My wife controls four ministries – Governor Okorocha

The Imo State governor, Rochas Okoroca, has revealed that, in his administration, his wife, Nkechi Okorocha, controls over four ministries.

The governor made the revelation when the correspondent chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Imo State, recognized Nkechi with the “Most Outstanding Governor’s Wife Award” during the week in Owerri.

The Secretary to the state government, George Etche who represented the governor at the event, while listing the achievements of Okorocha’s wife in 6 years, also named the ministries under her control.

He said the ministries include, “Women Affairs, Works, Health, as well as the office of the Secretary to the State Government.”

Etche further said that the governor’s wife deserved to be honoured with the award of “Nobel peace prize”.

According to Etche, “We should thank God Almighty for giving us Owelle Rochas Okorocha who has offered us free education at all levels.

“We should also thank God for giving us his wife, Nkechi Okorocha, for putting smiles in the faces of the less privileged in the state.

“It is difficult to see first ladies do this kind of thing. You see that over 200 widows have gotten houses in Imo State.”

Source: Daily Post 

FULL TEXT: President Buharis address at Presentation of 2017 Budget

SPEECH OF HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ON THE 2017 BUDGET OF RECOVERY AND GROWTH AT JOINT SESSION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 14TH DECEMBER 2016

Protocols

1. It is my pleasure to present the 2017 Budget Proposals to this distinguished Joint Assembly: the Budget of Recovery and Growth.

2. We propose that the implementation of the Budget will be based on our Economic Recovery and Growth Strategy. The Plan, which builds on our 2016 Budget, provides a clear road map of policy actions and steps designed to bring the economy out of recession and to a path of steady growth and prosperity.

3. We continue to face the most challenging economic situation in the history of our Nation. Nearly every home and nearly every business in Nigeria is affected one way or the other.

4. Yet I remain convinced that this is also a time of great opportunity.We have reached a stage when the creativity, talents and resilience of the Nigerian people is being rewarded. Those courageous and patriotic men and women who believed in Nigeria are now seeing the benefits gradually come to fruition. I am talking about the farmers who today are experiencing bumper harvests, the manufacturers who substituted imported goods for local materials and the car assembly companies who today are expanding to meet higher demand.

5. Distinguished members of National Assembly, for the record:For many years we depended on oil for foreign exchange revenues. In the days of high oil prices,we did not save.We squandered.

6. We wasted our large foreign exchange reserves to import nearly everything we consume. Our food, Our clothing, Our manufacturing inputs, Our fuel and much more.In the past 18 months when we experienced low oil prices, we saw our foreign exchange earnings cut by about 60%, our reserves eroded and our consumption declined as we could not import to meet our needs.

7. By importing nearly everything, we provide jobs for young men and women in the countries that produce what we import, while our own young people wander around jobless. By preferring imported goods, we ensure steady jobs for the nationals of other countries, while our own farmers, manufacturers, engineers, and marketers, remain jobless.

8. I will stand my ground and maintain my position that under my watch, that old Nigeria is slowly but surely disappearing and a new era is rising in which we grow what we eat and consume what we make.
We will CHANGE our habits and we will CHANGE Nigeria.

9. By this simple principle, we will increasingly grow and process our own food, we will manufacture what we can and refine our own petroleum products. We will buy ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods. We will encourage garment manufacturing and Nigerian designers, tailors and fashion retailers. We will patronize local entrepreneurs. We will promote the manufacturing powerhouses in Aba, Calabar, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Nnewi, Onitsha, and Ota. From light manufacturing to cement production and petrochemicals, our objective is to make Nigeria a new manufacturing hub.

10. Today, the demand of the urban consumer has presented an opportunity for the rural producer. Across the country, our farmers, traders and transporters are seeing a shift in their fortunes. Nigerians who preferred imported products are now consuming made in Nigeria products. From Argungu in Kebbi to Abakalaki in Ebonyi, rice farmers and millers are seeing their products move. We must replicate such success in other staples like wheat, sugar, soya, tomato and dairy products. Already, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Organised Private Sector and a handful of Nigerian commercial banks, have embarked on an ambitious private sector-led N600 billion program to push us towards self-sufficiency in three years for these products. I hereby make a special appeal to all State Governors to make available land to potential farmers for the purpose of this program.

11. To achieve self-sufficiency in food and other products, a lot of work needs to be done across the various value chains. For agriculture, inputs must be available and affordable. In the past, basic inputs, like the NPK fertilizer,were imported although key ingredients like urea and limestone are readily available locally. Our local blending plants have been abandoned. Jobs lost and families destroyed. I am pleased to announce today that on 2nd December 2016, Morocco and Nigeria signed an ambitious collaboration agreement to revive the abandoned Nigerian fertilizer blending plants. The agreement focuses on optimizing local materials while only importing items that are not available locally. This program has already commenced and we expect that in the first quarter of 2017, it will create thousands of jobs and save Nigeria US$200 million of foreign exchange and over N60 billion in subsidy.

12. We must take advantage of current opportunities to export processed agricultural products and manufactured goods. Let it not be lost on anyone that the true drivers of our economic future will be the farmers, small and medium sized manufacturers, agro-allied businesses, dressmakers, entertainers and technology start-ups. They are the engine of our imminent economic recovery. And their needs underpin the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

13. Let me, Mr. Senate President, Right Hon. Speaker, here acknowledge the concerns expressed by the National Assembly and, in particular, acknowledge your very helpful Resolutions on the State of the Economy, which were sent to me for my consideration. The Resolutions contained many useful suggestions, many of which are in line with my thinking and have already been reflected in our Plan. Let me emphasise that close cooperation between the Executive and the Legislature is vital to the success of our recovery and growth plans.

14. Permit me to briefly outline a few important features of the Plan. The underlying philosophy of our Economic Recovery and Growth Plan is optimizing the use of local content and empowering local businesses. The role of Government must be to facilitate, enable and support the economic activities of the Nigerian businesses as I earlier mentioned. Fiscal, monetary and trade policies will be fully aligned and underpinned by the use of policy instruments to promote import substitution. Government will however at all times ensure the protection of public interest.

15. First we clearly understand the paradox that to diversify from oil we need oil revenues. You may recall that oil itself was exploited by investment from agricultural surpluses. We will now use oil revenues to revive our agriculture and industries. Though we cannot control the price of crude oil, we are determined to get our production back to at least 2.2 million barrels per day. Consistent with the views which have also been expressed by the National Assembly, we will continue our engagement with the communities in the Niger Delta to ensure that there is minimum disruption to oil production. The National Assembly, State and Local Governments, Traditional Rulers, Civil Society Organisations and Oil Companies must also do their part in this engagement. We must all come together to ensure peace reigns in the Niger Delta.

16. In addition, we will continue our ongoing reforms to enhance the efficiency of the management of our oil and gas resources. To this effect, from January 2017, the Federal Government will no longer make provision for Joint Venture cash-calls. Going forward, all Joint Venture operations shall be subjected to a new funding mechanism, which will allow for Cost Recovery. This new funding arrangement is expected to boost exploration and production activities, with resultant net positive impact on government revenues which can be allocated to infrastructure, agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing sectors.

17. I earlier mentioned our ambitions for policy harmonisation. But we all know that one of the peculiar problems of our environment is execution. This phenomenon affects both government carrying out its own functions and the innumerable bureaucratic hurdles in doing business. To this end, I will be issuing some Executive Orders to ensure the facilitation and speeding up of government procurements and approvals. Facilitation of business and commerce must be the major objective of government agencies. Government must not be the bottle neck. Additionally, these Executive Orders will widen the scope of compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act by Federal Government owned entities and promote support for local content in Ministries, Department and Agencies.

18. The Executive will soon place before the National Assembly proposals for legislation to reduce statutorily mandated minimum times for administrative processes in order to speed up business transactions. In addition, I have established the Presidential Enabling Business Council, chaired by the Vice President with a mandate to make doing business in Nigeria easier and more attractive. Getting approvals for business and procurements will be simplified and made faster.

