Obama To Host Buhari On July 20 - White House

US President Barack Obama will welcome his Nigerian counterpart to Washington next month, the White House announced Thursday, a symbolic show of solidarity after the country's first ever democratic transition.

"President Obama will host Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House," on July 20, the White House said.

The visit will mark "our support for the Nigerian people following their historic democratic elections and peaceful transfer of power," a statement added.

Obama's administration had faced criticism for not planning to visit Nigeria during a two nation Africa tour, also slated for July.

That trip will take in Kenya and Ethiopia, countries which have held highly questioned elections in recent memory.

May elections in Ethiopia resulted in the ruling party gaining all 546 parliamentary seats.

A presidential visit to Kenya had been put on ice while President Uhuru Kenyatta faced charges -- now suspended -- of crimes against humanity for his role in 2007-2008 post-election violence.

Obama and Buhari themselves will have a packed agenda.

The White House said they would discuss combating Boko Haram militants.

The armies of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon have been fighting a joint campaign against Boko Haram for several months, pushing militants out of captured towns and villages.

But village raids continue apace, often resulting in the deaths of dozens of women and children.

Boko Haram has been fighting to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria since 2009.

Obama and Buhari will also discuss Nigeria's economic and political reforms to "unlock its full potential as a regional and global leader."

Source: Yahoo News

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Lagos Police Will Get Bigger Insurance Package Says Ambode

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Friday announced the approval for the upward review of insurance compensation for police officers serving in the state.
Ambode, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, said this during his visit to the state command Police Headquarters, Oduduwa in the Ikeja area of the state, where he interacted with Divisional Police Officers and Area Commanders in the state.
He said the compensation, which covers death and permanent disability to police officers in the line of duty, was last reviewed 16 years ago.
Before the review, senior police officers received insurance compensation of N2m, Inspectors, N1.5m while the Rank and File are entitled to N1m.
The governor said although the Federal Government, through the Contributory Pensions Act, had made provisions to insure the lives of all Police officers, former state governors – Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Fashola – had subscribed to additional Group Life Scheme for the officers.
Ambode added that the gesture was borne out of the need to compensate for the hazards associated with policing, noting that the value of the compensation had become grossly inadequate.

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“Therefore in fulfillment of our resolve to sustain, improve and consolidate on past attainments, I am pleased to announce the upward review of the compensation value as follows: Senior Police Officers, N5m; Inspectors, N3m and Rank and File N2m,” he said.
The governor however seized the occasion to seek the support and cooperation of police officers in facilitating the strict enforcement of the Lagos State Law on Protection Against Violence, 2007, as well as the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011, in the government renewed effort to wage war against domestic violence against women and rape.
“By doing that, we will be sending a strong signal of zero tolerance to such barbaric acts and also conveying a message of assurance to our women of our commitment to their protection,” he stated.
Ambode, who was earlier received by the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, at the Lagos Police Command Headquarters, commended the command for the efforts in keeping the peace in the state in the past years and urged the security officers not to relent in carrying out their duties.

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Live Pictures From Presidential Inauguration Dinner- Nigeria

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Soldiers Detain Punch Reporter Taking Pics Of Jonathan's Bayelsa Home.

Some soldiers deployed to protect President Goodluck Jonathan’s private residence in Otuoke, Bayelsa state, on Thursday harassed and detained a Punch reporter, Simon Utebor, for attempting to take pictures of the president’s house.
Mr. Utebor was arrested by soldiers from the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta and handed over to the police at Otuoke Police Station.
Mr. Utebor was accosted by soldiers on guard duty while taking photographs of on-going work on the palatial residence constructed while the president was in office.
Artisans were seen putting finishing touches to the premises consisting of multiple blocks of two storey buildings.
Mr. Jonathan is expected to be received on Friday by the Bayelsa Government at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre at 3p.m. and later in his Otuoke country home by his kinsmen.
Efforts to speak with the Punch correspondent were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was switched off.
When contacted the spokesperson of the Joint Task Force, Isa Ado, a lieutenant colonel, said he was out of station on official assignment but however, pledged to investigate the report and respond as soon as possible.But speaking to PREMIUM TIMES in a brief telephone interview, Mr. Utebor said he was yet to regain his freedom.

“I have been transferred to the State CID, and I have written a statement on the incident and we are still waiting for the Police authorities,” Mr. Utebor said.

Source : Premiumtimesng

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Court Dismisses Application To Stop Buhari's Inauguration

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed an ex-parte application seeking to stop the swearing-in of President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.

