Non-teaching staff of Nigerian universities have suspended their strike.

The staff, members of three unions, NASU, SSANU, and NAAT, announced the suspension of the three month and 10 days old strike on Wednesday.

Mr Samson Ugwoke, national chairman of Joint Action Committee of the three unions announced the suspension on Wednesday at a press briefing.

He said members of the three unions have been directed to resume on March 15, 2018.

“We shall not hesitate to resume the strike if government reneges on the agreements reached or delays in any aspects,” he said.

The workers commenced the strike on December 4, 2017.

PT

A major crack has emerged in the ranks of All Progressives Congress in Niger state as one of the senators from the state declared that governor Abubakar Sank Bello does not deserve a second term in office.

Mr David Umaru representing Niger East in the National Assembly gave the thumb down for the governor while speaking with some newsmen in Minna on Wednesday.

Both the governor and senator were elected on the platform of APC but have been at each other’s throat since 2016 over some of the policies of the governor which the senator felt were against people of the state and in particular his constituency.

APC had recently endorsed Mr Bello for a second term in office. Umaru was absent at the endorsement rally.

Umaru said the performance of the governor in the last three years did not qualify him for such endorsement.

According to him, the governor had not performed to the expectation of the electorate that voted him into office in 2015 to deserve such endorsement.

Umaru said the poor performance of the governor did not "justify his rush for second term".

"The APC administration in Niger state has performed terribly bad to the extent that we should not be talking about second term. There is virtually nothing on ground to justify second term for the administration.

"Today I feel ashamed for working to enthrone this administration because of its highest level of un-seriousness”.

The federal lawmaker emphasised the need for APC to "make amends and give the people the deserved developments instead of preoccupying itself with endorsement galore which does not have the support of the electorate".

Umaru criticised the party for "embarking on unrealistic endorsement of some elected persons including the governor" adding that “the party can give ticket but the people will do the voting in 2019”.

“I do not need the endorsement of the governor; he needs my endorsement. I need the endorsement of the people not that of the governor”.

He also decried what he described as "the use of ethnicity and religion to cause confusion in the state’s political landscape" in the face of serious underdevelopment saying "we should all come back as a united force and rescue the state in 2019”.

The lawmaker said that he was "waiting on God to decide whether to contest for any position including the senate in 2019" pointing out that: “contesting in 2019 should not be my priority now.

"As you know I do not have any poster out. I believe it is not how long I stay in office but what I have been able to do for the people that will determine if the people want me back or not".

 

NewsScroll 

Senator Shehu Sani’s exposé of the jumbo remunerations Nigerian senators award themselves is supposed to be a big thing but, honestly, it is nothing new. We have been through this before. In 2009, the defunct NEXT newspaper reported that lawmakers were not only being overpaid, they were also — and to use the mildest of language — thieves as well. In the same year, Prof. Olusola Adeyeye, (now a Senator but then a House of Representatives’ member) also gave a ground-shattering interview where he revealed that not only were lawmakers given an official licence to rob, they had virtually institutionalised means by which the money they parcelled out to themselves would evade accountability. Lawmakers’ mindless thieving from the public is, in short, legally sanctioned and constitutionally protected.

Two years later, the current Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who was the then Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, raked muck about lawmakers’ emoluments when he stated that 25 per cent of the overhead in the Nigerian budget was expended on the National Assembly alone. The issue was very controversial then; it generated fierce reactions from Nigerians across different party affiliations. The lawmakers threw a fit and asked Sanusi to appear before their Committee on Appropriation and Finance, to take back his claim and apologise to Nigerians for painting the lawmakers in their true colours. Sanusi remained adamant and continued to back his claims with more facts until they let him be. Aside from all those episodes, the lawmakers have also been taken up on their furniture allowance, wardrobe allowance, expensive car purchases, and all the inordinate amounts of money they rake into their bottomless pockets.

In summary, Nigerians are already fully aware that lawmakers earn humongous pay. The lawmakers, ashamed of the sizes of their package, will change the subject if you ask them what they earn. Sani disclosed that the members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly each get a running cost of N13.1m, in addition to a consolidated salary of N750,000 per month, and are also offered another N200m per annum to execute constituency projects. Senate spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullah, confirmed what Sani said and then added that the news was not “new.” Abdullahi accepted their faults, but he did not commit to reforms. Merely mouthing all the right things suggests that the Senate thinks Sani is just stirring the pot for his benefit and that any reaction that accompanies his revelation is just another storm in the Nigerian glass cup. The cup is unlikely to break, but the breaking of the storm within the cup makes for a good distraction while it lasts.