19. In 2017, we will focus on the rapid development of infrastructure, especially rail, roads and power. Efforts to fast-track the modernization of our railway system is a priority in the 2017 Budget. In 2016, we made a lot of progress getting the necessary studies updated and financing arrangements completed. We also addressed some of the legacy contractor liabilities inherited to enable us to move forward on a clean slate. Many of these tasks are not visible but are very necessary for sustainability of projects. Nigerians will soon begin to see the tangible benefits in 2017.

20. We also have an ambitious programme for growing our digital platforms in order to modernise the Nigerian economy, support innovation and improve productivity and competitiveness. We will do this through increased spending on critical information technology infrastructure and also by promoting policies that facilitate investments in this vital sector.

21. During 2016, we conducted a critical assessment of the power sector value chain, which is experiencing major funding issues. Although Government, through the CBN and other Development Finance Institutions has intervened, it is clear that more capital is needed. We must also resolve the problems of liquidity in the sector. On its part, Government has made provisions in its 2017 Budget to clear its outstanding electricity bills. This we hope, will provide the much needed liquidity injection to support the investors.

22. In the delivery of critical infrastructure, we have developed specific models to partner with private capital, which recognize the constraints of limited public finances and incorporate learnings from the past. These tailor-made public private partnerships are being customized, in collaboration with some global players, to suit various sectors, and we trust that, the benefits of this new approach will come to fruition in 2017.

23. Fellow Nigerians, although a lot of problems experienced by this Administration were not created by us, we are determined to deal with them. One of such issues that the Federal Government is committed to dealing with frontally, is the issue of its indebtedness to contractors and other third parties. We are at an advanced stage of collating and verifying these obligations, some of which go back ten years, which we estimate at about N2 trillion. We will continue to negotiate a realistic and viable payment plan to ensure legitimate claims are settled.

2016 Budget Performance

24. In 2016, the budget was prepared on the principles of zero based budgeting to ensure our resources were prudently managed and utilized solely for the public good. This method was a clear departure from the previous incremental budgeting method. We have adopted the same principles in the 2017 Budget.

25. Distinguished members of the National Assembly may recall that the 2016 Budget was predicated on a benchmark oil price of US$38 per barrel, oil production of 2.2 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N197 to the US dollar.

26. On the basis of these assumptions, aggregate revenue was projected at N3.86 trillion while the expenditure outlay was estimated at N6.06 trillion. The deficit of N2.2 trillion, which was about 2.14% of GDP was expected to be mainly financed through borrowing.

27. The implementation of the 2016 Budget was hampered by the combination of relatively low oil prices in the first quarter of 2016, and disruptions in crude oil production which led to significant shortfalls in projected revenue. This contributed to the economic slow-down that negatively affected revenue collections by the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigerian Customs Service.

28. As at 30 September 2016, aggregate revenue inflow was N2.17 trillion or 25% less than prorated projections. Similarly, N3.58 trillion had been spent by the same date on both recurrent and capital expenditure. This is equivalent to 79% of the pro rated full year expenditure estimate of N4.54 trillion as at the end of September 2016.

29. In spite of these challenges, we met both our debt service obligations and personnel costs. Similarly, overhead costs have been largely covered.

30. Although capital expenditure suffered as a result of project formulation delays and revenue shortfalls, in the five months since the 2016 Budget was passed, the amount of N753.6 billion has been released for capital expenditure as at the end of October 2016. It is important to note that this is one of the highest capital releases recorded in the nation’s recent history. In fact, it exceeds the aggregate capital expenditure budget for 2015.

31.Consequently, work has resumed on a number of stalled infrastructure projects such as the construction of new terminals at the country’s four major airports; numerous major road projects; key power transmission projects; and the completion of the Kaduna – Abuja railway to mention a few.

32. We remain resolute in our commitment to the security of life and property nationwide. The courageous efforts and sacrifices of our heroes in the armed forces and para military unitsare clear for all to see. The gradual return to normality in the North East is a good example of the results. Our resolve to support them is unwavering. Our spending in the 2016 fiscal year focused on ensuring these gallant men and women are properly equipped and supported. We will continue to prioritise defence spending till all our enemies, within and outside, are subdued.

33. Stabilisation of sub-national government finances remains a key objective in our plans to stimulate the economy. In June 2016,a conditional Budget Support Programme was introduced, which offered State Governments N566 billion to address their funding shortfalls. To participate, State Governments were required to subscribe to certain fiscal reforms centered around transparency, accountability and efficiency. For example, States as part of this program were required to publish audited accounts and introduce biometric payroll systems with the goal of eliminating ghost workers.

34. Our efforts on cost containment have continued throughout the year. We have restricted travel costs,reduced board members’ sitting allowances, converted forfeited properties to Government offices to save on rent and eliminated thousands of Ghost workers. These, and many other cost reduction measures will lead to savings of close to N180 billion per annum to be applied to critical areas including health, security and education.

2017 Budget Priorities

35. Let me now turn to 2017 Budget.Government’s priorities in 2017 will be a continuation of our 2016 plans but adjusted to reflect new additions made in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan. In order to restore growth, a key objective of the Federal Government will be to bring about stability and greater coherence between monetary, fiscal and trade policies while guaranteeing security for all.
36. The effort to diversify the economy and create jobs will continue with emphasis on agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals and services. Mid- and Down-stream oil and gas sectors,are also key priority areas. We will prioritise investments in human capital development especially in education and health, as well as wider social inclusion through job creation, public works and social investments.

37. Our plans also recognise that success in building a dynamic, competitive economy depends on construction of high quality national infrastructure and an improved business environment leveraging locally available resources. To achieve this, we will continue our goal of improving governance by enhancing public service delivery as well as securing life and property.

The 2017 Budget: Assumptions, Revenue Projections and Fiscal Deficit

38. Distinguished members of the National Assembly, the 2017 Budget is based on a benchmark crude oil price of US$42.5 per barrel; an oil production estimate of 2.2 million barrels per day; and an average exchange rate of N305 to the US dollar.

39. Based on these assumptions, aggregate revenue available to fund the federal budget is N4.94 trillion. This is 28% higher than 2016 full year projections. Oil is projected to contribute N1.985 trillion of this amount.

40. Non-oil revenues, largely comprising Companies Income Tax, Value Added Tax, Customs and Excise duties, and Federation Account levies are estimated to contribute N1.373 trillion. We have set a more realistic projection of N807.57 billion for Independent Revenues, while we have projected receipts of N565.1 billion from various Recoveries. Other revenue sources, including mining, amount to N210.9 billion.

41. With regard to expenditure, we have proposed a budget size of N7.298 trillion which is a nominal 20.4% increase over 2016 estimates. 30.7% of this expenditure will be capital in line with our determination to reflate and pull the economy out of recession as quickly as possible.

42. This fiscal plan will result in a deficit of N2.36 trillion for 2017 which is about 2.18% of GDP. The deficit will be financed mainly by borrowing which is projected to be about N2.32 trillion. Our intention is to source N1.067 trillion or about 46% of this borrowing from external sources while, N1.254 trillion will be borrowed from the domestic market.
Expenditure Estimates

43. The proposed aggregate expenditure of N7.298 trillion will comprise:

i. Statutory transfers of N419.02 billion;
ii. Debt service of N1.66 trillion;
iii. Sinking fund of N177.46 billion to retire certain maturing bonds;
iv. Non-debt recurrent expenditure of N2.98 trillion; and
v. Capital expenditure of N2.24 trillion (including capital in Statutory Transfers).
Statutory Transfers

44. We have increased the budgetary allocation to the Judiciary from N70 billion to N100 billion. This increase in funding is further meant to enhance the independence of the judiciary and enable them to perform their functions effectively.
Recurrent Expenditure

45. A significant portion of recurrent expenditure has been provisioned for the payment of salaries and overheads in institutions that provide critical public services. The budgeted amounts for these items are:

· N482.37 billion for the Ministry of Interior;
· N398.01 billion for Ministry of Education;
· N325.87 billion for Ministry of Defence; and
· N252.87 billion for Ministry of Health.

