Sunday 31 July 2016

President Buhari, Aregbesola, Ambode and others hail The Nation @ 10.

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There is corruption in house of representative - Hon Jibrin insists.

Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and Former Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin
The ousted Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin, says the allegation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the National Assembly is populated by corrupt elements could not be dismissed.
He said there was what he called institutional corruption in the House of Representatives.
However, Jubrin, who accused the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and three other principal officers of the House of padding the 2016 budget to the tune of over N400bn, said he had never taken part in any corrupt practice since 2011 that he had been in the National Assembly.
He said this when he appeared on a live programme, Sunday Politics, on Channels Television on Sunday evening.
Asked by the presenter if the National Assembly was populated by corrupt  people, Jubrin said, “There is corruption; I would rather say there is corruption in the House of Representatives. Not only that there is corruption, there is institutional corruption and these are things that I can also prove and these are all the second layer of what my struggle is going to be about.”
Asked then if Obasanjo was right on his assertion that many members of the National Assembly were corrupt, Jubrin said, “Obasanjo is not completely wrong; there’s corruption. The only thing is that we keep living in denial but I’ve been part of that system and I know that there is corruption in that system and there’s also institutional corruption in that system. I’ve been there for five years and we’ve seen a lot but I’m happy that this trigger has happened.”
He, however, side-stepped the question on whether the 8th National Assembly was the most corrupt since 2011 that he had been in the National Assembly.
He also said he had no regrets betraying his colleagues in the House of Representatives, vowing that what he would say would cause a revolution in the National Assembly.
“If these allegations are considered betrayal, so be it,” he said.
He, however, denied the allegation that he also inserted N4.1bn projects into the budget, saying, “The N4.1bn project is a creation, is a blackmail by the Speaker himself and a few other principal officers.”

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Eko Atlantic will boost Lagos economy, increase Internal revenue generation - Gov Ambode.



 
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday embarked on an extensive tour of Eko Atlantic City, expressing confidence that the project would not only boost the economy of the state, but also increase its internally generated revenue (IGR).
Governor Ambode, who was accompanied on the tour by members of the State Executive Council, pledged the total commitment of his administration towards the success of the project, saying it would go a long way to facilitate the quest to grow the state’s economy.
He said: “I would like to express the total support of this government to this project because at the end of the day we need to grow the economy of Lagos and this obviously is going to have multiplier effect on our IGR.
“We promise that we are going to grow our IGR to N30 billion by 2017 and N50 billion by 2018 and this project is a sure outlet in achieving that goal.”
He also expressed satisfaction with the infrastructure already put in place, saying that it now behoves investors to take advantage of the massive opportunities.
The Eko Atlantic City project is a multi-billion dollar undertaking sitting on over 10 million square metres and is expected to accommodate over 150,000 people who would reside there and another 250,000 who would work and commute within the city on a daily basis.
While commending the promoters of the project for their confidence in committing huge resources to the Nigerian economy, Ambode said their investment was a positive sign that the country remains the investment hub in Africa.
The governor said: “Notwithstanding the economic recession that has befallen the country right now, we have come to also show that outside the recession, there is a whole lot of progress going on in the investment climate in Lagos State.
“We are very happy that the signs are looking very good for investment in Lagos. We are also very happy that we are doing everything possible to encourage investors to come into the state and I will like to assure you that we are committed to making this project a big success.”
Ambode, who also inspected the 8.5km shoreline wall, otherwise known as the “Great Wall of Lagos”, built to protect the Eko Atlantic City, said it was gratifying that the project would not only protect the new city, but also protect the whole of Victoria Island against any ocean surge, which was one of the primary reasons for the project.
He added that: “This is a new and a bigger version of Victoria Island. We are going to have an energy city here, a financial hub that is more or less going to run under a free trade zone and so on.
“Basically, all these put together turns Lagos to that leader that we want it to be in Africa and the quality of infrastructure that has been put here is also encouraging.
“I just want to encourage other investors and other people who had taken one step or the other in respect of Eko Atlantic City that the time is now, because in another one and a half years, this place will be something else.”
So far, out of the over 10 million square metres of the project, about six million square metres have been reclaimed, while there are 15 bridges and two tunnels designed with the project.
Earlier, Chairman of Eko Atlantic City, Mr. Ronald Chagoury, said one of the first two residential buildings in the new city would be completed by the end of August, while the second would be ready before the end of the year, adding that the first office block would be ready between September and October 2016.
Chagoury described the project as an impressive financial district, which upon completion, would compare with the financial district in Paris, France and the 5th Avenue in New York, United States.
He added that the Great Wall of Lagos was scientifically designed to withstand any ocean surge and that it was built to last for 1,000 years.
Also, Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, whose bank is the major partner with the promoters of Eko Atlantic and the Lagos State Government, said aside the fact that adequate arrangements had been made to protect the city, the project was all about saving the state and creating a new tomorrow for people to live in Lagos.
He said that with the project, the land that was lost over time to the Bar Beach had been reclaimed, adding that investors and interested people need not entertain any fear over the safety of the city.
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Abia PDP Crisis: Nullify Uche Ogah certificate of return - Abia PDP tells court.