The issue might not be novel, but that should not mean it should be allowed to recur in the same unevolved manner perpetually. Between the legislature, the executive, and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, reforms are quite possible if only they would take the initiative. Instead, each side points to the other and asks them to go first. In the end, almost nobody moves except for those who want to use the controversy for public posturing and to demonstrate their hypocrisy. At some point, something has to give. Nigeria is haemorrhaging, and the poorer people should not be the only one making sacrifices; our leaders have to make as many sacrifices as possible too. Challenging themselves to reduce their emoluments should not be mere showboating but creating fiscal responsibility and the institution of accountability in our social and political life. In another one year or so, many candidates who are currently governors in their home states will be angling to make it to the National Assembly, and particularly to the upper chambers where the pay is higher. (The Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has already accorded himself that fantasy long before he leaves office next year). They will carry over the undemocratic habits they have turned into a culture in their home states to Abuja thus maintaining the cycle of corruption, incompetence, and irresponsibility. If we do not institute better democratic practices, we will circle this mountain forever.

Although Abdullahi claimed that it was becoming harder to steal constituency project allowance these days since there are NGOs and civil society groups that track every allocation to ensure they are being used appropriately, the fact remains that the legislature is found wanting in its duty of instituting better democratic practices for itself and other Nigerians. They are reluctant to challenge Nigeria on our culture of accountability because doing so means they will have to come to terms with their own private habits. They will have to confront the questions that have been put to them gazillion times: Does Nigeria need lawmakers that supposedly work full time? Can we afford a bicameral legislature? In 2012, Senegal voted to do away with their Senate so they could save up to $15m in government spending. Until Nigerian leaders get to the stage where they would rather do a lot of good for the people than pay supposed servant leaders whose appetites remain insatiable, these topics will be coming and going every season like an abiku. The blurring of ideological lines between political parties in Nigeria makes it harder to deal with issues from the standpoint of what is ideal. Once upon a time, a party called Action Congress of Nigeria made us believe that they were the “progressives.” Today, they and their non-progressive counterparts are ruled by a singular ideology: Money.

Senator Sani said he chose to speak up because his conscience was pricked. What suddenly activated his conscience after he has been paid the sum for almost three years? The same Sani who bragged that he gave bigger alms to the poor during 2015 Ramadan than his opponents did? Sani boasted that some gave out rams and goats, but he went further to distribute camels. A man who is allocated N200m as the allowance for constituency projects and turns around to give out camels to the impoverished folks in his district is hardly a Robin Hood. He is still a privileged landowner who is merely buying fealty through the paths of his people’s greedy and hungry throats. Nevertheless, I agree with those who have said that Sani should be supported for daring to speak out and at such a crucial time too. Yet, it is hard to shake off cynicism about Sani and his intentions.

Where was his voice in November when Senator Adeyeye was shouted down in their so-called hallowed chambers for his recommendation that lawmakers and other politicians should slash their allowances in the face of the reality of dwindling national revenues? If Sani and the “common-sense Senator,” Ben Murray-Bruce, had stood up with Adeyeye and the three had challenged their colleagues, maybe, it would have encouraged one more person to stand up, and another, and then another. Murray-Bruce is another critic whose status as an internal rebel in the Senate is not easily classifiable. In 2015, when the issue of wardrobe allowance arose, and he was shamed for not bringing the change he promised to the National Assembly, he jumped on another issue in Osun State to deflect from his own contradictions. He promised to donate his share of wardrobe allowance to Osun State workers who were going through hard times because their salaries had not been paid. After that peacocky show, has he been rejecting other payments? In 2016, there was an outrage over the lawmakers buying Toyota Land Cruiser as official cars and at grossly inflated prices, where was he?

The mass outrage that accompanied the Sanusi debacle should have been the decisive factor in this issue, but once it began to peter out and the focus on the lawmakers slackened, they relaxed their reforms. By a few days’ time, if this current episode blows away and Nigerians move on to other things they consider more pressing, the lawmakers would have scored another victory at the collective expense.

Elections in our country, according to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in a remark made on 30th June 2014, have become a perverse form of modern coronation.