46. We have maintained personnel costs at about N1.8 trillion.It is important that we complete the work that we have started of ensuring the elimination of all ghost workers from the payroll. Accordingly, adequate provision has been made in the 2017 Budget to ensure all personnel that are not enrolled on the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System platform are captured.

47. We have tasked the Efficiency Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance to cut certain overhead costs by 20%. We must eliminate all non-essential costs so as to free resources to fund our capital expenditure.
Capital Expenditure

48. The size of the 2017 capital budget of N2.24 trillion (inclusive of capital in Statutory Transfers), or 30.7% of the total budget, reflects our determination to spur economic growth. These capital provisions are targeted at priority sectors and projects.

49. Specifically, we have maintained substantially higher allocations for infrastructural projects which will have a multiplier effect on productivity, employment and also promote private sector investments into the country.

50. Key capital spending provisions in the Budget include the following:

• Power, Works and Housing: N529billion;
• Transportation: N262 billion;
• Special Intervention Programmes: N150 billion.
• Defence: N140 billion;
• Water Resources: N85 billion;
• Industry, Trade and Investment: N81 billion;
• Interior: N63 billion;
• Education N50 billion
• Universal Basic Education Commission: N92 billion
• Health: N51 billion
• Federal Capital Territory: N37 billion;
• Niger Delta Ministry: N33 billion; and
• Niger Delta Development Commission: N61 billion;

51. N100 billion has been provided in the Special Intervention programme as seed money into the N1 trillion Family Homes Fund that will underpin a new social housing programme. This substantial expenditure is expected to stimulate construction activity throughout the country.

52. Efforts to fast-track the modernization of our railway system will receive further boost through the allocation of N213.14 billion as counterpart funding for the Lagos-Kano, Calabar-Lagos,Ajaokuta-Itakpe-Warri railway, and Kaduna-Abuja railway projects. As I mentioned earlier, in 2016, we invested a lot of time ensuring the paper work is done properly while negotiating the best deal for Nigeria. I must admit this took longer than expected but I am optimistic that these projects will commence in 2017 for all to see.

53. Given the emphasis placed on industrialization and supporting SMEs, a sum of N50 billion has been set aside as Federal Government’s contribution for the expansion of existing, as well as the development of new, Export Processing and Special Economic Zones. These will be developed in partnership with the private sector as we continue our efforts to promote and protect Nigerian businesses. Furthermore, as the benefits of agriculture and mining are starting to become visible, I have instructed that the Export Expansion Grant be revived in the form of tax credits to companies. This will further enhance the development of some agriculture and mining sector thereby bringing in more investments and creating more jobs. The sum of N20 billion has been voted for the revival of this program.

54. Our small- and medium-scale businesses continue to face difficulties in accessing longer term and more affordable credit. To address this situation, a sum of N15 billion has been provided for the recapitalization of the Bank of Industry and the Bank of Agriculture. In addition, the Development Bank of Nigeria will soon start operations with US$1.3 billion focused exclusively on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.

55. Agriculture remains at the heart of our efforts to diversify the economy and the proposed allocation to the sector this year is at a historic high of N92 billion. This sum will complement the existing efforts by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and CBN to boost agricultural productivity through increased intervention funding at single digit interest rate under the Anchor Borrowers Programme, commercial agricultural credit scheme and The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System for Agricultural Lending.Accordingly, our agricultural policy will focus on the integrated development of the agricultural sector by facilitating access to inputs, improving market access, providing equipment and storage as well as supporting the development of commodity exchanges.

56. Government realizes that achieving its goals with regard to job creation, also requires improving the skills of our labour force, especially young people. We have accordingly made provision, including working with the private sector and State Governments, to establish and operate model technical and vocational education institutes.

57. We propose with regard to healthcare to expand coverage through support to primary healthcare centres and expanding the National Health Insurance Scheme.

58. The 2017 Budget estimates retains the allocation of N500 billion to the Special Intervention programme consisting of the Home-grown School Feeding Programme, Government Economic Empowerment programme, N-Power Job Creation Programme to provide loans for traders and artisans, Conditional Cash Transfers to the poorest families and the new Family Homes Fund (social housing scheme). The N-Power Programme has recently taken off with the employment of 200,000 graduates across the country, while the School Feeding Programme has commenced in a few States, where the verification of caterers has been completed

59. As we pursue economic recovery, we must remain mindful of issues of sustainable and inclusive growth and development. The significant vote for the Federal Ministry of Water Resources reflects the importance attached to integrated water resource management. In this regard, many river-basin projects have been prioritized for completion in 2017. Similarly, the increased vote of N9.52 billion for the Federal Ministry of Environment (an increase of 92% over the 2016 allocation) underscores the greater attention to matters of the environment, including climate change and leveraging private sector funding for the clean-up of the Niger Delta.

60. Provision has also been made in these estimates for activities that will foster a safe and conducive atmosphere for the pursuit of economic and social activities. In this regard, the allocation for the Presidential Amnesty Programme has been increased to N65 billion in the 2017 Budget. Furthermore, N45 billion in funding has been provisioned for the rehabilitation of the North East to complement the funds domiciled at the Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative as well as commitments received from the multinational donors.

Conclusion

61. Mr. Senate President, Mr. Speaker, distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, I cannot end without commending the National Assembly for its support insteering our economy on a path of sustained and inclusive growth. This generation has an opportunity to move our country from an unsustainable growth model – one that is largely dependent on oil earnings and imports, to an economy that focuses on using local labour and local raw materials. We cannot afford to let this opportunity slip by. We must all put our differences aside and work together to make this country succeed. The people that voted us into these esteemed positions are looking to us to make a difference. To change the course of this nation. I have no doubt in my mind that by working together, we will put Nigeria back on the path that its founding fathers envisaged.

62. This Budget, therefore, represents a major step in delivering on our desired goals through a strong partnership across the arms of government and between the public and private sectors to create inclusive growth. Implementation will move to centre-stage as we proceed with the process of re-balancing our economy, exiting recession and insulating it from future external and domestic shocks.

63. I thank you all for your patience and patriotism.

Civil Defence to recruit additional 10,000 personnel

The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Abdullahi Muhammadu Gana has requested for additional 10,000 personnel to be recruited into the service.

According to a statement from the corps spokesman Emmanuel Okeh, Gana made the remark after the decoration of 10 senior officers promoted from the rank of Commandant to Assistant Commandant General at the Civil Defence Academy, Abuja.

Gana explained that the additional personnel is ” in order to meet up with the demands from different Ministries, Department and Agencies of government seeking for deployment of the Corps personnel.”

The CG clarified that the promotion of the officers was purely on merit, therefore they must justify the confidence given to them.

Gana also posited that, with the demand from Ministry of Agriculture, the Corps is expected to provide 6,000 personnel to protect the proposed 200 cattle ranches in order to curtail the incessant crisis between the Fulani herdsmen and Farmers.

He encouraged personnel to be patient as the management is working towards ensuring payment of their shift arrears, election allowances as soon as fund is made available by the Government and not to join rumour mongers speculating that their money was embezzled.

Senate To Abolish State Joint Local Govt Account…Create office of elected Mayor for FCT

…Removes CCB From Executive

If the recommendation of the Senate Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution is accepted by the House of Representatives and assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, the state joint local government account will be a thing of the past.

The abolition of the state joint local government account is one of the highlights Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, presented to the Senate Thursday.

Ekweremadu also said that the Senate constitution committee adopted the recommendation to create a mayoral seat for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

He noted that the committee, inaugurated on 13th January, 2016 had a clear mandate to reprocess the aspects of the Fourth Alteration Bill that had gained national consensus and enjoyed huge good-will from the general public, states, non-governmental organizations and international development organizations.

