SportsAlert FIFA President: Blatter backs Kalu

Suspended FIFA president Sepp Joseph Blatter has openly declared his support for former Abia state Governor Dr Orji Uzor Kalu to occupy the exalted position of FIFA President, even as he has faulted the candidature of former Secretary General Jerome Champagne and Prince Alli of Jordan.

Speaking in Zurich, Blatter said ” The position of the FIFA president is too important to be left to just anybody. I have heard of some candidates who want to take over from me. But I find the Businessman from Nigeria Kalu very qualified and interesting because he is not only a businessman, but a politician with lots of contacts and corporate experience. He can bring his great experiences to bear in the running of world football.

CareerAlert Job Title: Financial Controller

Job Description

The hiring entity for this position is Pacific Drilling’s Nigerian affiliate, Pacific International Drilling West Africa Limited.

Position Summary

The primary focus of this position is to supervise the finance activity in country in regards to accounting, taxation, treasury, cost control, reporting (internal and external), planning (budgeting/forecasting) and documentation for the company in Nigeria.

Qualifications and Experience 

RIVERS: APC, PDP flex muscles

By Jimitota Onoyume

PORT HARCOURT — The two dominant political parties in Rivers State, All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were yesterday flexing muscles over the court judgment that annulled the last governorship election in the state, even as they set their sights on a possible rerun.

Erstwhile governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi fresh from his ministerial screening in Abuja, last Thursday, stormed the state, yesterday, to breathe life into the party’s structures. His successor and incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike also, yesterday, roused his associates to prepare for another election showdown.

Remarkably, both former political allies now turned arch political foes spoke at different thanksgiving services in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, where they called on the name of God to push their different agenda.

THANKSGIVING—From left: Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike; his wife, Justice Eberechi Suzette Wike; Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo; Acting National Chairman, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus and Sole Administrator, Rivers State Waste Managment Agency (RIWAMA), Felix Obuah, in a worship mood, during the Solidarity State Thanksgiving Service at Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt.

Under the new Electoral Act that makes the Supreme Court the final arbiter of governorship election petitions, the last deadline available to the court to rule on the case is February 21, 2016.

SportsAlert Suarez hat-trick inspires Barca, Atletico beat Valencia

Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick as Barcelona came from behind in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi to beat Basque minnows Eibar 3-1 on Sunday.

Victory takes Barca level with Real Madrid on 21 points, but Los Blancos remain on top thanks to their superior goal difference. Atletico Madrid moved up to third, two points behind the leaders, thanks to goals from Jackson Martinez and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco in a 2-1 win over Valencia.

Luis Suarez

The on-form Borja Baston fired Eibar into a shock lead just 10 minutes in at the Camp Nou, but Suarez restored parity with a bullet header and then put Barca in front just after the break.

Eibar were handed a lifeline when Javier Mascherano saw a straight red card for protesting with the referee seven minutes from time. But Suarez promptly sealed his hat-trick and a vital three points with another fine finish from Neymar’s pass to celebrate a year since he made his Barca debut.

CareerAlert Job Title: IT Specialist

Company:Pacific Drilling Services, Inc

Job Description:

The hiring entity for this position is Pacific Drilling’s Nigerian affiliate, Pacific International Drilling West Africa Limited.

Position Summary:

The Information Technology Specialist (IT Specialist) is in charge of performing and/or supervising the installation, repair and routine maintenance for the onboard IT infrastructure. Additionally supervises and coordinates change management for all on vessel corporate owned IT systems, control system software and network related systems, as well as IT security enforcement and guidance for these systems.

World would be better place if Saddam, Gaddafi still in power – Trump

The world would be a better place if dictators such as Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi were still in power, top Republican US presidential hopeful Donald Trump said in comments aired Sunday.

The billionaire real estate tycoon also told CNN’s “State of the Union” talk show that the Middle East “blew up” around US President Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, his biggest Democratic rival in the race for the White House.

“100 percent,” Trump said when asked if the world would be better off with Saddam and Muammar Gaddafi still at the helm in Iraq and Libya.

SportsAlert CHAN 2016: Guinea beat Senegal

Guinea and Angola caused the biggest shocks of the weekend so far as they qualified for the finals of the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN 2016) in Rwanda.

Guinea qualified for the tournament for locally based players for the first time after three failed attempts by

CareerAlert Job Title: Admin Officer

System Waves Technologies was incorporated under companies and Allied Matters Acts 1990,with C.A.C. Certificate registration number of BN 2213046. We aim to provide our esteemed customers with ICT solutions that will help leverage their ICT investments to achieve their business objectives. System Waves Technologies commenced business with vast experience and expertise spanning a wide range of ICT platforms and architectures. At System Waves Technologies, we have a passion for ICT.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Election Tribunal annuls Wike’s election

The River State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja has annulled the election of Chief Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the April 11, 2015 governorship poll in the State.