“Instead of choosing public servants, elections in Nigeria have been basically to select a new aristocracy, an elected royalty,” he said in an apt summation that the desperation for power, at practically all levels in our country, is too often not to advance public good but rather in pursuit of private interest.

That perhaps best explains the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly and the muscle-flexing it is already generating.

With the Senate—now largely dominated by former governors most of who are adept at gaming elections—in a milieu in which the ruling APC is just a party in name rather than in shared ideals, it is no surprise that what used to be an administrative function of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the issue that now preoccupies the leadership of both the executive and the legislature at a period many Nigerians are facing huge challenges on practically all fronts.

Although reasons were canvassed by the president for his decision to decline assent to the Bill, most Nigerians are aware that the major contention is the order of elections. Both the presidency and the National Assembly are in a battle over which of the polls should come first and stripped of all pretension, it is not about the imperative of popular participation but rather about securing electoral advantage.

While the essence of this intervention is to interrogate why there is such a fierce contestation over the order of 2019 elections, and the implications for the survival of our democracy, it is important for readers to also understand that it is not an isolated issue.

Even when democracy is ordinarily a never-ending process of inquiry which requires the validation of voters, in Nigeria, such phrases as “the will of the people” and “the people have spoken” have, over the years, become no more than false constructs. Nothing better depicts this sorry state of affairs than the so-called local government elections that may be useful as a starting point for this series, especially in the light of the yet-to-be resolved issue of underage voting in Kano.

From May 2015 to date, 23 states have conducted local government elections. Fourteen of those states are controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party of ‘Change’ at the centre; eight by the displaced Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and one by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Let us start with the states controlled by the APC. In January this year in Osun State, the APC swept all the chairmanship positions and 389 councillorship seats. In February this year in Kano State, the ruling APC won all the 44 chairmanship positions and 484 councillorship seats. And in March this year, APC won all the 18 chairmanship positions in Edo State. In March 2016, the APC won all 22 chairmanship and 234 councillorship seats in Sokoto State.

In July 2017, the APC swept the chairmanship seats in all the 21 local government areas in Kebbi State. In October 2016, the APC won the chairmanship positions in all the 20 local governments and 37 Development Authorities IN Ogun State.

In January 2016, the APC won the chairmanship seats in all the 14 local governments and 147 councillorship seats in Zamfara State. A month earlier, the same party won all the 23 chairmanship seats and the councillorship positions in the 276 wards in Benue state. In August 2016, the APC won chairmanship seats in all the 18 local governments in Adamawa State. In January 2016 in Niger State, the APC won all the 24 Chairmanship positions. In July 2017, the APC won the chairmanship positions in all the 27 Local Government Areas of Jigawa State. Same month in Lagos State, APC won all the 57 chairmanship seats. In November 2017 in my state, Kwara State, the ruling APC cleared all the 16 local governments while in February 2017, the APC also won all the chairmanship and councillorship positions in Yobe State.

What the foregoing suggests is that the APC is so popular in all these 14 states that the party secured a hundred percent victory at the local government polls. But now let us also look at what transpired in the eight states controlled by the PDP. In December 2016, the PDP won the chairmanship seats in all the 17 councils in Abia State.

The party also won 346 councillorship seats out of the 349 wards in the state so it was ‘magnanimous’ enough to concede three councillorship positions to candidates of some fringe political parties!

In February 2017, PDP won all the local governments in Taraba State and in December of same year, the party also won all the 16 chairmanship and 177 councillorship positions contested in Ekiti state. In February 2017, PDP won all the chairman and councillorship seats contested in Gombe State. In April 2017, PDP won the chairmanship seats of all the 13 local governments and 171 wards in Ebonyi state. In December 2017, PDP won in all the 31 local government areas and all 325 councillorship seats in Akwa Ibom State while in January this year, PDP won the chairmanship in all the 25 councils in Delta State. In November 2017, PDP won in all the 17 local governments and the 260 councillorship seats in Enugu State.

From the foregoing, the PDP also secured a hundred percent victory in all the nine states it controls where local government elections were held.

The only other party controlling a state is APGA and in the council poll conducted in November last year in Anambra, the party also did not disappoint: It swept the entire 21 Local governments!