Uche Ogah
The Peoples Democratic Party has urged a Federal High Court in Abuja to nullify the certificate of return issued to Mr. Uche Ogah, recognising him as the winner of the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Abia State.
Joined as a defendant in the suit is the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The PDP is seeking a court order voiding the certificate of return issued by INEC to Ogah and as well as a perpetual injunction restraining Ogah and his agents from relying on the certificate of return.
The party is also urging the court to hold that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu contested and won the Abia State governorship election held on April 11 and April 25, 2015 as the candidate of the PDP.
 It also wants the court to declare that Ikpeazu was lawfully sworn in as Abia State governor on May 29, 2015.
In the suit filed through its counsel, Dr. Paul Ananaba (SAN), the PDP is asking the court to determine whether the certificate of return issued by INEC to Ogah, declaring him as the winner of the April 11, 2015 Abia State governorship election was not null and void when INEC had already declared the April 11, 2015 election inconclusive.
It urged the court to determine, “whether the certificate of return dated June 27, 2016 issued by INEC to Ogah of the PDP as having been elected into office of the governor of Abia State at the governorship election held on the 11th day of April, 2015 is not liable to be nullified as invalid, null and void, in that no conclusive governorship election was concluded by INEC in Abia State on April 11, 2015.”
The PDP is also urging the court to determine whether the Chief Judge of Abia State, the President of the Abia State Customary Court of Appeal or any judicial officer in Nigeria could swear Ogah in as the Abia State governor, based on what it described as an invalid certificate of return.
The Abia State chapter of the PDP had called for investigation and probe of the certificate of return issued to Ogah by INEC, describing it as invalid and erroneously issued.
The Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, Chief Don Ubani, had, while addressing the press in Umuahia, said the party rejected the move to install Ogah who it claimed did not participate in the governorship election.
Ubani said, “The party recollects that the governorship election of 2015 in Abia State came in two phases – that of April 11 which was declared inconclusive by the electoral body and that of April 25 which conclusively declared and confirmed Okezie Ikpeazu as the governor-elect of Abia State.
“(Our position is) that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s certificate of return is a product of the elections of April 11 and April 25 of 2015, as properly reflected on the certificate of return.
“The party vehemently rejects the certificate of return erroneously issued to Mr. Ogah for, among many other reasons, the enormous fact that the certificate of return failed to reflect the fact that the governorship election took place on two different days.”

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I totally regret support senator Alimodu Sheriff to become PDP national chairman - Gov Fayose.