Justice Mahmud Mohammed CJN and Wike

The tribunal ordered that elections should be conducted within ninety day in the state.

Electricity: Saraki wants punishment for defaulting discos

By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

ABUJA – SENATE President, Bukola Saraki, yesterday, advocated strict sanctions against electricity distribution companies,Discos, who fail to live up to the terms of agreements they reached with the Federal Government before commencing operations.

Breaking: Lionel Messi to stand trial for tax fraud in Spain

Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi and his father Jorge are to stand trial on three counts of tax fraud that could carry prison sentences, a Spanish court confirmed on Thursday. In a court filing, the judge in charge of the case rejected a request by the public prosecutor to try only the footballer’s father.

The pair were accused in 2013 of defrauding the taxman out of 4.16 million euros ($4.69 million) in taxes related to Messi‘s image rights between 2007 and 2009 through the creation of fake companies in Belize and Uruguay. It is alleged they ceded the player’s image rights to the companies in order to avoid declaring money made from lucrative deals with sponsors in Spain.

Buhari and other ministers: random musings

By Ochereome Nnanna

ONE of the most brilliant lawyers in Nigeria, Chima Nnaji (you will see him from time to time on Channels and the African Independent Television discussing current affairs) once said: if you close your fist everybody’s eyes will be attracted to it. Everybody will want to know what it is you are hiding in that fist, until you open it and they find it is a mere piece of paper. Hiding that piece of paper creates suspense, a heightened sense of expectation and yearning for you to open that dratted hand.

You must have noticed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s handlers, since the Bola Tinubu camp became part of his political life, adopted the strategy of creating myths around him. They make him the stuff of fables and legends and the gullible and unwary (that is, most Nigerians) are thus charmed and blown away. But in the end, it turns out to be what Ben Gbulie, in one of his writings described as “figments and nothing”.

The latest of these snake-charming antics which ended as a stupendous non-event was the ministerial saga. It was more than a saga: it was an odyssey. When in June 2015, Femi Adesina, Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media, broke the rather melancholic news (especially to All Progressives Congress, APC “investors”) that our new president would not appoint ministers until September, he and his fellow presidential image cosmeticians tried to douse the uproar by saying it was because Buhari needed time to search for immaculate and angelic Nigerians unsullied by corruption. No need to appoint just anybody only to find out he is a looter. Buhari is keen to avoid soiling the pristine government that he seeks to establish.

Enthusiasts said: “Ah, if that is why he is delaying, then let him take his time”. The bewildered grumbled: “What?! A man who retired from the army as a general, was once our head of state, ran for president FOUR times, and yet he needs FOUR months to search for suitable materials for ministerial positions?” I wrote a two-serial article entitled: “Brand Buhari’s Encounter With Diogenes”, likening this quixotic search for Nigerian angels to Greek philosopher, Diogenes who searched for an upright man, going round the streets of Athens with a lighted lantern in daytime!

As Buhari’s painstaking search nudged toward the end of September, he travelled to France and gave a television interview. He shocked us all when he contemptuously declared that ministers were mere “noisemakers”; that civil servants are the ones who do the real work. Yes, the same civil servants who are the acclaimed engine room of corruption, some of whom own the overpriced, unoccupied mansions up for sale or rent in

Abuja! This open preference for civil servants portrayed a certain disdain for ministers which we found somewhat incompatible with his search for “saints”.

When, at the proverbial eleventh hour on the 30th of September 2015 Buhari sent his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari and his Senate liaison officer, Senator Etta Enang to deliver a letter to the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki (whom some APC chieftains had sworn never to recognise) the bunch that was unveiled as his ministerial nominees was a whimper not a bang. In his Independence Day national broadcast, the president no longer said the delay was because he was looking for angels. He told us: “it would have been haphazard to announce ministers when the government had not finalised the number of ministries to optimally carry the burden of governance”. This was the better and more honest justification for the delay rather than the fib that he was searching for nonexistent “saints”.

A game for mortals

I have no headache about the few, highly familiar names peddled as Buhari’s ministerial nominees. I am realistic enough to know that party politics is not a game for angels, and it should not be a game for devils either. It is a game for mere mortals. Jesus Christ was the only mortal that walked the face of the earth without blemish, and that was because he was not a “mere” mortal. Section 147 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, makes it clear that no person can be nominated as a minister unless he is qualified to be a member of the House of Representatives. The simple interpretation is that he must be a card-carrying member of a political party.

