanbi. Obasanjo was the chairman of the occasion.

He said, “Nigeria cannot continue to indulge in disdain of truth, elevation of corruption and incompetence, reinforcement of failure, condonation of heinous crimes and celebration of mediocrity, tribal bigotry, fomenting violence and anti-democratic practices in states and National Assembly.

“Corruption in the National Assembly also includes what they call constituency projects, which they give to their agents to execute, but invariably, full payment is made with little or no job done.

“In all these, if the executive is absolutely above board, the offending members of the National Assembly resort to subtle or open threat, intimidation and blackmail of the executive.”

On the escalating insurgency by the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, Obasanjo said Jonathan’s delayed understanding of the menace posed by the group caused the worsening insecurity in the country.

He said, “Boko Haram is not simply a menace based on religion or one directed to frustrate anybody’s political ambition. It is essentially a socio-economic problem that is tainted with religion. It is a gargantuan danger to the nation and to all Nigerians.

“Initially, President Jonathan’s understanding of Boko Haram phenomenon suffered from wrong reading and wrong imputation. That is what led us to where we are today.

“It took even the President more than three years to appreciate and understand that it is a terrible mix of poor education or lack of education; misinterpretation of what Islam and the Quran teach and stand for, poverty, unemployment, injustice, drug, gun trafficking, human trafficking, fallout from Libya, revenge, frustration, struggle against inequality, imitation of international terrorism leading to training and part of the absorption by international terrorist groups and general poor governance, including corruption. I have always maintained that the solution to Boko Haram or any organisation like it lies in the application of carrot and stick approach.”

However, Obasanjo did not go unchallenged at the forum as the Oba of Lagos, who was also the chief launcher of the Akanbi books, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, accused Obasanjo of failing to account for the barrels of crude oil sales despite boasting he would do so before he came to power.

Akinolu said Obasanjo, before he assumed the Presidency in 1999, pledged to ensure transparency in the Nigerian oil sector “but later reneged on his promise as the oil sector was besieged with quantum corruption.”

“Obasanjo failed to address the problems with the number of crude oil per barrel produced daily; how many barrels are exported for sale as well as the use of the proceeds”, the monarch alleged.

The ex-President fired back that it was during his tenure that allocation to states became transparent with the publication of monthly revenue to the three tiers of government.

He said his government “also worked out modalities to enthrone accountability and transparency in the oil sector.”

Vice-Presient Namadi Sambo, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant (Monitoring), Mr. Femi Oladele, commended Justice Akanbi’s effort on anti-corruption and commitment to service.

He said by carving a niche for himself in the fight against graft, the jurist had left indelible footprints in the sands of time.

In his remarks, Akanbi observed that although there were allegations of witch – hunt during the Obasanjo administration, the ex-President never interfered with his job in the ICPC.

Posted by kenics and team

Jonathan’s performance below average – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday described the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan as below average.

Obasanjo spoke during an encounter with book writers in Abeokuta, Ogun State, as part of activities marking the popular Ake Festival.

When asked of his view on Jonathan’s administration, he said, “His performance is below average. I will not accept responsibility for his performance. There is nobody that gets such a position without being helped.”

The former President also debunked the insinuations that he had selected Jonathan as the running mate to the late President Musa Yar’Adua because he knew the latter was sick.

“Yar’Adua told me he was well. He showed me his medical report and I even consulted experts,” he said.

He said he had only supported the idea of a South-Southerner succeeding Yar’Adua to extend the sense of belonging that the emergence of a Southern President in 1999 represented.

When the former President was also asked on why he preferred Jonathan to the former governor of Rivers State, Donald Duke, he said, “In my own life, I don’t put all my eggs in one basket. Duke was young enough to be in the reserve.

“He did not agree with me. Donald Duke is my friend but he needs a little of toning down. He needs to get his feet on the ground.”

The former President had, in a December 2, 2013 18-page letter to Jonathan titled: “Before it is too late” raised many issues concerning Jonathan’s administration.

The Presidency on Friday said a statement credited to Obasanjo that President Goodluck Jonathan’s performance is below average was “not true and in error.”

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said this in a telephone interview with SATURDAY PUNCH.

Okupe said if the statement indeed emanated from the former leader, it was the most uncharitable thing to say about the present administration which he said had achieved so much in various areas.