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose

The Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, said he had learnt his lessons from his initial support for the embattled factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
Fayose said this when the ex-chairman of Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, took his PDP national chairmanship campaign to Ekiti.
He said, “I must tell you that I have learnt my lessons from my past experience. I will not openly identify or campaign for a candidate any longer. As part of our great party in Ekiti, I ‘m assuring you that I do not have a personal candidate and God knows I have not spoken to my people about any candidate.
“We will allow God to choose for us this time by ensuring that all aspirants have a level-playing ground.
“I have learnt my lessons on Ali Modu Sheriff and I take full responsibility for the consequences. Imagine, if we have allowed him to get there, with the way he is now behaving, it would have been worse than this.”
Fayose, while expressing concerns about the crisis rocking the party, lamented that some people were merely paying lip service to reconciliation efforts in the PDP because of selfish interest.
Dokpesi pleaded with the delegates to allow him to serve the party and return it to the winning ways.
According to him, since the last general elections, the All Progressives Congress has not allowed the PDP leaders to rest, urging members of the party to stand and defend democracy in the country.
Dokpesi also denied stepping down for a former National Vice-Chairman of the party, Chief Bode George.
He stated, “Some people have alleged that I have surrendered for our elder in the party, Chief Bode George. Let me make it categorically clear that I was born and bred in Ibadan and I do understand and appreciate the Yoruba traditions so much and so I have respect for elders.
“But there was no time that Chief Bode George and I met and discuss this issue and I did not in any way surrender the race to him. I have not stepped down for him in any way because this time we need fresh and younger blood that would have the physical and mental alertness for the job.
“I have been touring 17 states of the federation for just about a week now and I’m still strong.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP, Senator Walid Jibrin, has faulted insinuations that Sheriff was planted by some unseen forces to destroy the party.
He said at Sherrif’s age, nobody could have planted him to destroy a party, which was built by great Nigerians, both living and dead.
Jibrin, however, noted that God would not forgive anyone who wanted to destroy a party that governed Nigeria for 16 years.
The BoT Chairman, who spoke to newsmen in Kaduna on Friday,  said in spite of the Thursday’s ruling by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the August  17 National Convention of the PDP  in  Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, would hold as planned.
Jibrin, who expressed shock over the judgment, said preparations were in top gear to ensure a hitch-free convention.
He noted that the judge had the right to give judgment while the party had the rights to appeal the judgment.

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Yoruba actress Mide Martin-Abiodun talks about movies career and marriage.


 Background  
I attended Community Grammar School, Ibadan for my elementary education and Providence Heights Secondary School, Fagba, Lagos, for my post-primary education. I have a diploma in   International Relations from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye.
Acting
I started acting after my mum, Funmi Martins, died in 2002. The journey was not easy, but I give God all the glory. I never wanted to be an actress. After my mum died, I started acting so people won’t forget her. After a while, I became fond of it. I love acting so much, and I think I would have missed a lot if I had chosen to do something else. I think acting is like a spirit and it is in you, that’s it. Only a few people have the ability to interpret roles perfectly.
Challenges
My most challenging role till date was when I played a mad person. The title of the movie was Mafikanmi. It was quite challenging  but I prayed about it and I was able to pull it off. It has also not been easy balancing marriage and career. I have to juggle going to locations and running back to the house to take care of the kids and also cook for my husband.
Role model
My mum remains my role model. I love and admire everything about her. Her talent inspired me. Her death affected me and I miss so many things about her, especially the motherly love. A mother’s love can’t be compared to any other thing in this whole world. I still think about her a lot, and whenever I do, it makes me cry. I miss the friendship my mum and I had. We were friends, and she was all I had.
Marriage
My husband and I grew up together. He was actually my mother’s manager and  I used to call him Brother Afeez. We have always been friends. When I had a problem with my husband some months back, I prayed to God and we are now fine. Our relationship is free from any kind of problems. My husband is the best man in the world and he has always been there for me.
Motherhood
I’m a mother of two lovely girls that I love so much. My children mean the world to me and I am so happy to have them in my life. I love spending time with my  kids and I take them out a lot.
Scandals
Scandals are part of the challenges we face as artistes.
Personality
I am quite different from what you see on TV. I don’t  talk or go out much. The funny thing is that I don’t even know how I  am able to shout when I’m acting. I guess it is the spirit of acting. I am very calm and easygoing. Because of the roles I play in movies, people think I pretend to be gentle. I don’t fight or look for trouble. Another thing is that I don’t have too many friends, so when I’m not on location, I’m at home with my family.
Style
I think fashion is a necessity in showbizness.  Whether I like it or not, I have to dress well.
Leisure
The people I love to hang out with the most are members of my family. Whether I am at home or abroad, I love to spend time with my family. I think travelling is the best form of relaxation. It takes stress away from you. The last place I travelled to was South Africa and it was really nice.
Current projects 
I’m currently working on a Yoruba-cum-English movie  and the title is Kokoro. Acting is all that I do now.