On local government administration, Ekweremadu said that Section 7 of the Constitution was amended essentially to strengthen local government administration in Nigeria by elaborately providing – A uniform 3-year tenure for elected local government council officials; That Local Governments without a democratically elected council shall not be entitled to any revenue from the Federation Account.

Members of the committee, he said, believed that amendments will ensure effective service delivery and insulate local governments from undue and counter-productive interferences from state governments.

On distributable pool account, he said that Section 162 of the Constitution was amended to – Provide for national savings of 50% of oil revenues above the bench mark for a particular year and 10% of any non- oil revenue paid into the Federation Account; Or such other percentage not less than that provided in this section as the National Assembly may determine in the Appropriation Act of a particular year.

To provide that any such savings as stipulated in this section will be distributed in accordance with the prevailing revenue sharing formula and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution provided that the savings shall not be distributed in any period less than ten years from the date of a particular savings; and to abrogate the State Joint Local Government Account and paying monies due to Local Government Councils directly into their respective accounts

The amended section, he said, also defined the fund of the State government; “that is, internally generated revenue from which a portion shall be paid into the Local Government Allocation Account.”

On authorization of expenditure, Ekweremadu said that Sections 82 and 122 of the Constitution were amended to reduce the period within which the President or a Governor may authorize the withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Revenue Fund in the absence of an appropriation act from six months to three months.

The amendment, he explained was essentially to compel early presentation of budget proposal by the Executive arm of government thereby giving the legislature sufficient time to scrutinize such proposal.

On political parties and electoral matters, he said that Sections 134 (4) & (5), 179 (4) & (5) and 225 were amended to – Extend the time for conducting presidential and Governorship re-run elections where no clear winner has emerged from seven to 21 days to give INEC sufficient time to plan, considering the logistics that is required such as printing and transporting new ballot papers for the elections;

To empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to de-register political parties for non-fulfillment of certain conditions such as breach of registration requirements and failure to secure/win either a presidential, governorship, Local Government chairmanship or a seat in the National or State Assembly elections.

On financial autonomy of state legislatures, he said that Section 121 of the Constitution was amended to guarantee a first line charge funding of State Houses of Assembly from the consolidated revenue fund of the State.

On status of the Federal Capital Territory, he noted that Sections 256, 299, 300, 301 and 302 of the Constitution were amended to Create the Office of an elected Mayor for the FCT with powers to administer the FCT as if it were a State of the Federation by exercising all functions presently administered by the Minister of the FCT.

On nomination of ministers and commissioners, he said that Sections 147 and 192 of the Constitution were amended to – Ensure that the President and Governors designate and assign portfolios to persons nominated as ministers or commissioners respectively prior to confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly;

Provide a period of 60 days within which such nominations shall be forwarded to the Senate or State House of Assembly following inauguration; and

Provide 35% representation for women in the appointment of ministers and commissioners.

On the Legislature, he said that Sections 51, 67, 93 and 315 were amended to – Create the National Assembly Service Commission and the State House of Assembly Service Commission and empower the National Assembly and State House of Assembly respectively to provide for the powers and structure of the Commissions through subsequent legislations, and

To make it mandatory for the President to attend a joint meeting of the National Assembly once a year to deliver a State of the Nation Address.

Remove the law-making power of the Executive arm of government under S. 315 because “the extant provision is starkly contrary to Section 4 of the Constitution which confers law-making powers exclusively on the legislature.”

On the Judiciary, he said Sections 233, 237, 247, 251 and Part I of the Third Schedule of the Constitution were amended to- Provide for all appeals from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court to be by leave of the Supreme Court except in the case of Interpretation of the Constitution, death sentences and fundamental human rights.

Allow two justices of the Court of Appeal sitting in chambers to dispose any application for leave to appeal after considering the records of proceedings if the justices believe the interest of justice does not require an oral hearing of the application.

Establish a criminal division of the Federal High Court to try electoral offences, terrorism cases, economic and financial crimes cases etc.

Provide for appeals from the decisions of the National Industrial Court to the Court of Appeal.

Provide for 12 Justices of the Court of Appeal to be learned in Labour and Employment Matters for the purpose of hearing appeals from the National Industrial Court.

Improve the quality of representation in the National Judicial Council.

Put the Code of Conduct Tribunal under the control of the judiciary instead of the executive.

On devolution of powers, he said that the Second Schedule, Part I and II of the Constitution were altered to decongest the Exclusive legislative list to give more powers to states. This enhances the principle of federalism and good governance. It substituted “Post and Telegraphs” with “Post and Telecommunications”, and moved Pensions, Prisons, Railways, Stamp Duties and Wages from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List and added Arbitration, Environment, Healthcare, Housing, Road Safety, pensions, Land and Agriculture, Youths, Public Complaints to the Concurrent List.

The committee also effected local government change of name by amending the First Schedule to change the names of local governments as follows:

“Afikpo North” and “Afikpo South” to “Afikpo” and “Edda” respectively;

“Egbado North” and “Egbado South” to “ Yewa North” and “Yewa South”;

“Obia/Akpor” to “Obio/Akpor”.

Ekweremadu noted that the Senate committee had concluded its assignment; they agreed to wait for the House of Representatives on Constitution review to conclude so that the two committee would harmonize before presenting the final report to the two chambers.

Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, asked the committee to work to beat the January 2017 deadline slated for the passage of the Bill.

Eid-el-Maulud: FG Declares Monday, Dec 12 Public Holiday

The Federal Government has declared Monday, Dec 12, as public holiday to mark the Eid-El-Maulud celebration.

The Minister of Interior, Retired Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, Dambazau enjoined all Muslim faithful and Nigerians in general to join hands with President Muhammadu Buhari to build a strong, united and peaceful Nation.

He also urged all Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for peace across the nation.

The minister also called on all Nigerians to be patient and supportive of the present administration for the successful implementation of its laudable programmes.

He wished all Nigerians a happy and peaceful Eid-El-Maulud celebration.

FG bans vehicle imports through land borders

The Federal government has banned importation of vehicles into Nigeria through the land borders.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Wale Adeniyi, said this in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Lagos.

According to the statement, the prohibition order covers all new and used vehicles.

“The ban is sequel to a Presidential directive restricting all vehicle imports to Nigerian seaports only.

“The order takes effect from Jan. 1, 2017.

“ The restriction on importation of vehicles follows that of rice, whose imports have been banned through the land borders since April 2016.

“ Importers of vehicles through the land borders are requested to utilise the grace period up till Dec. 31, 2016 to clear their vehicle imports landed in neighbouring ports, ’’ the statement says.

South Korea’s opposition parties move towards President Park impeachment

South Korea’s opposition People’s Party will start collecting signatures for an impeachment motion against President Park Geun-hye, while the main opposition Democratic Party will review the conditions for impeachment, party spokesmen said on Monday.
South Korean prosecutors said on Sunday they believe Park was an accomplice in an influence-peddling scandal that has rocked her administration.

Park’s close friend Choi Soon-sil and former presidential aide An Chong-bum have been charged with abuse of power by pressuring companies to contribute funds to foundations at the centre of the scandal.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday in the fourth straight weekend of protests against Park, in the biggest public demonstrations the country has seen since the 1980s.

Park, who’s five-year term ends in February 2018, has resisted calls to resign but has apologised twice, saying she only sought to benefit the economy not herself, but acknowledges carelessness in her ties with Choi.

The People’s Party, with 38 seats in the single-chamber 300-member parliament, has started efforts to remove Park from office and will talk with other parties to get signatures for an impeachment motion, said a party spokesman Lee Yong-ho.

An impeachment motion requires at least half of the parliament to start and needs a two-thirds majority to pass.
If an impeachment motion passes parliament, it is reviewed by the Constitutional Court, which has to confirm it with at least six of its nine judges. Political analysts say an impeachment motion against Park has a good chance of passing.