So, when you see some ex-governors who promoted Buhari’s aspiration financially, logistically and otherwise surfacing as ministerial nominees and other positions, it is not strange. That’s what the constitution envisages. After all, this is an APC federal government. They campaigned for our votes and a majority of the electorate voted the party and its flag bearer to run the affairs of the nation for the next four years. Buhari is the leader of the party, but not the sole proprietor of the APC nor the sole administrator of Nigeria as he has been for the past four months. I am relieved that we are now exiting the military-like sole administratorship of the past four months. We are easing into a proper democratic atmosphere, where the National Assembly and the ruling party will bring their impacts to bear on the new administration and show us the difference between our PDP past anad our APC present.

Finally, I muse over PMB’s decision to double as Minister of Petroleum, opting to appoint Minister of State to assist him. This could, indeed, help him straighten things on that front, being a former occupant of the post and founding father of the NNPC. Buhari taking up a ministerial post, however, proves me right that ministers are not “noisemakers” as he erroneously postulated. That is why Ministers are called “Honourable”. Buhari, I am sure, is not a noisemaker, whatever else he is.

But president as minister could also be bad for the country. He is unlikely to present himself to the Senate for screening. Even if he does (I am sure he won’t) nobody will ask him old questions such as his school certificate or what not. He will be told to “bow and go”. He is unlikely to be summoned by the National Assembly committees on the oil industry and subjected to queries during public hearings. This is one Minister who will be untouchable, not only because of his overwhelming presidential powers but also because of his immunity.

I would have preferred that the person that oversees our primary source of federal income should be subject to accountability. When Obasanjo became president in 1999 he also made himself Minister of Petroleum. He ran that ministry for six years and he never gave account of his stewardship to anyone till date.

Come to think of it, I wonder why these military chaps are always angling to take over the Petroleum Ministry. Some say if there was no oil, there would have been no Nigerian civil war. Why are presidents not similarly attracted to the Agriculture Ministry (particularly Buhari, who owns farms and so many cows)? Why not Power or Defence or Police Affairs? Why always the proverbial “honey-pot” of the nation?

Mixed Metaphors: The Ministerial Nominees Edition By Sonala Olumhense

President Muhammadu Buhari last week appealed to leaders of countries where stolen funds and assets are being kept by corrupt individuals, to help return the loot to the victim-countries. The 70th United Nations General Assembly was the appropriate address for that appeal. The world leaders had just adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For Nigeria, they will have to be funded, somehow. Sonala Olumhense Syndicated What they did not dwell on was the betrayal of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially by countries such as Nigeria. That development plan did not fail in Nigeria because the country lacked funds.

Sonala Olumhense Syndicated

 They remained a foreign concept because the leadership lacked commitment, and because the people of Nigeria didn’t care enough. President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was at the Millennium Summit in 2000, and at the initiation of the MDGs to which it subsequently gave birth, had little time for them. Worse still, when he was compelled to leave office in 2007, he retaliated by instituting a rot so deep that neither sustained nor constructive work could take place. His successors have no time for them, either. Hopefully, Buhari will put in place a more nationalistic and responsible structure, so that Nigeria will be celebrated as a success story when the SDGs are reviewed 10 or 15 years from now. The MDGs would have been an amazing success in Nigeria if part of the Sani Abacha loot that Obasanjo pursued so relentlessly had been dedicated to achieving them. 

The former president has confirmed now that when he left office in 2007 he left behind in Abacha cash and assets alone $2billion, £100m and N10bn. Part of the challenge before Buhari who at a point was said to have doubted whether Abacha was a thief, is to find out where those funds are, and used them for the public good. Those funds—and others—are already here, and Buhari must avoid being another Obasanjo by not simply inviting the world to mount new efforts on our behalf, only to shy away from the challenge of ensuring that recovered funds are optimally deployed. 

It is of some relief that in an interview before he left New York, Buhari affirmed that Nigeria’s troubled Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who is being tried for corruption, must earn his confidence. This is important because Mr. Obasanjo was reported to have traveled all the way to New York to prevail upon Buhari to intervene in Saraki’s troubles and grant him something known as “soft landing”, a Nigerian euphemism for protecting and rewarding the mighty fallen. Obasanjo and Buhari are the only two men to have ruled Nigeria twice, but Buhari witnessed how Obasanjo made a spectacular mess of his second opportunity. Hopefully, despite all of the grandstanding, he understands Obasanjo would be pleased to see him suffer the same fate.