“If indeed former President Obasanjo said that, that statement was in error because no government since independence has done close to 50 per cent of what this administration has done in less than four years,” Okupe said.

He recalled that when Obasanjo was leaving office, the total power generation capacity in the country was about 2,600MW, claiming that the present administration had been able to raise the figure to about 4,000MW.

Okupe also said the Jonathan administration inherited 24 airports that were in states of disrepair across the country at inception.

He said all the airports had so far been refurbished by the present administration, therefore increasing the country’s reputation among comity of nations.

The presidential aide also said the present administration inherited 10 moribund National Integrated Power Projects and went ahead to restore and commission them.

He added that the Jonathan administration had succeeded in completely eradicating the rot and corruption met in the distribution of fertilisers in the agriculture sector.

He also said the present administration made progress in road construction by making 70 per cent of road network motorable.

Okupe also said many of the manufacturing industries that were moribund in 2011 have started work again.

“These are just a few among the achievements of the present administration. So if that statement was indeed made, it is most uncharitable and it is not true,” he added.

impeachment; Ekiti speaker drags pdp lawmakers to court

The embattled Speaker of the Ekiti State Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, and his deputy, Tunji Orisalade, have approached an Abuja Federal High Court for the restoration of all their rights and privileges.

The duo were impeached on Thursday by 10 persons who sat in the chambers, among whom were three individuals whose identities have remained unknown.

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s caucus, Mr. Dele Olugbemi, who had acted as pro tem Speaker during the controversial Monday’s plenary was elected as the new Speaker.

The lawmakers replaced Orisalade with a female lawmaker who recently defected from the APC to the PDP, Mrs. Abeni Olayinka, representing Ado Constituency 2.

The APC have branded the three as “fake legislators and impersonators,” challenging the seven PDP lawmakers to unveil their identities.

In the originating summons with suit no FHC/ Abj/Cs/885/14 filed on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the plaintiffs presented 12 prayers before the court.

The originating summons is supported with a 14-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Mr. Patrick Bisong, a litigation clerk in the chambers of Tunji Abayomi and Co.

Omirin and Orisalade also filed an interlocutory application in which they are seeking a mandatory order directing the defendants to immediately open their offices and restore any and all aides and benefits to them pending the determination of the suit.

The motion was filed pursuant to Order 26 Rules 1, 2 and 3 and Order 28(1) of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2009 and under the inherent powers of the court.

The defendants are Governor Ayodele Fayose, the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force and the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

The PDP’s lawmakers in the Assembly had on Monday appointed Olugbemi as pro tem Speaker to preside over the plenary.

The PDP lawmakers cited the absence of the Speaker and his deputy as reasons for the appointment of the Acting Speaker for the day’s business.

Although the PDP has seven members in the Assembly, 10 persons attended the plenary on Monday including three whose identities were concealed.

The plenary on that day approved three commissioner nominees and caretaker committees for the 16 Local Government Areas, and as well granted power to the governor to appoint 16 special advisers.

But the APC lawmakers maintained that only seven members of the Assembly who were mainly PDP members sat at the plenary when it required nine members to form a quorum

Synagogue: TB Joshua snubs coroner again

The Thursday sitting of the coroner probing the September 12 Synagogue building collapse was hampered by faulty electronic recorder, leading to further adjournment till Friday (today).

Scheduled for appearance on Thursday before the coroner, Magistrate O.A. Komolafe, were the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, the Lagos State Ministry of Works, the founder, Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua and the contractor that built the failed structure.

While the SON and Ministry of Works were represented, both Joshua and the contractor were however absent and no reason was given for their non-appearance.

But the proceeding was however halted mid-way into the testimony of the SON witness, Mr. Bede obayi, who is the Head, Inspectorate and Compliant Department of the SON.

Prior to the adjournment, Obayi, an expert in Metallurgical and Material Engineering, had submitted to the coroner results of three separate tests carried out on samples of the materials used in building the collapsed building.

Introducing the test results, Obayi told the coroner that immediately his team received the news of the building collapse, they visited the site and collected relevant samples, including iron rods and the broken bricks.

According to Obayi, SON’s investigations traced the iron rods used as the reinforcement timbers of the failed building to four different companies.