Now to properly situate this perversion, let me cite examples from each of the two leading parties. In a controversial local government election conducted on 25th May 2015, four days to his hand-over by then Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (in a state where the PDP candidate had only two months earlier secured victory at the governorship election conducted by INEC), the APC won 22 out of the 23 chairmanship seats where elections were held as well as 297 councillorship seats in the 302 wards.

Meanwhile, in Ondo State where the local government elections were held on 24th April 2016, the PDP won all the 18 chairmanship seats and 202 of the 203 councillorship seats. Instructively, when the gubernatorial election held in November of same year, candidate of the APC, (a party that could not win a single ward in the so-called local government election held seven months earlier), defeated the ruling PDP in the state!

NOTE: To be concluded next week

Before Booking a Visa to Wakanda!
Aside the release in 1997 of ‘Titanic’ and the 2003 concluding part of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy titled ‘Return of the King’, I doubt if any other movie has captured as much global attention and imagination as ‘The Black Panther’.

In Nigeria particularly, both the ‘Twitter generation’ and the middle class have done a lot to hype the movie and the feel-good factor it has engendered. Today, it is almost a taboo for anyone to admit that he has not watched what has been given sundry interpretations, including the half-digested tales of it being about the ancient glory of some country called Africa!

As make-belief—which even the best of movies are—goes, ‘Black Panther’ is very entertaining. But if we must draw lessons, the most instructive scene in the movie, for me, was in the confrontation between W’Kabi and the ‘Black Panther’, following the first military expedition that ended in catastrophic failure.

As head of security for Wakanda’s Border Tribe, W’Kabi had been happy when T’Challa, his childhood friend ascended the throne, believing he would help to avenge the death of his parents who were killed by Ulysses Klaue, a foreign mercenary who had been stealing from Wakanda their much-treasured Vibranium.

So, when the new ‘Black Panther’ also failed to capture the notorious arms dealer in his first raid, W’Kabi parted ways with his friend but not before rubbing it in: “For 30 years your father was in power and did nothing. With you I thought it would be different. But it is more of the same.”

While the reaction of W’Kabi depicts that of citizens of most African countries whose hopes had been raised and dashed by a succession of leaders, it is in the response of the ‘Black Panther’ that I want to make my point. In Africa, when politicians ascend power, their old friends dare not challenge them as W’Kabi did. But the ‘Black Panther’ did not take the insult personal. He considered it a public duty to capture the notorious armed robber and was ready to pay the supreme price in the process. Therefore, the message from Wakanda cannot be in some ‘borrowed technology’ but in the commitment to a leadership ethos anchored on the welfare of the people.

To come back home, the lesson is simple: We can recreate the good society if those we put in charge of our affairs care and it would not take too much. Right now, we can see a glimpse of such commitment in Edo State. Rather than live in denial about the global prostitution stigma, both the Edo political and traditional leaderships have decided to confront the menace. Even before the Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II publicly placed a curse on the traffickers and their collaborators, including native doctors and priests who administer oath of secrecy on victims, Governor Godwin Obaseki had already instituted the Edo Taskforce Against Human Trafficking (EHTAT).

Chaired by Prof. Yinka Omorogie, the committee has not only been meticulous in handling the assignment, its findings are quite chilling. According to the taskforce report, “each migrant that has returned experienced an average of 151 deaths mostly caused by hunger, dehydration, sickness, childbirth, beating, gunshot wounds and drowning” in a journey that takes between 20 to 40 days and costs an average N250,000 across both the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.

That is very telling of the growing desperation to leave the country by many of our young people because of the dwindling opportunities arising from the mismanagement of our affairs. If each migrant witnessed an average of 151 deaths in the course of their desperate journey, we can only imagine the number of lives that are being lost to the perilous adventure. What that suggests is that in as much as we can feel good about the product of the imagination of some American script writers, we must also be honest with ourselves: the reality of our existence as a nation is far from what obtains in the fictional Republic of Wakanda.

Of ‘Oniyangi’ and ‘Elepo’
Let me state from the outset that I am not the writer of this story as it is one of those interesting offerings being circulated on WhatsApp. Since I found the message rather instructive, I am posting it with minor editing because, in a way, it fits into Mark Twain’s warning that we should never argue with “stupid people” who could easily “drag you to their level and then beat you with experience”.