In a ‎ruling on an ex-parte motion brought by a civil society organisation, the Incorporated Trustees of Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative, Justice Mohammed described the application as "self-induced urgency", owing to the plaintiff's failure to challenge Buhari's emergence as president-elect after two months of the presidential election.

He said: "In law, an ex-parte application seeking an order of injunction presupposes the existence of a real case of urgency not self-induced urgency.

"Motion ex-parte dated and filed on 26 of May, is a clear case of self-induced urgency.

"This court is therefore of the view that the plaintiff applicant's motion dated and filed on May 26 is devoid of any merit and the same is accordingly dismissed", Justice Mohammed declared.

He adjourned the suit till June 26 for further mention.

The court also ordered the applicant to serve all originating processes and hearing notice on the defendants.

It will be recalled that the applicant, the Incorporated Trustees of Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative had applied to the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed from swearing the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari as president on May 29.

In a suit filed by its lawyer, Mr Philip Ekpo, the group said that Buhari did not meet the qualification enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act to have contested the position of the president of Nigeria at the 2015 general elections.

Even though Thursday's application was ex-parte, Chief Lateef Fagbemi , SAN leading two other Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Chief Akin Olujimi and Kola Awodein announced memorandum of conditional appearance for Mohammadu Buhari.

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BREAKING: Senator-Elect Buruji Kashamu Barricades Himself In His Ogun State Residence,Threatening Suicide

Kiakia Media has learned that Senator-elect Buruji Kashamu has barricaded himself in the master bedroom of his Ogun State residence, as Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency agents surround his home.
Mr. Kashamu spoke briefly with a SaharaReporters correspondent and said that he would kill himself if anyone entered his home.
The stand-off has been ongoing for several hours and Mr. Kashamu has not returned his calls as of recent minutes.

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I Will Be An Advocate Of Peace After Leaving Says President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday said he would be an advocate of peace in the country after leaving office.
The president said this when The Apostolic Church Nigeria, FCT Field, presented him with the “2015 Epitome of Peace Award’’ at the State House in Abuja.
Mr. Jonathan thanked the church for honouring him and said he would appreciate if more Nigerians would join him in advocating peace in the country.
“And one thing that I have decided to do after leaving office, is to make sure that I will be talking to all faithful of all religions, Christians, Muslims and other religions; the need for Nigerians to live in peace,” the president said.
“Because, when there is crisis in any part of the country, nobody can practice his own belief.
“When there is crisis anywhere, people cannot go to the mosque, you cannot go to the church.
“So we need peace in this country, no matter our religious persuasions, no matter our beliefs.
“And that will be one of my main commitments when I leave office.
“To reduce discrimination in this country based on religious divides or ethnicity.
“And I believe that I will have so many apostles to follow me to do that.”
The president said that so many people had done things to project and keep the nation together which had gone unnoticed.
According to him, his recognition and honour by the church is to encourage him to do more for Nigerians.
He said the church noticed him not because he was the president, but because of a little action he took to save lives.
He thanked the group for the memorabilia it gave to him and said he would keep them in his Presidential museum of library for posterity.
Earlier, the Superintendent of the Church, Apostle John Buzu, said the church chose the president for the award in recognition of his “outstanding leadership qualities, great strides, impactful contributions and laudable achievements’’.
Mr. Buzu said that Mr. Jonathan had proved to be an excellent leader and wonderful asset to the country.
“Our beloved president, you have distinguished yourself as a selfless servant leader with a large heart and a great sense of commitment towards the wellbeing, development, unity and progress of this nation.
“Your personal and leadership character have so endeared you to the hearts of well-meaning Nigerians and friends of the international community.
“We have collectively watched and observed you to be a humble leader with a simple and humane disposition to all manner of persons, irrespective of age, background, status, tribe, race or colour.
“You have exhibited a true servant-leader attitude with the willingness and readiness to always serve objectively at any level of responsibility and governance.
”You are a genuine and an icon of peace,” the clergyman said.
Mr. Buzu thanked Mr. Jonathan for expanding the political space in the country and expressed the hope that such legacy would be sustained. (NAN)

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Okonjo-Iweala's Honorary Degree May Be Withdrawn

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy, who was awarded an honorary Doctorate Degree from Yale University, has all reasons to be upset, as a petition has been filed against her for the degree to be withdrawn.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The petition was filed by one Sunday Iwalaiye through the world’s largest petition platform Change.org. According it, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala does not deserve to be awarded as there is no tangible evidence of any economic development in Nigeria under her leadership.