Obayi explained that after collecting the samples, SON submitted them to three different laboratories, in order to ensure the accuracy of the results.

He said one sample was submitted to a neutral steel rolling company, which was not one of the four implicated companies; another set of samples were also sent to the four companies implicated and a third sample was submitted for analysis at the SON laboratory.

The witness added that the source of the samples was not disclosed to the laboratories in order to prevent undue influence on the outcome of the tests.

Though the verdict contained in the submitted test results had not been revealed before the court’s electronic recorder became faulty, Obayi had, however, submitted that the input of the owner of the building and the contractor who built it would be needed to draw useful inference from the submitted test results.

“We have got three results but they are not enough to draw a definite conclusion; it is only the contractor and the owner of the building that will be able to give us the history of the construction and that is why we felt their own input are very germane,” Obayi said.

120 lawmaker sign Jonathan’s impeachment notice

MORE than 120 lawmakers have  appended their signatures for the impeachment of President Goodluck,immediately House reconvenes in December.
Mohammed Zakari, chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, while reacting on it said “the notice of impeachment was not on the order paper today but I’m not foreclosing that some other things took place.”
On his part, Leo Ogor, deputy House Leader who urged members to jettison such plans, argued that the notice of impeachment is inconsequential, as the President had no hand in what transpired at the National Assembly.
“The President is unaware so bringing it (impeachment) up is going to be defeated. The President has done no wrong, impeachment should not even be part of the issue,” he pleaded.
Similar agitation by aggrieved lawmakers to move for impeachment of Emeka Ihedioha, deputy Speaker during tuhe brief closed door session, was however averted by the Speaker who called for calmness.

Seven Ekiti PDP lawmakers ‘impeach’ Speaker

The seven members of the Ekiti House of Assembly, who are PDP members, have impeached the Speaker of the assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin.

The impeachment of Omirin was carried out on Thursday in the same manner the seven lawmakers sat in controversial circumstances, and heavy police presence on Monday to approve the commissioner nominees and local government caretaker committees sent to the House by Governor Ayodele Fayose.

In Omirin’s place, the lawmakers elected Dele Olugbemi as the new speaker. Olugbemi was also appointed as the Protem Speaker on Monday.

NEWS/ Kelly Clarkson and Husband Get Cozy on the Red Carpet: Check Out the Cute Pic!

Last night Kelly Clarkson and her hubby Brandon
Blackstock hit the red carpet for the opening of
the Citizen Watch Company flagship store.
The couple, who married in October of last year,
looked happy and in love as they posed for
pictures on the carpet.
Clarkson kissed her man's cheek, looking as
adorable as ever. The singer wore a black coat
with cheetah print underneath and Blackstock
looked dapper in a gray coat and dark blue
sweater. Looks like they were prepared for the
cold NYC weather.

Posted by kenics and team

Heavy SSS presence at National Assembly; lawmakers scale gate into complex (photos)

There's currently heavy police and SSS presence at the National Assembly in Abuja as the House of Reps reconvene today to discuss the proposed state of Emergency extension in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno state. Some people are saying that the security operatives are there to deny the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, access into the complex. A lot of other lawmakers were also denied access into the complex. Some of them are pictured scaling the locked gates to enter the complex. A Rep member shared these photos on his Facebook page to let people know what's going on. See more photos after the cut..

kanye and kim puts new mansion they just bought up for sale

First we hear that Kim visited a divorce lawyer this week, now Business Insider is claiming that the couple have put up the mansion they just bought up for sale.Below is the report from Business Insider
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are selling the 8,000-square-foot French country-style home they purchased for a reported $19.75 million in August, Curbed LA reports.
The mansion just reappeared on real estate listing site Zillow with a $19.99m price tag.
The home, which was formerly owned by Lisa Marie Presley, includes 8 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 2 swimming pools, two spas, and even a vineyard on its three acre property.
Why do I feel that the next report we will hear is that Kim and Kanye are expecting baby number 2?