 Anyone who has paid attention knows that Obasanjo does not recognize the rule of law, if by that one means an authority over which Obasanjo has no control. And if there is anything in the province of the law for which Obasanjo has even more contempt, it is the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). Proof of this comes from 2006 when a celebrated panel he had assembled allegedly for the purpose of confronting corruption recommended that the CCB prosecute nearly half of the nation’s governors. Everything was okay until the panel handed Obasanjo the report. 

He took it home, and—I believe—simply set fire to it. He then called up one of those indicted governors and said to him, “You are going to be the next Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” And Goodluck Jonathan, perhaps the most philosophically-flawed of them, became Vice-President. 

Obasanjo has yet to apologize to the people of Nigeria for that malicious error. But he continued his games last week, telling reporters as the nation celebrated its 55th Independence Day, “Nigeria needs all hands on deck…we must kick corruption out because it destroys almost everything…Mercifully, his mission to New York appears to have collapsed. Not only did Buhari declare that it would be illegal for him as President to interfere in a court case, he also challenged Saraki to win presidential confidence through his trial. 

The irony is that Buhari returned to Nigeria needing to fulfill his promise to officially nominate Ministers by the end of September. That deadline arrived, inexorably, on Wednesday. It took the day’s final hours, but Buhari did send his list to the Senate, where it was received by the presiding officer, Saraki. That was a humiliating moment. Think about it: the President of Nigeria, who had tried to look for citizens of integrity to appoint into federal power, had to submit that list to Saraki, a man who IS undergoing trial for some of the greediest and most corrupt allegations in the nation’s history. 

What is next? According to the rule book, Saraki will now open the letter before the Senate, and read the names out loud in preparation for processing. He has announced he will do that on Tuesday, two days from now. [In practice, given his history, I fully expect him to have broken the seal by then, for the purpose of gaining some advantage, gluing back the envelope thereafter]. 

In the past, the PDP Senate used a “Bow and Go” vetting system. When the nominees appeared in the chambers for their nomination hearing, were then told, “Bow and go!” No suitability exercise was actually carried out, either because the nominee had allegedly parted with huge sums of cash, or was justified by membership of the PDP. But here we are in an asylum in which the patients diagnose the doctors: Are Nigerians really to expect a thorough vetting of the nominees? What would that be? 

Will the Senators—most of whom last week passed a vote of confidence in Saraki—investigate the credentials of a nominee, for instance, and—conceivably identifying inconsistencies—scream “fraud!” Really? Would Saraki explain to the befuddled nominee, “You made several emm…anticipatory declarations, contrary to the law…” And were he to say such a thing, would that be accepted as proof of the quality of our Senate, as vindication of Senator Saraki the suspect, or as the latest Basketmouth joke? Or will the Senate President, speaking seriously, deadpan: “Bow and Go, your integrity has set you free”? I can’t wait.

One of Buhari’s most important messages last week was addressed to the mass media, which he challenged to adopt the virtues of investigative reporting. Watch the interview. He stopped short of calling Nigerian journalists lazy and complicit, using his history of assets declaration as an example. He seemed to be saying: “There are so many stories out there…you could even have compiled my previous assets declaration: 

Go and get them!” From the President’s mouth, friends, not mine! In his National Day address, he challenged Nigerians to recognize that they cannot be spectators in the stadium of change, watching him. “We must change our lawless habits, our attitude to public office and public trust…” he said. “To bring about change, we must change ourselves by being law-abiding citizens.”

http://saharareporters.com/2015/10/03/mixed-metaphors-ministerial-nominees-edition-sonala-olumhense#

Alison-Madueke: UK Authorities Started Money Laundering, Corruption Probe In 2013

The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) has disclosed that their agents began a corruption probe of Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in 2013. The ongoing investigation led to the arrest two days ago of Mrs. Alison-Madueke, who has shuttled between the UK and a few European countries since her cabinet post came to an end with the electoral defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) has disclosed that their agents began a corruption probe of Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in 2013. The ongoing investigation led to the arrest two days ago of Mrs. Alison-Madueke, who has shuttled between the UK and a few European countries since her cabinet post came to an end with the electoral defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The former minister was released on bail after several hours of questioning, but UK authorities have confiscated her international passport to ensure she does not flee the country. 

In a recent update on their website, the UK National Crime Agency revealed that they began investigating Mrs. Alison-Madueke under the auspices of the Proceeds of Crime Unit (POCU) of the London Metropolitan police. The agency added that all four persons arrested across London with Mrs. Alison-Madueke were granted conditional police bail pending the outcome of ongoing investigations in the UK and abroad. 