The Democratic Party, which has 121 seats, said on Monday it would start reviewing the conditions for impeachment proceedings but did not commit to starting the motion.

“Impeachment proceedings need perfect preparations as much is possible,” Choo Mi-ae, head of the Democratic Party told a party meeting, adding the best scenario was for Park to step down.

Political analysts have said opposition parties are not pushing hard for impeachment because if the motion fails, it will improve Park’s chances of surviving the crisis.

In 2004, parliament voted to impeach then-President Roh Moo-hyun, only to have the motion overturned by the Constitutional Court. The move was unpopular with the public, which saw it as an abuse of power by the opposition, which had a majority then.

SENATE MOVES TO AVERT FULL BLOWN INDUSTRIAL ACTION OVER ASUU STRIKE

Senate on Tuesday moved to avert an impending full blown strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the umbrella body of Nigerian lecturers.

ASUU had at the weekend issued a threat to embark on a warning strike on Wednesday, to protest Federal Government’s inability to comply with agreements reached with the union since 2009.

To forestall the warning strike and avert a possible full blown action by the lecturers, Senate mandated its President, Bukola Saraki to quickly intervene in the matter with a view to stopping the planned strike.

This resolution followed a point of order from Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Barau Jibrin, who called on the senate to as a matter of urgent public importance, intervene in the matter.

Jibrin admitted the need for the FG to implement 2009 agreement with the union; worried that if government continues to forsake the demands of the lecturers, it could hold dire consequences for the country’s universities.

Aside issues of funding for the universities and welfare of lecturers, a major demand of ASUU is for the FG to exempt universities from its TSA policy.

Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) while seconding the motion, stressed the need to nip the planned strike in the bud; calling on FG to engage ASUU and for the Senate to Intervene.

“The issue of strike has been a recurring decimal in Nigeria. But for a long time, we have not heard of it. So when ASUU said it would embark on strike it was a big concern for many of us who are parents”, he said.

Goje’s position was backed by Senator Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central) and Senate Leader, Ali Ndume.

According to them, the President of the Senate should be mandated to wade into the matter, before it degenerates into full blown strike.

Apart from mandating the Senate President to intervene in the matter, the Senate also urged the FG to engage with ASUU and ensure that its entitlements are captured in the 2017 budget.

ASUU TO COMMENCE STRIKE ON WEDNESDAY

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, said it would embark on a one week warning strike over failure by the Federal Government to implement the 2009 Agreement and 2013 MoU.

ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, spoke on Monday at the University of Abuja during a press conference organised by the union.
Mr. Ogunyemi said following a nationwide consultation with members, the National Executive Council, NEC, of ASUU resolved to embark on a one week warning strike from Wednesday November 16.

“Many aspects of the 2013 MoU and the 2009 agreement with the Federal Government have either been unimplemented or despairingly handled.
“The agreements are: Payments of staff entitlements since December 2015, funding of universities for revitalisation, pension, TSA and university autonomy and renegotiation of 2009 Agreement.

“Failure by the Federal Government to implement this agreement has put ASUU leadership in severe difficulty, responding to inquiries from members of the union about the state of our agreement,” he said.

The ASUU president said that during the warning strike, there shall be no teaching, examination and no attendance at statutory meetings in all branches.
He, however, called on all education-loving Nigerians to prevail on the Federal Government to address the patriotic demands of ASUU until the Nigerian university system is repositioned.

“With the release of the 2016 Annual Budget, our union wondered aloud why allocation to education dropped from 11 per cent in 2015 to eight per cent in 2016.

“With the introduction of TSA, the federal universities find it extremely difficult to discharge their core responsibilities of teaching, research and community services.
“We tried to correct the erroneous impression in government circles that the capital and research grants to universities were being handled by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund),” he said.

Barron Trump will be The First America Son To Live In The White House Since John F. Kennedy Jr. In 1963

Trump will be America’s first son to live in the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1963

President-elect Donald Trump’s youngest son wasn’t old enough to join his much older siblings as a surrogate for his father’s presidential campaign in 2016, but he was at home with his mother watching the polls. When his father’s presidential debates concluded, the 10-year-old united with the rest of the Trump family on the podium to support his father.

Barron Trump has made his own headlines in a somewhat comedic fashion following those formal appearances. Videos and photos of Barron struggling to stay awake in the midst of his father’s late-night speeches have gone viral. He was famously seen yawning and shifting in his chair at the Republican National Convention as his father spoke around midnight and again during the victory speech when Trump was officially announced as the 45th president of the United States at 3 a.m. on November 9.

As the future president prepares to hold public office and run the most powerful nation in the world, Barron Trump will enter the spotlight as the first son America has seen in a very long time — 54 years to be exact.

As a December 2008 report by Time revealed, only one boy has lived in the White House in the 80 years before President Barack Obama became president, and that was John F. Kennedy Jr. back in 1963. He was a baby, and his sister, Caroline Kennedy, was almost 4-years-old when the Kennedys moved into the White House.

According to White House History, Tad Lincoln was 7-years-old when his father, Abraham Lincoln, became president during the Civil War.

Next was Quentin Roosevelt as the first son, who was the first son from 1901 to 1909 when his father, Theodore Roosevelt, served as president.

Barron Trump will be the next to join this very short list of boys who have lived as America’s first sons while their fathers served as the president of the United States.

President-elect Trump would mention Barron on occasion during rallies, one in which he said he worried about the kind of role model he would have if former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were to become president. He would refer to the rigorous demands of being on the campaign trail and missed Barron.

The Inquisitr published 10 facts about Barron Trump and revealed more about the young man that America is about to know as its new first son. He’s only 10 but will live at least a portion of his teen years as the country’s first son.

Melania Trump said in multiple interviews that she opted to stay off her husband’s campaign trail to remain home and raise their son, Barron.

Very little is known about the future First Son Barron Trump. When his father is sworn into office on January 20, 2017, the world will be watching as Donald and Melania Trump take their new residence with Barron.

The nation has gotten a few glimpses of the young Trump, mostly at day’s end when kids his age are fast asleep in bed. Inauguration Day will be ceremoniously held in the afternoon, and Barron will be one of the figures front and center on that historic day.

The 10-year-old will accompany his parents looking unquestionably dapper and older than his years in a sleek suit looking on as his father takes the oath of office. It’ll be then that he officially becomes First Son Barron Trump, and his mother, First Lady Melania Trump.

The nation will witness this first son grow into his teen years during his father’s tenure as commander-in-chief. Barron Trump, often referred to as a “mini-Donald,” is already fascinating the country and will for years to come.

BOMBSHELL! Donald Trump Vows To Overturn Gay Marriage Says It Is Ungodly

In a recent interview with Pat Robertson’s television network, Donald Trump blathered that antigay conservatives the world over can rest easy knowing that he’s committed to overturning the Supreme Court’s landmark decision that struck down state bans on same-sex marriage nationwide.

The Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody asked the GOP presidential frontrunner what he thought of the Log Cabin Republicans calling him “one of the best, if not the best, pro-gay Republican candidates to ever run for the presidency.”

Told that Evangelicals want to trust his stance on traditional marriage, Trump responded:

“I think they can trust me on traditional marriage… and frankly, I was very much in favor of having the court rule that it goes to states, and let the states decide. And that was a shocking decision for you and for me and for a lot of other people, but I was very much in favor of letting the states decide and that’s the way it looked it was going and then all of a sudden out of nowhere came this very massive decision and they took it away. But I was always in favor of state’s rights; states deciding.”

EXPOSED: Buhari Donated $500M to Clinton Campaign

A United States non governmental group, the American Black Group for Democracy has revealed that the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari’s government plunged $500Million (About N150Billion) into the failed Hillary Clinton electioneering campaign fund. They added that the donation may create a huge misunderstanding between Nigeria and the incoming Trump’s US government.