Posted by kenics and team

9 Best Vitamins For Skin Health

Healthy skin with a youthful appearance is a
concern for many, especially when we start
getting into our later years. There are a
staggering number of treatments and products
on the market that promise to help keep your
skin looking its best, and make you look years
younger than your actual age. Some skin product
may work and others may be more hype than
fact, but there are other things you can do to
keep your skin healthy. Making sure you are
properly nourished is definitely something worth
paying attention to if you want to keep skin
looking its best. These vitamins and minerals
may do as much – if not more – for the health
of your skin than any treatment you can pick up
at the store.
#1 Vitamin C
Vitamin C doesn’t just help you avoid colds, it’s
also very beneficial for skin health. It helps to
brighten the look of skin and reduce the effect of
aging as well as damage done by pollution. In
addition, vitamin C helps reduce spots, and
smooth out other area where color may be
uneven.

Aston Villa-West Ham United Preview

The Premier League's form team West Ham United meet the division's biggest strugglers Aston Villa at Upton Park on Saturday.

Only league leaders Chelsea can match West Ham's haul of 10 points over the last four games, with the Hammers (5-2-3) tasting defeat just once in the last seven matches in a run that has vaulted them to fifth in the table.

In complete contrast, Aston Villa (3-1-6) have the worst form in the Premier League, with six consecutive defeats and just a single goal scored in that run, leaving them only one point off the relegation zone after picking up 10 points from their first four games.

"There's a huge pressure that comes upon you when you lose so many games on the trot," West Ham boss Sam Allardyce said about his opposite number Paul Lambert. "He (Lambert) must be wondering what he's doing wrong at the moment, because I watched the game against Tottenham last Sunday and thought how unlucky he was that he lost that game one to a sending off, and two to a deflected free-kick. That seems to happen when things aren't going for you.

"We have to make sure we try and continue their poor run. I imagine it'll be a very difficult game in terms of trying to break them down and we'll have to be really aware of not leaving too many spaces to let them play that good counter-attacking game that they seem to adapt to well away from home."

Lambert's Villa have conceded 15 goals during their swoon - letting in at least two in each of those games - and will be without Christian Benteke after the striker was shown a straight red card in last Sunday's 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

"Footballers never enjoy losing games, but that Tottenham defeat really hurt," Villa midfielder Tom Cleverley said. "We all felt we should have taken something from the game. But it's definitely a performance we can build on. We did a lot of things right in the game.

"I thought when the red card incident happened that if we can win this game now it can really kick our season off. Unfortunately it wasn't the way it turned out. But that's even more reason to pull together, work even harder in training and get a result against West Ham."

Villa are without Alan Hutton (ankle), Libor Kozak (broken leg) and Fabian Delph (shoulder) through injury.

West Ham were boosted by Andy Carroll's return to training in the week following a lengthy absence with an ankle injury, while Winston Reid (hip) and Diafra Sakho (shoulder) are also close to comebacks. However, Allardyce will remain without the services of Guy Demel (hip).

The Hammers took four points off Villa last season and didn't concede a goal in either match. However, those results were an exception rather than the rule in this fixture, with West Ham winning just three of their last 14 Premier League meetings with the Villans.

Posted by kenics and team

Chelsea-Liverpool Preview

Chelsea travel to play Liverpool at Anfield Saturday as both sides return to domestic league action following midweek matches in Europe.

Liverpool (4-2-4) have struggled for consistency this season and dropped to seventh place in the Premier League table after being beaten 1-0 at Newcastle United last Saturday.

The Reds also lost 1-0 away to Real Madrid in a Champions League Group B match Tuesday. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers left several of his leading players - including captain Steven Gerrard - on the bench for the match at the Bernabeu, which ended with Madrid taking all three points thanks to Karim Benzema's first-half winner.

The Merseysiders battled hard in Madrid and produced a much better performance than when they were thrashed 3-0 at home by Carlo Ancelotti's team on Oct. 22.

Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had a good match in Madrid and was encouraged by Liverpool's display.

"I'm pleased with my own performance, but that always comes second because we want to win points and we want to win as a team," the Belgium international told Liverpool's official website. "Every time you lose you're disappointed. We were playing Real Madrid and we knew the results they have had at home and so we knew it would be a difficult game.

"There are still plenty of positives to take from the game and we've got another big game to look forward to at the weekend against Chelsea."

Chelsea (8-2-0) remain undefeated in England's top flight and are four points clear at the top of the table. The Blues recorded their eighth league victory of the campaign after beating west London neighbours Queens Park Rangers 2-1 at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

Jose Mourinho's side were not at their best against Rangers and after a superb first-half strike from Oscar, it took a late penalty converted by Eden Hazard to win it for the home team.