The update on the NCA website did not name the accused persons, but a source within the Nigerian Presidency told SaharaReporters that they believe some of the other suspects are Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s relatives who may have rendered one assistance or another to her in the laundering of significant amounts through UK banks and other financial institutions.

Bomb blast: Human Flesh Litters Abuja

Pieces of human flesh were seen on Saturday October 3 2015 morning littering the roadside in a suburb of Abuja, Nyanya, where an explosive went off late on Friday October 2 2015. The explosive was said to have been detonated at the Jikwoyi Park, Nyanya, on the popular Abuja-Keffi Expressway, claiming yet-to-be ascertained number of lives. The late Friday incident was the third to be recorded in that vicinity. Two previous incidents with heavy casualties happened last year. Our correspondent, who visited the scene as early as 6.30am on Saturday, reported that the scene of the blast had been cordoned off by security operatives.

 A combined team of soldiers, policemen, officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as the Federal Road Safety Corps were seen controlling the crowd of onlookers which kept increasing every minute. Some policemen wearing black T-shirts marked “EOD” were seen picking pieces of human flesh that still littered the road side. The pieces of flesh were being packed inside cartons by the security operatives as wailing residents looked on. Buses and cars that had their windscreens shattered as a result of the impact of the blasts were still at the scene. An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Aminu, told our correspondent that rescue workers recovered many corpses from the scene of the blast late Friday. “What you see them packing now are pieces of flesh because many of the victims were torn into pieces. 

Corpses with several missing parts were taken away last night,” he said. The incident has caused a serious traffic gridlock on the expressway inwards Abuja as many motorists made attempt to get a glimpse of the scene. Security operatives were still having difficulties in controlling the surging crowd at the time of filing this report at 7.15am. Source: Punch Bomb blast: Pieces of human flesh litter Abuja suburb Pieces of human flesh were seen on Saturday morning littering the roadside in a suburb of Abuja, Nyanya, where an explosive went off late on Friday. The explosive was said to have been detonated at the Jikwoyi Park, Nyanya, on the popular Abuja-Keffi Expressway, claiming yet-to-be ascertained number of lives. 

The late Friday incident was the third to be recorded in that vicinity. Two previous incidents with heavy casualties were witnessed there last year. Our correspondent, who visited the scene as early as 6.30am on Saturday, reported that the scene of the blast had been cordoned off bff by security operatives. 

A combined team of soldiers, policemen, officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as the Federal Road Safety Corps were seen controlling the crowd of onlookers which kept increasing every minute. Some policemen wearing black T-shirts marked “EOD” were seen picking pieces of human flesh that still littered the road side. The pieces of flesh were being packed inside cartons by the security operatives as wailing residents looked on. 

Buses and cars that had their windscreens shattered as a result of the impact of the blasts were still at the scene. An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Aminu, told our correspondent that rescue workers recovered many corpses from the scene of the blast late Friday. “What you see them packing now are pieces of flesh because many of the victims were torn into pieces. 

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2015/10/bomb-blast-human-flesh-litter-abuja/#

Ministers: Nothing wrong with recycling ex-office holders- Adesina

Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, was guest on Kakaaki, a program of Africa Independent Television (AIT) on Thursday, October 1.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

First of all, let’s look at the President’s October 1 broadcast. What do you make of it?

We must recognise that it is a National Day broadcast, and he started by reviewing the state of the polity, particularly our march towards nationhood 55 years after independence. Are we a nation yet? Are we just a conglomeration of ethnic nationalities? I think on a day like this, that is the most important thing, all the others are ancillary, though important. It was an efficient broadcast, it may be short but it touched a number of crucial issues.

One issue that has been generating lots of reactions is the ministerial list. The President did promise sometime in July that he was going to name his ministers in September. But what we saw was a submission of ministerial list to the National Assembly.

We also need to mind the process and the procedure; Our federal lawmakers would be the first people to kick if the President just reeled out the names of the ministers and their portfolios. That would not be in order. What he does is to nominate and send to the Senate and after clearance, the ministers begin to work. At any given time, procedure must be followed.

Part of the broadcast that a lot of people would have loved to hear more from the President is the issue of national unity and inclusiveness in running the affairs of state. It appears that the President did not dwell on that and a lot of people looking at Nigeria believe that national unity and inclusiveness appear to be quite elusive. One would have expected the President to reassure the country that Nigeria stays as one and this is what I am going to do so that everyone has a sense of belonging.

Well, let me read this paragraph if you will permit, the President says here, “We have all the attributes of a great nation, we are not there yet because the one commodity we have been unable to exploit to the fullness is the unity of purpose .This would have enabled us to achieve not only more orderly political evolution and integration, but also, continuity and economic progress. Countries far less endowed have made greater coherence and unity of purpose.” So, he touched on what you said.