It is a story of two men: One, called ‘Elepo’ because of the nature of his merchandise, which was palm oil; and the other, ‘Oniyangi’ also because of the nature of his own merchandise, which was sharp sand. One day, a long, long time ago which no one living can actually define, Elepo and Oniyangi set out from opposite directions to market their merchandise. After travelling many days by foot, which was the only means of transportation in those days, they met at a narrow intersection. It was such a narrow path that only one person could go through at a time. Elepo insisted on the right of way. Oniyangi would have none of it.

Both argued until other travellers met them at the spot and a large crowd soon gathered. Having failed to pacify both men, some wise travellers suggested a way out – they should slug it out; and that whoever won the contest should have the right of way. Quickly, each man set down his merchandise by the roadside and they squared up one to the other. The battle was ferocious and long; in the end, Elepo had the better of Oniyangi, lifted him off his feet and landed him on the floor. The crowd roared!

However, as Oniyangi hit the floor, one of his outstretched legs caught Elepo’s merchandise and tilted it. Immediately, the content, which was palm oil, gushed out on the bush path. Furious, Elepo reached out for the merchandise of Oniyangi and flung it upside down on the road and its contents, which were sharp sand, also poured out. But Oniyangi got up from the floor, dusted himself up, ignored the jeers of the crowd who had started hailing Elepo for winning the bragging rights, as football fans call it these days, and began to pack his merchandise (sharp sand) into its container. Thereafter, he respected the agreement by stepping out of the narrow path for Elepo to have his right of way. But Elepo stood transfixed on a spot. His own merchandise had been irretrievably wasted and could not be salvaged like Oniyangi’s.

It was then that lesson dawned on Elepo. Were he to keep throwing out Oniyangi’s merchandise, all Oniyangi would lose was the trouble he would take packing his sharp sand back into the container. Yes, Elepo won the contest, but his victory was pyrrhic. Whereas he won the right of way, he had no more trips to make since his wares had been wasted.

This was the origin of the Yoruba song, “Oniyangi ma ba t’emi je, epo ni mo ru” which warns anyone carrying palm oil to beware of the man carrying sharp sand. The lesson is simple: If you are in the public arena and you must engage, beware of those who have little or nothing to lose!

Ife IRSA Alumni
Former students of the Department of International Relations, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, under the aegis of International Relations Alumni Association (IRAA) are set for their inaugural session in Lagos on Wednesday 4th April. To mark the occasion, a foremost Nigerian scholar and diplomat, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, will be the Special Guest of Honour and will give a keynote address on how major global changes are impacting on Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. Professor Amadu Sesay and other former and current lecturers will also be in attendance. Former students of the department who are yet to be enlisted can contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and WhatsApp link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EYsykvDbve1ExyZWaiW9MY . They can also reach these numbers: 08099996776; 08037304700.

• You can follow me on my Twitter handle, @Olusegunverdict and on www.olusegunadeniyi.com

Nigeria’s World Cup 2018 last Group D match against Argentina on June 26 in Saint Petersburg, Russia has been sold out.

However, Super Eagles other two games against Croatia and Iceland did not receive such attention from fans going to be physically present in the Russian cities of Kaliningrad and Volgograd respectively. The most expensive ticket for these group games goes for over N70,000.

According to FIFA, 356,700 tickets have been allocated (subject to payment) to fans around the world via FIFA.com/tickets in the first 24 hours of the first come, first served sales window, which began on Tuesday, March 13 at 12:00 Moscow time.

All three group games of Egypt have been sold out – Egypt vs Uruguay, Russia vs Egypt and Saudi Arabia vs Egypt.

Several other matches involving other African teams at Russia 2018 have also been sold out – Japan vs Senegal, Belgium vs Tunisia and Portugal vs Morocco.

“Most of the tickets have been allocated to Russian fans (197,036), followed by fans from USA (14,845), Argentina (14,564), Colombia (13,994), Mexico (13,505), Brazil (9,691), Peru (9,493), Australia (5,500), Germany (5,476), China (5,459) and India (4,166) – the top ten countries from abroad,” observed a statement released by FIFA yesterday.

Despite the huge demand and the potential waiting time to access the website, FIFA encourages all fans to visit FIFA.com/tickets and check the traffic light system, which gives an indication about ticket availability.

“Given the remarkable interest from all over the world, FIFA would like to remind all football fans that FIFA.com/tickets is the only official and legitimate website on which to buy 2018 FIFA World Cup tickets.