The Blues were held to a 1-1 draw at NK Maribor in a Champions League Group G game Wednesday. The Slovenian side, who were routed 6-0 at Stamford Bridge on Oct. 21, took a shock lead early in the second half through Agim Ibraimi before Nemanja Matic equalised for Chelsea on 73 minutes.

Hazard had the chance to win back-to-back matches from the penalty spot but saw his weak spot-kick saved by Maribor goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic five minutes from time. Despite the result, Chelsea still lead their group by three points ahead of second-place German side Schalke.

Matic insisted his team were expecting a tough match in Slovenia.

"We knew before the game that Maribor can play very well, and they drew with Sporting at home and with Schalke away," midfielder Matic told Chelsea's official website. "We know that we did not play very well but we are first in the group and before the game we had two more points than Schalke and now we have three.

"I am sure we will use our quality in the last two games and we will stay in the first position."

Chelsea did the league double over Liverpool last season, winning 2-1 at home and 2-0 at Anfield.

Liverpool have won only one of their last six matches against Chelsea in all competitions, losing three times and drawing twice going back to the 2012 FA Cup Final at Wembley, which the Blues won 2-1.

The all-time Premier League record between the sides is nearly dead even. Chelsea have 18 wins and Liverpool 17, while there have been nine draws in the 44 meetings.

crystal palace-Manchester united preview

The pressure is building on Louis van Gaal's Manchester United ahead of their game against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday.

United (3-4-3) are without a win in their last three matches, and the opening 10 games of the Van Gaal era has produced fewer points than David Moyes managed at the start of his disastrous tenure. In fact, this is the worst start to a Premier League campaign by Manchester United.

Last weekend saw the Red Devils succumb 1-0 to an off-colour Manchester City in their local derby, and - even though there were positive signs for United in the second half - Van Gaal believed a rash challenge and first-half red card for central defender Chris Smalling proved to be his team's undoing.

"As a player you have to control your aggression," the Dutch manager said."I didn't see the first yellow but with the second, you know you already have a yellow, so have to handle it differently. I said that to the players.

"You have to deal with that. You cannot do what he has done with the second yellow card. That is not very smart."

Replacing Smalling will be Van Gaal's biggest selection dilemma ahead of Saturday's game, particularly with Marcus Rojo also ruled out with a dislocated shoulder he picked up against City and both Phil Jones (calf) and Jonny Evans (ankle) unlikely to be fit in time to feature.

The Republic of Ireland this week called up young prospect Paddy McNair, and the converted midfielder seems odds-on to start against Palace, with fit-again Michael Carrick the favourite to partner him at the back.

Injury concerns over Radamel Falcao (calf) mean that out-of-form striker Robin van Persie is likely to keep his place, while Marouane Fellaini will be hopeful of another starting spot in midfield after impressing in recent weeks.

Saturday's visitors Crystal Palace (2-3-5) are without a win in four league matches and have free fallen down the table after an encouraging spell in September. However, manager Neil Warnock was not his usual robust self in his pre-match press conference, blaming an FA fine for comments about officials for his new subdued approach.

"I'm going to be boring from now on and give you guys nothing to write about," Warnock said. "I know journalists appreciate my comments but they're not the ones who pay the fines. I have to watch what I say.

"Regarding what I said, I could have changed maybe two or three words and I wouldn't have got charged," Warnock added, referring to his comments after a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in October. "My wife saw Garry Monk's interview and said 'don't you ever do anything like that' and I told her he didn't get charged but I've been charged for mine."

Palace are likely to be without Damien Delaney due to illness.

United won 2-0 in both meetings with Palace last season, and have never lost to the London club in 10 Premier League clashes. The Manchester club have won those 10 games by an aggregate score of 21-3, keeping eight clean sheets, and have posted four shutouts in the five victories at Old Trafford.