Yes, he touched on it, but what I mean is that he should have dwelled on it, talking about Nigeria at 55.

You should also realize that he is President, and he should not be dwelling on just challenges, rather he should be working to achieve solutions , which is quite better.

There are some agitations that the President seems to favour some parts of the country, so the eagerness to see who and who will make the ministerial list…

He also said that order is better than speed. What Nigerians want in these appointments appears to be speed, so that they can calculate how many are from the North, South, East and West, and all that. But we will get there, that is what the President is saying.

The President wants to manage the country’s resources and he didn’t make any statement about the economy or the real sector, why is this so?

I think we are forgetting that it is a National Day broadcast. It is about Nigeria, our people, the way we have lived together. What are the challenges and how are the challenges being surmounted? All those other things cannot necessarily come into a National Day broadcast, that is what I feel.

How long shall Nigerians wait for the President to say something on the economic direction?

The economic direction is not an opinion of one man but an aggregation of what a team feels and what they have agreed upon. That team is unfolding, we have a list of proposed ministers, that list has not been unfolded and when they are approved with their portfolios , they are the ones that will articulate the economic direction. What if the President as one man has said ,this is the direction and the team comes and feels different?

Not as one man, because he has said that he has been in consultation with the Vice President and some other individual concerning solutions to our problems . Based on that statement, Nigerians are expecting that …

That would still not amount to an economic direction.

Let us talk about some things. It was reported that the President says that his relationship with the Senate president would depend on the outcome of the Code of Conduct trial. Could you confirm that ?

I was at a session in New York when the President was granting that interview to Sahara TV and he said the relationship between them is cordial. The interviewer asked if they communicate and he said , yes, many times. There were some appointments that he couldn’t have made without writing the Senate president. He was further asked what would be the relationship in the light of the code of conduct tribunal trial that is going on, and he said, “Yes, I have to wait for that process to end and that would determine the relationship,” which I think is just right.

Okay, I think that you need to break it down further, when he said that he needs to wait for the process before the relationship becomes cordial. Does it mean, it is not cordial right now?

There is separation of powers between the executive and legislature…

The President and Senate president are from the same party and they need to have a very cordial working relationship for the President to succeed.

Is there an indication that the relationship is not cordial?

From the statement of the President that he is awaiting the outcome of the trial, it has pitched him on a particular level… it seems the President is saying that the Senate president should not come close to me pending when the trial is over, to know whether you are clean enough or not.

What the President meant was that he was not going to interfere in any way and the process must play out. He was emphatic about that and of course if the process finishes, whichever way it goes, it determines the relationship between the two individuals. For a government that pays high premium on transparency and accountability, it is very important that whoever is in a top decision must be seen to be accountable to the people.

One would also ask if the President is conscious of the assumption of innocence until proven guilty.

In all he has said, there is nowhere that assumption has been breached, No way and nowhere that it has been breached. He says that the Senate president is innocent for now and when the process ends, they continue the relationship.

Okay now, let’s look at the ministerial list that was sent (September 30). We understand from what is in the news that just a few names were sent to the Senate, can you confirm this? And when would the rest be sent?

The President himself was clear about that, he said the first batch but nobody knows how many is in the batch

I am sure that you know…

(laughs) … No…No…, you know, you are a news person and you can’t depend on everything you hear. It has been addressed to the Senate president. The list is there, he will unfold it officially. Nobody can say precisely how many. You said a few; you can’t be sure because the Senate president has not unfolded it.

How many people are in the batch?

A: Well, it depends on the President. There are certain prerogatives that the President has. Ministers are one of them. He has said that this is the first batch, I think that we should wait and see who are those in the first batch and after that we know how many remains, because the constitution already states that there must be a minister in each of the states. We have 36 states in the country, so when the list is unfolded, we know how many remains.

You have just returned from the United Nations General Assembly in New York, we heard that a lot of things happened there, like missing meetings that the President was supposed to attend.

Now, let me talk about the supposedly missed meeting. The truth is that, you don’t miss meetings that you are not scheduled to attend, That is just the truth. If you are not scheduled for a meeting, can you miss it? No.

Was Nigeria not scheduled for the meeting?

No, Nigeria was not scheduled to be at that meeting. That is the truth.

O’Brien of the UN was reported as saying that he was quite disappointed that Nigeria was not at that meeting.