“Tickets obtained from any other source will be automatically cancelled once identified and will not entitle the ticket holder to access the stadium or to any refund or other compensation, FIFA warned.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, has played down the significance of last November’s 4-2 international friendly win over Argentina, claiming the result of that game will not matter when both countries lock horns in Group D’s last match in St. Petersburg

In an interview with South Africa-based Soccer Laduma, the Franco-German tactician reckons the game does not confer any advantage to Eagles going into the World Cup proper.

“Remember, (Lionel) Messi didn’t play that game. So we are very cautious and have to analyse this great result in that context. Argentina had played another friendly against Russia in Russia before facing us. Perhaps, they were a bit tired – they also left Russia soon after our game. I think no one should overrate the result. I definitely won’t overrate it. It was definitely not to our advantage because Argentina will take us more seriously now,” stressed Rohr.

Rohr however assured Nigerian football fans that the Eagles would get the best possible preparation for Argentina and the other group opponents even though the three-time African champion is the least-ranked team in the pairing.

 

Thisdaylive 

The Federal Government has said that it has no money to fix the nation's refineries.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the cabinet meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The minister stated that he had given all the guidance required to fix the refineries.

He said the government had to raise money through a Public-Private Partnership model.

He stated: "As a seasoned professional, I have given all the guidance that is required to fix the refineries. We came into a situation where we don’t have money to fix the refineries.  We had to raise the money looking into the PPP model; it has to go through a process.

"The technical committee is headed by the NNPC.  Obviously they'll submit their report to the board when they complete their work. So, from a governance and guidance sense, steering point of view, I think that steering is right on track, from a management of the technical aspect of the contracting, that is something we would have to allow NNPC handle, it is not the job of the ministry to superimpose, you’ve got to let them do their work and do it efficiently."

Kachikwu also said that the proposed modular refineries in Delta and Rivers States were not meant to address the current refining gap.

“On modular refineries; modular wasn’t supposed to provide a sufficient solution to your product needs, modulars are on the average between 2,000 and 5,000 maybe 10,000 at most capacity per refinery. Your consumption is about 630,000 barrels per day, that is not the essence of modular, what modular was supposed to do for us is provide work within some of these communities where people are busy doing illegal refining.

“It’s not meant to address the refining product gap we have in the country, we are hoping that those gaps will be covered by a mixture of the three or four refineries that government owns currently, Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna and of course the Dangote refinery of 600 barrels,” he said.

 

DailyTrust 

It was a tearful scene yesterday in Dapchi, the Yobe State community where Boko Haram snatched away 110 girls on February 19.

President Muhammadu Buhari visited the Government Girls Science and Technical College where the girls were abducted.

Some of the distraught parents and the girls’ school mates broke down in tears when the Chairman of the Parents, Bashir Alhaji Monzo, spoke on the incident.

The President and his entourage arrived at the school hall around 3.54 p.m

Earlier in Damaturu, the state capital, the President had told stakeholders that “there will be no rest until the last girl, whether from Chibok or Dapchi, is released.

“The girls and all our students must enjoy unhindered freedom and pursue their legitimate aspirations. The Dapchi and Chibok students are our girls and must enjoy our protection. They must live to achieve their individual ambition to be great women of tomorrow. It is our duty to protect them and we are determined to restore peace to all parts of the country from the west to the east, north to the south.”

The President, who described the abduction as “careless”, stressed:  ”It is my hope that any agency, person or group  found to have been negligent or culpable in the abduction of the girls will be punished according to the law”.

The parents were weeping as reporters interviewed them, hours before the President’s arrival.

Addressing the parents in Hausa, President Buhari promised that no effort will be spared towards bringing their children back alive.

He also vowed that Boko Haram terrorists woud not be spared for their evil activities.

Said the President: “I have read the full report of what happened in Damaturu. As we received the information and what the Federal Government is doing under my leadership since beginning of the problem to date, may God console you.

“I am informing you that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that this country is living in peace.”

He recalled that during the campaigns, the government promised to achieve three objectives  – ensuring security, revamping the economy and fighting corruption.

According to him, his administration has succeeded in all.

Buhari said: “Those Boko Haram members were in control of many parts of Borno State and some local governments in Yobe State. But, at the moment, they have only resorted to bombing mosques and churches, and kidnapping young girls.