According to Scannews, the Nigeria integrity challenged President, wasted no time in releasing the funds he reportedly pledged to the US secretary of states, Sen John Kerry and US Ambassador in Abuja to support of Mrs Clinton election.

President Buhari an Islamist fundamentalist, have a visible hatred for Mr Donald Trump, especially when the US president elect allegedly made some statement which the Nigerian president sources claimed is demeaning and a threat to the Islamic faith.

The Obama government, which Hillary Clinton served as Secretary of States frustrated the Nigerian former government’s war against the Islamist terror group, Boko haram and blocked
every source of sourcing arms against the terrorists. The US group saw Buhari’s donation as an appreciation or a pay back to the the Obama’s government that frustrated Nigerian government under Goodluck Jonathan in all front and used threats and intimidation to kick scare Jonathan out of office. They added that Mr Kerry’s frequent visit to Northern Nigerian may not be unconnected to the process to release the funds, as Buhari later quickly mobilized some Northern elders and his party governors of Northern inner circle, helped to facilitate a quick and secret ferrying of the money with secured Presidential Fiat.

The defeat of Hillary Clinton was received as a great shock by the Nigerian government, that was help to power by the polices of Mrs Clinton as secretary of state and the $500m donation is now a failed project that my be investigated by the Trump government. Left alone, President Buhari should not have congratulated Donald Trump because of the animosity he bears for the American.

It took the intervention and criticism of Nigerians to force President Buhari to congratulate the US President elect, Mr Donald Trump, as the Nigerian Seat of government was thrown into turmoil when it became certain that Trump has defeated Buhari’s
favoured candidate, Mrs Clinton. All the world leaders including those from Africa made a straight phone call to congratulate Mr Donald Trump, but President Buhari battling the fact that the incoming US government is aware of his hefty financial support to their opponent (Clinton) developed cold feet and choose to congratulate Trump through a twitter post.

Nigerians were shocked about this revelation that Buhari was busy funding a US presidential candidate, while millions of Nigerians are starving to death as a result of the recession caused by his clueless and directionless economic policies.

Obaseki: Oshiomhole hands over on Friday

Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole will on Friday hand-over power to the Governor-elect, Mr Godwin Obaseki.

Obaseki and his Deputy, Mr Philip Shaibu will, however, be sworn-in on Saturday at the Dr Samuel Ogbemudia stadium by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Cromwell Idahosa.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Edo University, Iyamho, Oshiomhole confirmed he will hand over on Friday.

He said God has answered his prayers to finish well and to finish strong.

Several flagship projects of the Oshiomhole administration including the new 200-bed Central Hospital, 6-lane Siluko road; Samuel Ogbemudia College, reclaimed Queen Edo gully erosion site, the Ugbegun-Ujiogba-Ebudin-Igueben-Ewohinmi road, Edo University, Iyamho, Second East Circular road and schools have been inaugurated since on Monday.

Obaseki polled 319,483 votes to defeat Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic Party who got 253,173 votes.

JUST IN: Putin Congratulates Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin has become one of few world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump.

In a telegram to the president-elect he said he hopes to work with Mr Trump on international issues, and said he believed a "constructive dialogue" between the US and Russia will serve the interests of both countries.

"Putin expressed hope for joint work to restore Russian-American relations from their state of crisis, and also to address pressing international issues and search for effective responses to challenges concerning global security," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Mr Trump's perceived closeness with Russia was, of course, a big source of political controversy throughout his campaign.

Donald Trump pledges to be president for all Americans after sweeping to shock US election victory

Donald Trump won the US presidential election early this morning in a stunning victory that sent shockwaves around the world.

The Republican took the key swing states of Florida, North Carolina and Ohio early this morning, as he marched towards the White House.
Mr Trump pledged that he would be "president for all Americans" in his New York victory speech.
He said he was "reaching out" to the people who had not supported him to "unify the country".

"Now it's time to bind the wounds of division. I say to Democrats and Republicans it is time come together as one united people," he said.

"I pledge to be president for all Americans," he said, adding: "The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer."
He said it was not a campaign but a movement that had won him the White House, comprised of "all people of different backgrounds and beliefs".

He said victory had been "tough". "This political stuff is nasty and it's tough," he said, while thanking his family.
It was an extraordinary election night. Mr Trump won some early east coast states and did not look back. When he secured the key swing state of Florida, a clear path to the presidency was laid out. He went on to win Ohio and South Carolina.

In an extraordinary development, Mrs Clinton did not initially concede the election - but then later called Mr Trump to congratulate him on his victory.

Mr Trump offered generous words for his vanquished opponent, saying she had worked hard for many years and was owed a "deep debt of gratitude".
The crowd was respectful at the mention of Mrs Clinton.
In a conciliatory speech Mr Trump added: "We will get along with all other nations willing to get along with us. We will deal fairly with everyone. We will seek common ground, partnership not conflict.

"America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our destiny."
The Republican surpassed expectations and confounded pollsters in Florida, where Mrs Clinton had been expected to win following a surge in the Hispanic vote.

Mrs Clinton’s hopes of a swift victory faded as the Republican picked up a series of states early on and maintained his momentum.
Financial markets around the world plummeted as votes for Mr Trump stacked up.

Mr Trump's threats to rip up a free trade agreement with Mexico and tax money sent home by migrants to pay for building a wall on the southern US border if elected president caused the peso to hit a record low.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Ukip, described the result as "bigger than Brexit".

He told The Telegraph that Mr Trump's election will represent a "massive result" for Britain.

He said that the UK would have a "friend in the White House" who will prioritise trade relations with the UK.

Munich court to try Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg for inciting hatred

Mark Zuckerberg and several other senior Facebook staff are facing charges of abetting crimes like Holocaust denial. German authorities believe the social media giant is not doing enough to censor the offensive posts.
    
A Munich court has opened a lawsuit against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, German media reported on Friday. News outlet "der Spiegel" wrote on its website, before the main weekly magazine's Saturday release, that it had obtained court documents charging the social media mogul with incitement to hatred.

Zuckerberg is reportedly being charged alongside Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg, chief Europe lobbyist Richard Allan, and his Berlin counterpart Eva-Maria Kirschsieper.

According to Spiegel, the complaint comes from the Würzburg-based attorney Chan-jo Jun. In the suit, he accuses Facebook of tolerating appeals for murder, threats of violence, and Holocaust denial, among other things.

Laws regulating hate speech in Germany are extremely tight, with most Nazi symbolism and racist propaganda strictly forbidden, a legacy of Germany's role in World War II. Although Facebook is obliged to remove illegal content from its site, it has repeatedly garnered hefty criticism for the time it takes to do so.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas has made hate speech on social media something of a pet project, threatening Twitter and Facebook specifically with being "too slow" in removing offending posts. Maas has pushed a new initiative in Brussels to create EU-wide laws that would hand out stricter penalties for racist or xenophobic content.

Spreading racist ideology can come at a hefty price in Germany. Last month, a man in Würzburg became the latest to see jail time over an online post advocating racial hatred. The posts in question advocated violence against Jews, foreigners, and refugees. Although the defendant expressed remorse, he was handed a prison sentence of two years and three months.

Facebook has often said it stands unequivocally against hate speech, and would work in the future to ensure a swifter removal of related posts.

PUBLIC NOTICE:

Tomorrow (Saturday), there shall be a Youth Development Summit, holding at Awa Community Town Hall, Onna L. G. A, tagged, 'Empowerment For The Next Level'.

The event which shall have a global microphone veteran and a former United Nations National/State WASH consultant, Dr. Tom Harry as resource person is sponsored by Iwaad Etienne Bob, the Acting President of Afigh Iwaad Ekid and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel on Projects.

Every youthful Akwa Ibom citizen, advocate of youth development and the public is hereby invited.

Time: 10:00am prompt.

Featured topics at the Summit shall include:
•Discover your purpose and vision
•Personal Development
•Entrepreneurial Skills
and lots more...

Keep a date!