A: We have a Permanent representative at the UN, Prof. Joy Ogwu. The invitations Nigeria received are seven pages in all. I have them. You won’t see that meeting in any of the invitations that we got. Nigeria was not invited to that meeting and not scheduled to be there. With the passion that our President has on the Boko Haram, do you think that he will receive an invitation to a meeting that will discuss that issue and he will not be there? The truth is that Nigeria was not invited. We have said it and even the President has said in an interview before leaving New York and I guess that should rest the matter. What is happening, as far as I am concerned is storm in a teacup. A lot of people just want to find faults unnecessarily. Nigeria was not invited to that meeting, if she had been invited , she would have been there.

Secondly, it was a meeting on Boko Haram and insurgency. There were two high levels meetings within the General Assembly days and Nigeria was at those meetings. It simply shows that she was not invited to the earlier one. Let me make this statement: it’s like Nigerians have been lied to so much that they find it difficult to now believe the truth. And the truth is that Nigeria was not invited to that meeting.

Even if the President was not invited, was the Nigerian delegation aware of that meeting?

A: How could the Nigerian delegation be aware, when it was not scheduled? I have told you that every meeting that Nigeria was scheduled to attend, I have the list here and that meeting was not there. Nigeria was not scheduled for the meeting.

What would have informed the President’s desire to want to become the Minister of Petroleum, when he is talking about reforming the NNPC, making it transparent? Does he not trust anyone or believe that there are capable people who can be trusted to manage this ministry properly?

I think the question, we will ask ourselves is: What would the President be bringing to the table, if he is going to supervise the petroleum ministry? He has been Minister of Petroleum about 32 years ago. That is a lot of experience. Those were years that things were done fairly properly in this country.

A lot of people will say that things have changed over the years and lots of structures have also changed and those days may have gone….

But there are things that never change in life. These include integrity, transparency, truth and responsibility. Those things never change and those are the things the President would bring to bear.

In the newspaper review this morning, it was reported that 21 names made the ministerial list. Now, based on the constitution, a minister must be selected from every state. So, if the President wants to supervise the ministry of petroleum resources, how will this work out eventually? Does this mean that a particular state will have two slots?

The constitutional requirement you quoted talks about the minimum , it states that there must be 36 number of ministers, at least one from each state. We have lived in this country where we had 46, 48 ministers and all that. That already shows you that 36 is the minimum requirement but this administration is one that wants to cut cost. We don’t expect that it would have a ballooned number of ministers.

What would you say to Nigerians out there, who think that perhaps if some institutions are working, talking of EFCC, ICPC and some other regulatory and enforcement agencies, we won’t be talking about recycling of ministers or minister of petroleum in the person of President Muhammadu Buhari.

What is wrong with recycling if that person has something he is bringing to the table? Recycling would be wrong if that person is adding no value. But if he is adding value, what is wrong with recycling? I tell you that this is one appointment, if you can call it so, that will bring a lot of value to that ministry.

You said earlier that the President is bringing in honour, integrity, truth all those virtues into the ministry’s package. And the President has taken over three months to appoint ministers. I wonder, has he not found a Nigerian with all these qualities to run that office? We have seen in this country, where a former president oversaw this sector and there was not much difference.

Don’t forget that the buck stops at the President’s table. At the end of his administration, it is going to be called the Buhari administration and not the name of any minister. Therefore, it is very important that what the President feels would make a difference in the country is what he does. At the end of the day, that administration would be rated with his name and not any other name.

The last words from you Mr. Adesina before you go

Well, I will just like to say that Nigerians trusted this President, they elected him into office, let them continue to maintain that trust, and at the end of the day, they will not be disappointed.

http://thenationonlineng.net/nothing-wrong-with-recycling-ex-office-holders-adesina/

Police yet to begin recruitment of 10,000 personnel

The recruitment of 10, 000 men promised by President Muhammadu Buhari has not begun, the Police High Command said. 

The Command warned Nigerians to be wary of fraudsters, stating that the commencement of the process will be well communicated via the media at the appropriate time. A statement by Force Public Relations officer, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu, said: “Following the approval for recruitment of 10,000 Police officers by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigeria Police wishes to inform the general public that recruitment into the Force is yet to commence. 

“The modalities for the recruitment are being worked out with the Police Service Commission and would be announced in due course. “The general public is hereby warned to beware of online fraudsters who may take advantage of the recruitment information to defraud them of their hard earned money. “The Nigeria Police Force will adequately advertise on all forms of media (Televisions, Newspapers, etc) when the recruitment commences. You can also visit the Police website on www.npf.gov.ng for necessary information.”

President Buhari’s speech as Nigeria marks 55th anniversary

ourselves in because it is the day, 55 years ago; we liberated ourselves from the shackles of colonialism and began our long march to nationhood and to greatness.