“Boko Haram has also brainwashed some of the girls and made them to kill themselves with suicide bombs. By the will of God, we have directed police, DSS, Soldiers and other security agencies to find modalities by which your children will be returned to you in peace.”

“But this their action and the one they did in 2014 before we assumed office, we will not spare them. So, because of that, the Federal Government will use all its powers to see the end of insurgency and bring peace into the country. May God console you,” he told the disturbed parents.

Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam acknowledged that the Federal Government had lived up to its responsibility over the incident.

According to him, the President had sent delegations to the state over the matter.

“It is my hope that the findings of the committees will be implemented and the abducted girls rescued alive,” he said.

The school’s principal, Hajiya Adama Abdulkarim, urged the parents not to be discouraged by the incident.

The parents carried placards. Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: “Rescue our abducted DAPCHI school girls now”; “Any delay is dangerous. We want genuine action. Rescue our daughters now.”

Another reads “Welcome Mr. President; we are parents of the abducted Dapchi school girls. Please rescue our daughters, we love them, they are our hope for a brighter future.”

With the President were Ministers Lai Mohammed (Information), Abdulrahman Danbazzau (Interior); Adamu Adamu (Education), Solomon Dalung (Sports), and  Mansur Dan-Ali (Defence) and Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim.

One of the mothers of the abducted girls, Hafisatu Mohammed, who spoke in Hausa, said: “We are in a terrible situation; some parents have died due to the loss of their children. Some of them are very sick.

“We know that this tragic situation was ordained by God. We accept it in good faith. We accept this as a trial from God. We know that Almighty God will help us fight our battle. Our God will expose them. He will bring us out of this predicament.

“We are begging our President, Baba Buhari, that he should do all ‘the needful’ in good time and rescue our children from this oppressors.”

Another mother, Aisha Bukar, also speaking in Hausa, and crying, said: “The sister to one of my daughters, who was abducted in the school, is very sick at home due to the abduction of her sister.

“We pray that God will bring peace back to Nigeria. We have never experienced such a terrible situation in our lives. Although there is relative peace since Buhari became President and we are still thanking him for what he is doing and may God continue to protect him.

“We want him to redouble efforts to save our children from this wicked people. My daughter that was kidnapped was not able to walk for seven years. We brought her to school after she was cured and now they have kidnapped her. Because of this incident, I became sick and was admitted at the hospital.”

One of the fathers of the abducted girls, Alhaji Deri Kade, said: “So many things have happened;  we have seen the worst. My only wish is to see Mr. President and welcome him and express my feelings to him, so that we discuss the way forward to rescue our children.

“We are sure that Mr. President is very concerned about rescuing our children and that is why he is here in Dapchi, and our prayers will lead to that success,” he added.

 

The Nation 

Following renewed attacks and killings of residents in northern Plateau state in the last two weeks, the state government has imposed a dusk to dawn curfew.

A statement issued by the state government Wednesday evening imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on all districts in Bassa local government area.

The release, signed by the secretary to the Plateau state government, Rufu Bature, said the decision was to curtail further attacks.

The statement urged citizens to observe the curfew hours of 6:00 p.m till 6:00 a.m to avoid being confronted by security operatives deployed to enforce the measure.

On Wednesday, gunmen besieged Dong community of Jos south killing three persons, and setting ablaze 11 houses and four cars.

Yet-to-be identified armed men in the early hours of Tuesday also attacked and killed 25 people in Bassa.

Meanwhile, five youths who were killed in Bassa last week have been given mass burial.

President Muhammadu Buhari recently visited the state where he called for calm and restraint.

 

PT

Controversial on-air personality (OAP), Daddy Freeze has explained why it’s more rewarding to patronize a night club by buying their liquor, than giving it to a Pentecostal church.

Freeze said this after Quilox boss, Shina Peller saved accident victims over the weekend, along Sagamu road using his mouth to “draw fuel” from a bus as FRSC ambulance had none.

Freeze took to his Instagram page to upload photos of Shina and wrote:

“Why it’s more rewarding to use your money to buy liquor in @shinapeller‘s nightclub #Quilox than for you to give it to a Pentecostal church.

“There was an accident along the lagos Ibadan expressway and my good friend from the same hood as I, SHINA was passing by. Not only did he stop to help, he siphoned fuel with his mouth because the ambulance on the scene did not have enough fuel. He also gave one of his vehicles to take the injured to the hospital.