63 Ways to Build Self-Confidence

Confidence is a tool you can use in your
everyday life to do all kinds of cool stuff,
not least to stop second-guessing yourself,
manage your fears and become able to do
more of the things that really matter to you.
But not many people realise that their self-
confidence works just like a muscle – it
grows in response to the level of
performance required of it. Either you use it
or you lose it. That’s why I’ve given you 63
ways to grow your confidence so that you
can become a giant.
1. Learning is a Good Thing, so sign up for
that evening class and enjoy it.
2. Get out of your own head by asking your
partner or best friend what you can do
for them today.
3. Hit the gym. The physiological effects
will leave you feeling great.
4. Go to a networking event and focus on
how you can be helpful to other people
rather than being nervous about your
own stuff.
5. Get crystal clear on the things that truly
matter to you. If they’re not in your life,
you need to bring them in.
6. Write a list of the things you’re tolerating
and putting up with in your life, then
write down how you can remove,
minimise or diminish each one.
7. Look at a great win or success you’ve
experienced and give yourself credit for
your part in it. Recognising your
achievements is not egotistical, it’s
healthy.
8. Next time you’re at a social event, don’t
just stick with the people you know – go
and have a conversation with someone
you don’t know and you never know
what – or who – you’ll discover.
9. Next time you talk yourself out of doing
something (a party invite, a challenging
project or whatever else), say ‘What the
Hell ’ and go do it anyway.
10. Do one thing each day that makes you
smile (on the inside or on the outside).
11. Look for the patterns of thought that
take you to a place where you start
second-guessing or over-thinking. Now
imagine that your best friend went
through exactly the same thought
process and ended up holding
themselves back – what would you want
to say to them?
12. Ask out that girl or guy you fancy the
pants off (only if you’re single, don’t
want to get you into trouble).
13. You have to keep your mind well fed, so
write a list of 20 things that keeps your
mind feeling nourished and make sure
you’re giving them room in your life.
14. Stop playing different roles and
squeezing yourself into boxes based on
what you think people expect you to act
like.
15. Learn to catch yourself every single time
you tell yourself that you can’t have,
won’t get or aren’t good enough to get
what you want.
16. Take yourself off auto-pilot – make
deliberate decisions on what really
matters to you.
17. Next time you come up against a risk or
a challenge, listen to what you tell
yourself and look for a way that that
inner dialog can be improved. Ask
yourself, “What would make this easier ?”
18. Scared of looking silly? You and
everyone else. It’s no biggie so don’t let
it stop you. Say it with me – “It just
doesn’t matter. ”
19. Don’t think for a second that you can’t
be confident. There are already loads of
things you do with natural self-
confidence, you just have to notice them
and get familiar with how it feels. Look
for the things you do where the question
of whether you’re confident enough never
arises.
20. Listen to your doubts but be ready to
make deliberate decisions once you’ve
heard them. Sometimes your doubts are
there to let you know what you need to
prepare for, so you can use them to your
benefit as you move forwards.
21. Think of a time when it felt like a whole
bank of switches in your head flicked to
the on position and you were firing on all
cylinders. What were you doing and
what’s the reason it felt so great?
22. You’ve got a whole bunch of out-dated
rules that determine what you do, don’t
do, should do and shouldn’t do. These
rules limit your thinking and limit your
behaviour. Tear up your rule book and
notice how free you are to make great
decisions.
23. Do you get annoyed with yourself
because you didn’t make the most of
something or stepped back form an
opportunity? Don’t beat yourself up
because that’s just going to make you
feel worse. Instead, be brutally honest
and ask yourself what you gained from
the situation and what you lost out on.
Based on this win/lose balance, what’s a
different choice you can make next time?
24. If you’d already done everything in life
you’d have no need to be scared. Don’t
ever think that being scared means
you’re not confident, it simply means
you’re going somewhere new.
25. If there’s someone in your life who puts
you down or makes you feel small, you
owe it to yourself to let them know that
you expect something different from now
on. You deserve better.
26. Flirt. It’s a harmless way to play around
with connecting with people and having
fun.
27. Reveal a little bit of the real you in a
relationship that might feel like it’s in a
rut.
28. Acknowledge and welcome all of your
experiences – the good stuff as well as
the bad stuff. It’s all equally valid and
hiding things away because you don’t
like them is just creating conflict.
29. Always recognise that you’re more than
a match for any situation you might find
yourself in, no matter how tough the
going gets.
30. Don’t get swept up in the drama of
what’s happening right now, look for