The petition said that Nigeria’s debt profile has risen rapidly, while the Nigerian Naira crashed to its lowest value in its history under Ngozi Iweala. Therefore, to give a honorary doctorate degree to the minister of finace is the biggest slap on the faces of the 180 million Nigerians in 2015.

Read the petition below:

“YALE UNIVERSITY GAVE ITS PRESTIGIOUS HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE TO AN UNDESERVING NIGERIAN”:

Ngozi Iweala, the outgoing Nigeria’s finance minister was awarded a honorary doctorate degree by Yale University on May 15, 2015. The citation from the Yale University reads:”Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Doctor of Humane Letters. You are a citizen of your country, your continent, and the world. Shaped by challenging experiences during your childhood in Nigeria, you have made social and economic reform your mission. As Nigeria’s coordinating minister of economic development and minister of finance, you have tackled corruption, created a vision and path to long-term economic stability, and worked to build a culture of transparency. At the World Bank, you made food security a priority and provided policy advice and capital for the world’s poorest countries. With wisdom, a fierce dedication to doing what is right, and unflagging energy, you have transformed the economic landscape of your nation. We are proud to name you Doctor of Humane Letter”

This citation from the Yale University does not reflect nor represent everything that has happened under the watch and the supervision of the Nigerian economy by Ngozi Iweala as the nation’s finance minister. There is no tangible evidence of any economic development in Nigeria under the leadership of Ngozi Iweala in all reality. 

Nigeria’s economy is still an oil-dependent economy that is debt and borrowing ridden as well as 100% consuming and importing in nature. Nigeria’s debt profile has risen rapidly under Ngozi Iweala and Nigeria has borrowed over $2 billion in the last four months alone to pay salaries of the federal and state civil servants. Our foreign reserves and excess crude oil accounts have both depleted heavily under Ngozi Iweala.

The recurrent expenditures in the federal budgets reached the highest levels which made capital development practically impossible in Nigeria under Ngozi Iweala. The board of regents of this ivy league school missed it completely by awarding their prestigious honorary doctorate degree to an undeserving Nigerian in all truth, honesty and reality. The Nigeria’s economy has remained the same under Ngozi Iweala without any evidence of its diversity from oil. The Nigerian Naira crashed to its lowest value in its history under Ngozi Iweala. The true picture that Yale University missed is the fact that the economy of Nigeria has almost grounded to its final halt today which will makes its a daunting task for the incoming administration of General Muhammadu Buhari to meet its campaign promises

The menace of official corruption and financial scandals have both reached their peaks in Nigeria under Ngozi Iweala. A central bank governor was fired for disclosing that $20 billion was missing from the federal coffers and this allegation was investigated in a shady and questionable manner.

 The oil subsidy scam that cheated Nigeria’s tax payers of trillions of Naira was coordinated and supervised by Ngozi Iweala. The culture of official corruption and state resource mismanagement were both honored, celebrated, protected and defended under the leadership of Ngozi Iweala as the supervising coordinator of the Nigerian economy.

To give a honorary doctorate degree to an undeserving Nigerian by this world’s reknown university is the biggest slap on the faces of the 180 million Nigerians in 2015. I am using this social medium to appeal to the board of regents of this prestigious university to withdraw this honorary degree that they awarded to this Nigerian immediately and without any further delay for the sake of posterity.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum has recently asked Okonjo-Iweala to explain how $20 billion from the Excess Crude Account was spent.

The minister of finance promptly reacted and made a statement, in which she stressed that the forum had no basis to demand from her to account for such money from June 2013 to April 2015.

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Okonjo-Iweala In Fresh Crisis Over $20bn Crude Fund

Supervising Minister of the Economy, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is in fresh crisis following reports that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF has asked her to explain how the over $20billion accruable to the excess crude was spent.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The governors, who issued a communique after a meeting in Abuja on Monday, tasked the former Vice President of the World bank with the responsibility of making a detailed explanation of  how much of the amount entered the said account in three years from June 2013 to April 2015, stating clearly that funds in the excess crude were last disbursed in May 2103.

Vanguard reports that the Chairman of NGF and governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, who also announced the election of governor Abdullazeez Yari of Zamfara State as the new Chairman of the forum after the meeting, read the NGF’s position to its members and asked the Minister of Finance to make a quick explanation.