“How many of your fake ass Daddy GOs would do this? How many of them would use those their dirty, lying ass mouths anointed by satan himself to draw fuel? How many will even stop?

“Many of the accidents along that road are caused by the traffic around the numerous satanic institutions set up where developed countries would have set up factories.

“When Jesus was alive he drank alcohol and was accused to be in the presence of sinners (possibly in Night Clubs) so enjoying a bottle of Champagne or Henny with coke and ice at quilox in responsibility and moderation is actually Christ like.

“Matthew 11:19 NIV: The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ What could he have been drinking that they labeled him a drunkard? Lucozade boost?

“More so, another reason to patronize them lies in the fact that the club employs people who earn a living through it and it pays taxes as instructed by our first pastors, the disciples; something most pastors and churches are blatantly disobeying.

“Romans 13: NIV [6] This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. [7] Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue;

“Here are my 2cents, stop over at quilox on a Friday and empty your pockets there, so the thieves won’t have anything to steal from you on Sunday, while you are at it, drink responsibly! ~FRZ #FreeTheSheeple”.

 

DailyPost 

Nigeria’s total public debt stock is N21.725 trillion – as at the end of December, last year.

Debt Management Office (DMO) Director-General Patience Oniha, speaking yesterday in Abuja on the country’s Debt Management Strategy (DMS), said the Federal Government’s domestic debt at the end of 2017 was N12.589 trillion. The 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have a domestic debt overhang of N3.348 trillion.

The combined external debt of the Federal Government and the states is N5.787 trillion.

The new DMS, Oniha said, has brought about the restructuring of the debt portfolio, which “has resulted in reduction of debt servicing costs, lowering interest rates in the domestic market and an improved availability of credit facilities to the private sector.” The recent spate of borrowings the DMO boss said, is essentially “for financing capital expenditure and stimulating the economy”. “The funds injected through the borrowings strongly supported the implementation of the Federal Government’s budget, which helped the country to exit recession in 2017.”

The figures showed  that  Nigeria’s Debt Management Strategy is achieving its objective of reducing the ratio of Domestic Debt in the portfolio, with a target of 60% Domestic and 40% External, .

The composition of the Debt Stock as at the end of 2017 showed that External Debt was 26.64% of the portfolio, up from 20.04% in 2016. Domestic Debt was 73.36%, down from 79.96% in 2016.

The key benefits of the restructuring of the portfolio, Oniha explained “are the reduction of the Government’s Debt Service Costs, lowering of interest rates in the domestic market and improved availability of credit facilities to the private sector”. ”The DMO repaid N198 billion Nigerian Treasury Bills in December 2017 with the proceeds of Eurobond issuances and the DMO has continued further implementation of the strategy in 2018, with the issuance of the USD2.5 billion Eurobonds in February 2018, the proceeds of which is being used to repay maturing domestic debt, starting with N130 billion NTBs repaid on March 1, 2018.”

“The Total Public Debt as at December 31, 2017 represents 18.20% of Nigeria’s GDP for 2017. This shows that Nigeria’s debt continues to be sustainable and is well within the threshold of 56% for countries in Nigeria’s peer group,” Oniha stated.

Ms. Oniha assured Nigerians that the most important consideration for these borrowings was that the proceeds were being prudently applied to bridge infrastructure gaps occasioned by the decline in revenues.

She also promised that “the rate of increase of debt servicing would reduce, going forward, given the Federal Government’s attention to raise revenue through the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), as well as targeted efforts to increase local production of some of the goods responsible for high foreign exchange demand”.

When asked to react to the advice by America’s former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that Nigeria should be wary of Chinese loans, the DMO boss said that Chinese loans were being to provide specific infrastructure projects, such as railways and re-modeling of various airports.

She also noted that Nigeria borrows from other countries , such as Japan, France, India and Germany, “based on Nigeria’s needs, interests and conditions considered favourable to the nation”.

Mrs Pniha said: “If the Americans have any offer, it should be put on the table.  It is not about de-marketing China.”

 

WHO OWES WHAT

• N12.589tr —Federal Government’s domestic debt at the end of 2017
• N3.348tr —The 36 states and the FCT domestic debt overhang
• N5.787tr—The combined external debt of the FG and the states

 

 

The Nation