For further enquiries, call 07036180570

MMM is a fraud, don't invest in it, CBN warns Nigerians

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned Nigerians against getting involved in MMM, a scheme that is currently making the rounds among Nigerians.

This is coming shortly after the Minister of Solid Minerals and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, dissociated himself from the MMM, saying he has nothing to do with it or any other online financial aid community, projects or contracts.

This was made known by the head of the consumer protection department of the CBN, Kadija Kassim, on Monday. She made it known that activities associated with the scheme are not regulated by any institution.

Speaking during a mentoring program for students of Government Secondary School, Suleja, Kassim warned against the use of MMM Federal Republic of Nigeria, a Ponzi scheme company, referring to the scheme as a “wonder bank”.

In Kassim’s words, “We have heard about the activities of MMM.
“But I want to warn you against it because they are wonder banks that are not regulated.
“Desist from their activities because they are fraudulent.
“Don’t save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”
The scheme claims to allow a 30 per cent monthly return on investment for every investor and a lot of Nigerians have been lured into it.

Culled from Daily Trust

Udom's Aide Suggests Punishment For Bodies and Persons Convicted of of cruelty against disabled persons or infringement upon their legal and fundamental human rights.

Today At AKHA complex:

Ulap Joseph Bassey Okon, the International President of Essu Nlap Oro and SSA to Gov. Udom on Projects, has just concluded a  presentation, at an ongoing public hearing on a Bill to protect the physically challenged persons against all forms of discrimination and to to provide for equal opportunities in all aspects of living in the society.

The event is organised by Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Women Affairs, Social Welfare and Special Matters.

Tendering his contribution, the governor's aide commended the sponsors of the Bill and the House Committee on Women Affairs, Social Welfare and Special Matters, for the organisation of the public hearing session, that the bill might accommodate public interest.

While section 7(5) of the Bill proposes that all employers of labour employing up-to 100 persons shall reserve at least 1% of such work force for a qualified person living with disability, Ulap Joseph Bassey suggested that the of every 100% employing work force, 5% should be reserved for qualified persons living with disabilities, stressing that 1% is too insignificant.

However, section 7(4) stipulates that defaulters convicted on grounds of cruelty against disabled persons or infringement upon their legal and fundamental human rights shall be liable to a fine of one hundred thousand naira (N100,000.00) or a maximum jail term of three(3) years or both,  while any convicted corporate organisation shall be liable to a fine of five hundred thousand naira (N500,000.00) as damages to the affected person with disability. Meanwhile, viewing this provision as being less instructive, the President of an apex sociocultural youth group in Oro nation (Essu Nlap Oro), Ulap Joseph Bassey suggested a minimum imprisonment of 3years and maximum of 5years for individuals, and a fine of one million naira for any corporate organisation convicted on grounds of cruelty against disabled persons or infringement upon their legal and fundamental human rights.

GOV. UDOM, BUILDING A VIBRANT ECONOMY

Emmanuel Nicholas

The upstream companies identify oil and natural gas deposits and engage in the extraction of these resources from underground. These firms are often called exploration and production companies. Refiners represent the downstream element of the oil and gas supply chain.

Upstream oil and gas operations identify deposits, drill wells and recover raw materials from underground. This sector also includes related services, such as rig operations, feasibility studies, and machinery rental and extraction chemical supply.
Downstream operations include refineries and marketing. These services turn crude oil into usable products such as gasoline, fuel oils and petroleum-based products. Marketing services help move the finished products from energy companies to retailers or end users.

Nigeria is an oil producing country that has only a functional Upstream institution without any functional downstream companies , because of this the country depends on importation of the by-product of crude oil- a raw material the country is the fourth largest producer of in the world .
Because of the epileptic State of its refineries, the masses are buying fuel at exorbitant prices, as the cost of get forex for importation is so high. This high cost of exchange also increases the prices of these products in the domestic market.

Today, Nigeria is the only country that has large deposit of crude oil and the populace are buying the by-product at hiked prices that have increased the suffering of the citizens. The withdrawal of subsidies on all petroleum products by Federal Government, further compounded the high cost of living of the middle class and the downtrodden.

Governor Udom Emmanuel seeing these levels of suffering by the masses is collaborating with the private sector to bring about the desired change in operations of Government. Governor Udom has refused to see paucity of funds as an excuse not to industrialized Akwa Ibom State as he has promised during the political campaigns.

Akwa Ibom State being the largest producer of crude oil in Nigeria needs to develop the downstream vast economic values of the State, (oil and gas sector) to earn high economic gains from the functional upstream sector.
Governor Udom Emmanuel knows that the development of downstream sector will create wealth and jobs for the people of Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria at large and also expand the general GPD of the country ,while alleviating the suffering of the commuters as the adequate supply of the products will bring down the prices .
With reduction of prices of gasoline , the price of transport of humans and good will also slump , and inflation of all prices of commodities will decrease in the country , as several economies depends on the oil and gas sub sector for survival.

It will not only reduce inflation, the local currency will be stronger as it will reduce importation of the products and other related products. There is no economy that can have a strong currency when it depends on importation.

Evaluating the methodologies Governor Udom Emmanuel has devised to ensure it brings about a working downstream sector, reveals the following:
1, Development of Ibom Deep Sea Port:
Governor Udom Emmanuel is aware that without a working Sea Port the Downstream will not be able to export their product to other countries for higher profits and it will be difficult to transport the product to other States in Nigeria.

The proposed Ibom Deep Sea Port Project is to cost about $1.7 Billion and the burden of funding the project does not rest squarely on the state Government as the project would be funded via a tripartite arrangement.
The Sea Port Is to be funded by the state and federal Governments as well as by a private investor using a 20-20-60 sharing module. The State and Federal Governments would each contribute 20% of the funding while the private investor would bring in about 60% of the funding.

These are key components of the industrial city
• Petrochemical Industries (eg, fertilizer plant)
• Refineries and Tank- farms for downstream
• Five Star Hotels and manufacturing companies
• Dockyard and watercraft Repair Facilities
• Cargo Handling and Associated activities, skyscrapers offices

-Housing Estate and warehouses
The Ibom Deep Sea Port is designed to be one of the components of proposed Ibom Industrial City and at completion can employ 200,000 workers.

To help in the building of Tank farms, The Federal Government has also granted licence to the Akwa Ibom State Government to establish an international jetty at Ikot Abasi local government area of the state to help the downstream sector in haulage and building of Tank farms and floating Station. The Jetty which will sit in 36 acres of land is a free trade Zone with international business district attached, hotels. Already more than three multinational firms have shown interest in the building of the Jetty. it is a free trade zone , that will also have floating stations, Sky scrapers for offices , warehouses , Airstrip and business community ,shopping malls and financial layout for financial institutions.

Among the downstream companies Governor Udom Emmanuel is partnering with Private sector to bring about are
1, Danium Energy Services, at Mbo. The company has completed a 28M litres petroleum products storage tank farm worth 4 Billion with a private jetty.
2, Hi-Rev Petroleum at Iko, Eastern Obolo, Construction of a Refinery at 40% completion, Whose refinery has a capacity when completed to produce 50,000 barrels per day is rearing to take off. Currently negotiating with CBN for favourable forex to import more equipment to progress work due to instability in forex. Also the refinery is sited at the huge Utapate oil and gas field of which they are the present owners

RESOURCE PETROLEUM LIMITED, This is a 100,000 BPD refinery that the Government is also promoting. All the licenses have been obtained. The land, 96 hectares, has been cleared at a location between Eket and Ibeno and construction of the Refinery has commence .

The government wishes to ensure that no resources of Akwa Ibom State are lost in any abandoned investment; the State has an equity share in AMAKPE REFINERY.

And the Government is also working on resuscitating the Amakpe Refinery. A couple of meetings between parties have been carried out. It is meant to be the first privately owned oil refinery in Nigeria. Government has inspected the facilities and is satisfied. The design and engineering metrics have been finalized, at the manufacturing facility in Pasadena Texas.