more useful ways of engaging with what
happens in your life.
31. Don’t automatically give in to the instant
pay-off – it often means you’re selling
yourself short.
32. When you feel like stamping your foot
and yelling “ I deserve better than this! ”,
take a step back and say “I can BE
better than this. ”
33. Confidence sometimes means admitting
you’re wrong – always be ready to hold
your hands up and change your mind.
34. Trust your instincts. They know what
they’re talking about.
35. Fear is a way of letting you know that
you’re about to stretch yourself and
grow your confidence. That’s a good
thing, so use it to take yourself forwards
rather than run away.
36. Imagine you’re visited by a successful,
confident, attractive and vibrant version
of you from the future, a version of you
who’s everything you hope to be. What
do they want to tell you?
37. Don’t feel like you have to do everything
yourself – sometimes the most confident
thing to do is ask for help.
38. Take a chance on something tomorrow.
Anything, big or small, just take a
chance.
39. You need to be around people who make
you feel like YOU, so spend more time
with the people who support and
encourage you and less with those who
undermine you.
40. Stop struggling against the things you
don’t like in your life – create a
congruent environment around you that
flows and allows you to be you.
41. No man’s an island, and you need to be
a part of the world you around to feel
confident. What can you participate in
that’s important to you?
42. Forget the pro’s and con’s – do
something bold in the face of your
challenges and fears.
43. Work on developing the skills you need
to win at the things that matter to you.
What can you practice that would
radically improve your chances of
winning?
44. The body is a mirror for the mind, so
shifting your body into a confident state
can have surprising results.
45. Don’t get disheartened or demotivated
when you get to 90% with something
you’re working on – push through and
you’ll see that the last 10% is where the
magic happens.
46. Keep comparing yourself to others?
Stop it, don’t try to validate yourself
through comparison – you’re just peachy
as you are.
47. Put your head above the parapet at work
and speak up if there’s something you
think could be improved or if you have
an idea you think has legs.
48. If there’s something you’ve been
struggling to understand for a while,
stop trying to understand it. Accept it
just as it is, fully and wholly.
49. Shy with new people? Not a problem,
there’s nothing wrong with being shy
and it doesn’t mean you’re not
confident. Just don’t overthink it, start
beating yourself up or thinking you’re
less than because you’re shy – the more
you think like that the worse it gets.
50. Your environment directly impacts your
self-perception, so if you’re surrounded
by clutter, paperwork and rubbish put a
morning aside to clean up your stuff and
get organised.
51. Write yourself a list of the amazing
things you’d love to do in your life, and
make a start by simply looking into the
first one or two things that leap out at
you.
52. Don’t make your happiness or self-worth
dependent on being in a relationship or
being validated by someone else. Find
your inherent value first, and your
relationships and confidence will be
immeasurably better.
53. Your strengths can be used to overcome
any of your weaknesses. We all have
weaknesses but they only undermine
your confidence if you let them.
54. The longer you leave that big thing on
your to-do list the more it’ll drain you
and the bigger it’ll seem – get it done
and free yourself up.
55. What golden threads, themes, patterns
and passions have always been in your
life? If those things aren’t present in
your life right now, you need to shift
your priorities.
56. Your body image does matter, because if
you have a bad relationship with your
body you won’t be feeling confident in
yourself. Get trim if you need to, just
make sure you get along with your body.
57. Being confident is an ongoing process.
It isn’t a goal or an end-point that you
reach and then stop. Keep playing to
the best of your ability and your
confidence will always be there to
support you.
58. Try a new path.  The well-trodden paths
of your life can easily turn from
familiarity to apathy and disconnection.
A new path wakes you up.
59. Don’t say “Yes” to taking on a task
simply because you don’t want to rock
the boat – you can politely decline
requests you can’t meet and don’t need
to create an excuse for it.
60. Look at the people you respect who
seem confident – don’t copy them, but
identify what it is they do differently that
conveys confidence and what you can
learn from it.
61. Make a plan to do something, then make
deliberate choices to follow through.
Seeing progress gives you important self-
reinforcement.
62. When you feel yourself focusing inwards
and becoming paralysed with doubt or
fear, switch to focusing outwards at
what you can engage and interact with.
63. Still beating yourself up for failing or
screwing up? It might not be a barrel of
laughs but it’s not going to help you get
through it. Much better to recognise
that everything, whether it turns out or
not, is how you practice living a rich life.
Love this article? Share it with your friends
on Facebookb