No temporary problems or passing challenges should stop us from honoring this day. Let us remind ourselves of the gifts God has given us. Our Creator has bequeathed to us Numbers – Nigeria is the ninth most populated country on the planet. We have in addition:

President Buhari M.

• Arable land

• Water

• Forests

• Oil and gas

• Coastline

• Solid minerals

We have all the attributes of a great nation. We are not there yet because the one commodity we have been unable to exploit to the fullest is unity of purpose. This would have enabled us to achieve not only more orderly political evolution and integration but also continuity and economic progress.

Countries far less endowed have made greater economic progress by greater coherence and unity of purpose. Nonetheless, that we have remained together is an achievement we should all appreciate and try to consolidate. We have witnessed this year a sea change in our democratic development. The fact that an opposition party replaced an entrenched government in a free and fair election is indicative of the deeper roots of our democratic system. Whatever one’s views are, Nigerians must thank former President Jonathan for not digging-in in the face of defeat and thereby saving the country untold consequences.

As I said in my inaugural speech, I bear no ill will against anyone on past events. Nobody should fear anything from me. We are not after anyone. People should only fear the consequences of their actions. I hereby invite everyone, whatever his or her political view to join me in working for the nation.

My countrymen and women, every new government inherits problems. Ours was no different. But what Nigerians want are solutions, quick solutions not a recitation of problems inherited. Accordingly, after consultations with the Vice President, senior party leaders and other senior stakeholders, I quickly got down to work on the immediate, medium-term and long-term problems which we must solve if we are to maintain the confidence which Nigerians so generously bestowed on us in the March elections and since then.

As you know, I toured the neighboring countries, marshal a coalition of armed forces of the five nations to confront and defeat Boko Haram. I met also the G7 leaders and other friendly presidents in an effort to build an international coalition against Boko Haram. Our gallant armed forces under new leadership have taken the battle to the insurgents, and severely weakened their logistical and infrastructural capabilities. Boko Haram are being scattered and are on the run. That they are resorting to shameless attacks on soft targets such as I.D.P. camps is indicative of their cowardice and desperation. I have instructed security and local authorities to tighten vigilance in vulnerable places.

On power, government officials have held a series of long sessions over several weeks about the best way to improve the nation’s power supply in the safest and most cost effective way. In the meantime, improvement in the power supply is moderately encouraging. By the same token, supply of petrol and kerosene to the public has improved throughout the country. All the early signs are that within months the whole country would begin to feel a change for the better.

Preliminary steps have been taken to sanitize NNPC and improve its operations so that the inefficiency and corruption could be reduced to a minimum. Those of our refineries which can be serviced and brought back into partial production would be enabled to resume operations so that the whole sordid business of exporting crude and importing finished products in dubious transactions could be stopped.

In addition to NNPC, I have ordered for a complete audit of our other revenue generating agencies mainly CBN, FIRS, Customs, NCC, for better service delivery to the nation. Prudent housekeeping is needed now more than ever in view of the sharp decline in world market oil prices. It is a challenge we have to face squarely. But what counts is not so much what accrues but how we manage our resources that is important.

We have seen in the last few years how huge resources were mismanaged, squandered and wasted. The new APC government is embarking on a clean up, introducing prudence and probity in public financing.

At an early stage, the federal government addressed the issue of salary arrears in many states, a situation capable of degenerating into social unrest. The APC government stepped in to provide short-term support to the owing states and enabled them to pay off the backlog and restore the livelihood of millions of Nigerians.

Fellow Nigerians, there have been a lot of anxiety and impatience over the apparent delay in announcement of ministers. There is no cause to be anxious. Our government set out to do things methodically and properly. We received the handing over notes from the outgoing government only four days before taking over. Consequently, the Joda Transition Committee submitted its Report on the reorganization of Federal Government structure after studying the hand over notes. It would have been haphazard to announce ministers when the government had not finalized the number of ministries to optimally carry the burden of governance.

Anyway, the wait is over. The first set of names for ministerial nominees for confirmation has been sent to the senate. Subsequent lists will be forwarded in due course. Impatience is not a virtue. Order is more vital than speed. Careful and deliberate decisions after consultations get far better results. And better results for our country is what the APC government for CHANGE is all about.

I would like to end my address this morning on our agenda for CHANGE. Change does not just happen. You and I and all of us must appreciate that we all have our part to play if we want to bring CHANGE about. We must change our lawless habits, our attitude to public office and public trust. We must change our unruly behavior in schools, hospitals, market places, motor parks, on the roads, in homes and offices. To bring about change, we must change ourselves by being law-abiding citizens.

Happy Independence Celebrations. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. God Bless.