The PETROCHEMICAL PLANT is another Refinery plant which will place Akwa Ibom State on the threshold of becoming Nigeria’s, nay Africa’s industrial hub going by the aggressive approach adopted by the Governor Udom Emmanuel administration to massively industrialize the state in line with his campaign promises.

Once the gas purchase agreement with Exxon Mobile is finalized, work will commence immediately,” he said. At the ground breaking event, Mr. Ovia who spoke on the effect the plant would have in the state and the nation in general said: “Petrochemicals are vital to our everyday life- the plastic bottles that allow us to drink sanitary water, the clothes that we wear, the fertilizer that are used to grow crops, the tyres on our cars that brought us here today, the shovel that we will use to break the ground today; the pharmaceuticals we take every day to enjoy a healthy life, are all derivatives of the petrochemicals of some form.”

Another downstream company Akwa Ibom State governor is partnering with the private sector to establish is Delmar Petroleum and Jetty located at Itak Idim Ekpe, Ibeno Local Government Area of the State.

The Chairman Delmar Petroleum and Jetty, Dr Austin Odili congratulated Governor Udom Emmanuel for his ability to woo investors and the foresight to plan for the industrialisation of the state saying the investment would yield multiple gains.
He said that the prevailing economic woes experienced in the country would have been averted if the leaders were able to plan ahead of time and assured that the firm, on take off, would produce for both local and International market.

Dr Odilli explained that Delmar Petroleum which is an Oil and Gas trading Company, incorporated in 1993 with specialization in the sales, distribution and storage of Petroleum Products will have access to the deep sea through a conventional Bouy Mooring system for loading and discharging large capacity product tankers from 30kt to 100kt.
Lastly the Governor Udom Emmanuel is poise to ensure Akwa Ibom State is industrialize , which will creates jobs and wealth to both indigenes and residents of the State.

BREAKING: Udom cancels recruitment of 5000 teachers

Governor Udom Emmanuel has directed the cancellation of the recruitment of 5,000 teachers conducted by the State Secondary Education Board in 2015.

In a press release signed by the Head of Service, Mrs Ekereobong Akpan and made available to TheMail Newspaper, the government declared null and void all letters of appointment earlier issued to the affected persons by the State Secondary Education Board.

The release states further that the state government will make adequate arrangement for the engagement of qualified Akwa Ibom indigenes to teach in the state public secondary schools as soon as possible.

It could be recalled that the 5,000 teachers who were recruited under the administration of immediate past Governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio between February and April, 2015 were yet to be deployed to schools.

When the incumbent governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel came on board, he suspended the deployment of the teachers, stating that the recruitment process was faulty. He said there were irregularities in the recruitment process coupled with false certificate and credentials by those offered employment letters.

Culled from TheMail

Why I sacrificed my children to my father for wealth – 35-year-old man

The Commissioner of Police, CP, of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Police Command, Mr. Mohammed Mustafa, has confirmed the arrest of a 35-year-old man, Thomas Matthew, who strangled two of his children to death as sacrifice to his father.
Matthew, a resident of Mountain village opposite Dantata Camp, Asokoro, Abuja, claims his late father initiated him into an occult group, adding that his father appeared to him and commanded him to sacrifice his children to him on different occasions.

The CP said his wife, Bola, reported the matter to the police station on October 7 when the incident took place.
Confirming the incident in a statement, weekend, the CP said Mathew found fault with his wife who is deaf and dumb, beat her up, then chased her out of the house.

According to reports, the suspect had previously killed their 2-month-old son by strangling him to death last year and October 7th, 2016, he strangled their four-month-old daughter, Mary, to death.

The wife was also said to have explained that he had tried to kill their son, 9, in the past and luckily she caught him in the act then sent her son away to her mother’s home for him to be taken care of there.

The Commissioner said with the help of a sign language expert, Bola told the police how the suspect tried to kill their first son.
She said, “I didn’t know that my husband is a cultist. I remember when he first tried to kill our first son, I reported the matter at the Garki Police Station. It was my mother who took the boy away from the house and he is still staying with her in Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
“Then I had another son last year. When he was two months old, he became sick. My husband killed him in September 2015. I didn’t know until he confessed. This year I had our daughter.
“In the night of October 7, 2016, we were together in the house when suddenly he started beating me. I got injured and ran away to his elder sister’s house.
“Before I came back with his sister, he had strangled our baby to death. He locked the door and ran away.

“It was policemen from Asokoro Police Station, where I reported the case that broke the door and found the baby. We rushed the baby to Asokoro General Hospital.
“The doctor said the baby was dead. Now I have only one son left, Josiah. It was only God who saved me from the power of darkness,” Bola lamented.

Matthew, during interrogation, said “I got married to my wife, Bola, and we were blessed with three kids. My father is a cultist and he initiated me into the occult.
“My father asked me to offer the children as sacrifice and mark of honour to him, promising he would make me become rich.

“It was a covenant that nobody knew, even my wife. My father gave me conditions that if anybody got to know or I revealed the covenant, that the covenant would be destroyed.
“From the time I had my first child, my father began disturbing me to offer my child to him as a sacrifice. I tried to kill my first child by strangling, but my wife caught me and reported to the police and her mother came to take the child away from the house.
“He has been staying with her in Mararaba. Later my father appeared to me after I had my second son, John, who became sick. I strangled him to death in 2015.

“On October 7, 2016, my father appeared to me again that I should kill my only daughter. I was with my wife and then I started beating her and she ran away to my elder sister’s house and I locked the door and strangulated my four-month-old baby girl and she died.
“I locked the entrance of the house and ran away. It was the youth in my area that arrested me and handed me over to the police. I wanted to kill my younger brother according to my father’s instruction.

“My father is still alive and he is in the village in Benue State,” the suspect, who hails from Kwande Local Government Area of the state added.

The CP, however, added that investigation was ongoing and the suspect would be charged to court soon to face the wrath of the law.

Akwa Ibom has not received its share of 13% derivation fund for two months -Gov Emmanuel

Governor Udom Emmanuel had said that Akwa Ibom has not received its share of 13% derivation fund for two months and has appealed to the appropriate authority, awaiting necessary action.

Governor Emmanuel made this known while exchanging views with Government House Correspondents on arrival at Ibom International Airport from an official engagement in Abuja.

He attributed the giant strides of his administration in agricultural development and other sector of the economy to the pivotal role of the Federal Government in granting approval for the Central Bank of Nigeria to sponsore the Anchor's Borrowers Scheme that has fast tracked the development of agriculture in all states of the Federation.

Mr Emmanuel noted that agricultural development has been the initiative of the Federal Government and explained that states key into the project to ensure wealth creation and food sufficiency.

"I dont want to to take credit for that, we should thank the President of the country who has given approval for the Central Bank to fund the Anchor's Borrowers Scheme which the states have benefitted"

He particularly appealed to the Federal Government to reimburse the state over 140 Billion naira expended on the repairs of Federal infrastructures within the state saying if 50% of such money is paid, the state would be able to add value to it infrastructural consolidation now that the dry season has approached.

The Governor pointed out that the power sector is in dire need of attention and called on the Federal Government to intervene in the distribution of power to save the sector from imminent collapse. "There's need to intervene especially in the area of transmission. States like ours are able to generate but cannot transmit. It's a problem". He noted.

He described as successful the National Economic Council meeting as well as the meeting of the Governor 's Forum saying that far reaching decisions that would ginger the Country's development were reached at the meeting.

On the formation of the state Executive Council, Governor Emmanuel said that he would go for the best hands but remarked that such persons should be able recite the Dakkada re-orientation philosophy creed.

The State Deputy Governor Mr Mosses Ekpo, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Barr Onofiok Luke, Secretary to the State Government, Sir Etekamba Umoren, Head of Civil Service Mrs Ekerebong Akpan, and Permanent Secretaries were on hand to receive the Governor.