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Budget Padding: SERAP ask speaker Dogara to step aside for EFCC probe.



The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr Yakubu Dogara to step aside from his office for investigation into alleged budget padding by  the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The organisation in an open letter to the speaker asked him to ensure that other principal officers of the House, suspected to be involved in the alleged padding to also step down pending the outcome of the investigation by the anti-corruption agency.
The letter which dated 29 July, 2016  was signed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni.
It reads in parts, “Following confirmation received by SERAP from the EFCC that it has taken up and looking into SERAP’s petition to the body on the allegations that the leadership of the House of Representatives padded the 2016 budget to the tune of N481 billion, SERAP is now writing to request you to immediately step aside from your position as Speaker of the House of Representatives pending the outcome of the investigation.
“We also urge you to ensure that other principal officers of the House suspected to be involved in the alleged padding step aside from their positions to allow for the investigation by the EFCC and other agencies to go ahead unhindered.
“SERAP has also reviewed several documents circulating on the internet on the alleged budget padding and we believe that these documents establish a prima-facie case of corruption, which deserves a thorough, transparent, independent and effective investigation by the EFCC and other agencies.”
“In the circumstances, SERAP calls on you to demonstrate your often-expressed commitment to transparency, accountability, constitutionalism, democratic governance and the rule of law in Nigeria by now stepping aside from your position as Speaker and to ensure that other principal officers suspected to be involved in the budget padding do the same, pending the outcome of the investigation already by the EFCC.”
“SERAP’s call is entirely consistent with the constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). As the supreme law of the land, all organs of government including the National Assembly are obliged to perform their functions in accordance with the constitution and other enabling laws.”
“SERAP agrees with the Constitutional Court of Uganda when it asserted in Constitutional Petition No. 47 of 2011 Twinobusingye Severino vs Attorney General that, ‘In modern democracies, the term ‘stepping aside’ is now generally taken as part of the responsibility of the holder of a public office in discharging his or her duty of being accountable to the people. Thus a culture has developed in modern democracies, Uganda inclusive, whereby a Public officer whose conduct in a public office is being questioned steps aside, on his or her own, to enable investigations to be carried out without his or her influence.’”
“Indeed, SERAP believes that the necessity of being accountable to the people, by anyone holding a public office in Nigeria is clearly embedded in the constitution as provided under Chapter 2 titled: Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.”
“Specifically, Chapter 2 provides among others that all public offices shall be held in trust for the Nigerian people; that all persons placed in positions of leadership and responsibility shall in their work be answerable to the people; and that all lawful measures shall be taken to expose, combat and eradicate corruption and abuse or misuse of power by those holding political and other public offices.
“SERAP believes that the allegations of budget padding by the leadership of the House of Representatives have undermined the status of the National Assembly which is supposed to be the fountain of constitutionalism. The Speaker, as the head of the House, has a big role to play in guiding parliamentarians to embrace transparency by sending a powerful message that allegations of corruption will not be condoned, tolerated or covered up.”
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Saturday 30 July 2016

PDP Crisis: Gov Mimiko in secret talks with Alimodu Sheriff over Ondo governorship election.

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Federal government agrees to free Nnamdi Kanu, Henry Okah and others.

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