“In light of the fact that Funds in the Excess Crude were disbursed in May 2013, there is need for the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala to provide explanation for accruals to this account from June 2013 to April 2015 which is estimated at over $20 billion,” the statement read in part.The Nigeria Governors’ Forum was established to among other reasons, provide a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas, strengthen and promote Nigeria’s federal system and promote understanding among state governors.

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REPORT CARD: Nigerian Senators, Reps cornered N600bn in 4 years but passed only 106 bills

Nigerian lawmakers managed to approve only 106 new laws out of 1,063 brought before them in the last four years, despite spending more than half a trillion naira within the period, earning the notorious title as the world’s highest paid legislators.

The figures mean for the National Assembly, with a combined annual budget of N150 billion since 2011, returned 10 per cent in efficiency and averaged about two bills each month.

Each year, the Senate, House of Representatives and allied institutions, compete for government funding with projects designed to provide jobs, healthcare, education and roads to the citizens.

While the Goodluck Jonathan administration has shown its preparedness to cut financing to those vital services to Nigerians in the face of dwindling revenues, the government has helped the lawmakers retain their super N150 billion budget per year in the last four years.

Not even the present oil crisis has been enough to force the government to minimize the lawmakers’ comfort, by redirecting funds to critical areas badly starved of resources.

A typical example is the 2015 budget, affected massively by sliding oil price. The dwindling revenue forced the government to slash spending for roads – Ministry of Works – from about N160 billion to N11 billion for the entire nation. But the federal lawmakers refused to allow even a dime to be sliced off their N150 billion annual budget.

While the National Assembly budget also covers legislative aides, the National Assembly Commission and the Legislative Institute in Abuja, the biggest chunk of the appropriation goes to the 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives, each year.

But while the lawmakers take so much, their work rate has been dismally poor, PREMIUM TIMES analysis show.

The miserable worth of Nigerian legislators’ output is amplified when compared with their American counterparts, for instance.

While the legislature, under the leadership of David Mark and Aminu Tambuwal at the Senate and House of Representatives respectively managed to clear 106 bills in four years, the U.S. Congress passed 29​7​ just between 2013 and 2014.

That figure was indeed one of the lowest for any U.S. Congress session as the two chambers passed 604 in just 1999, and 460 between 2007 and 2008.

Yet, the Nigerian lawmakers are the highest paid, according to a 2012 analysis by the UK-based Economist.

The report compared lawmakers’ earnings with their countries’ GDP – what each citizen is worth if their nation’s total wealth was shared by the population.

The analysis found Nigeria ahead of all other countries of the world, with its lawmakers taking 116 times what an average citizen takes of the GDP.

Kenya and Ghana followed with ratios of 75 and 29.8 respectively.

Norway’s ratio was 1.8, while U.S. lawmakers took 3.8 of what their citizens received.

The United States pays its lawmakers an average annual salary of $174,000 while Britain pays parliamentarians $105,000.

Nigerian lawmakers officially receive a modest pay of about $50,000(about N12m) yearly.
But they also pocket several illegal allowances, including the huge quarterly allowance which is nearly a $1m (N220m) a year.

Bills passed in the 7th assembly

Even with the limited numbers of enacted laws, records show most of the bills came from the Executive. Many were budget bills.

While the lawmakers’ turnover has been poor, several critical bills lie abandoned.

The most notable is the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which has been at the National Assembly since 2008/2009.

Pressed on why the few bills passed by the Senate are mainly executive-sponsored, the Chairman of the Senate Business and Rules Committee, Ita Enang, said the upper chamber gives no preference to bills before it.

“We don’t select bills to pass, we pass bills based on priority. We don’t say we pass a bill because it is an executive bill,” Mr. Enang said.

Sam Tsokwa, the House of Representatives chairman on rules and business, did not respond to our questions despite scheduling several meetings with our correspondent.

The infographic below illustrate how the N600 billion spent on the National Assembly would have served Nigerians, if well deployed.

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Cut Down All Our Fat Allowances, Dino Melaye Insists

Dino Melaye who was recently elected to the senate by the good people of Kogi said yesterday when the new upper and lower chamber members of the National Assembly of Nigeria were being ushered into the National Assembly yesterday for a brief meeting with the the outgoing ones. The Kogi West Senator Elect says, the incoming government must find a way of cutting down on wasteful spending and must start by reducing the take home pay of Senators and Honourables in the National Assembly. He said this will make available more funds for government to execute projects.

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