Nigeria will start exporting cars soon —Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday expressed the belief that with the measures put in place by his administration, especially the new National Automotive Industry Policy; the country would soon be exporting cars to other countries.

 

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday expressed the belief that with the measures put in place by his administration, especially the new National Automotive Industry Policy; the country would soon be exporting cars to other countries.

Jonathan spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while granting audience to a delegation of the business community from Anambra State led by Governor Peter Obi.

In responding to an address by the delegation, the President said, “I will refer all the issues you raised to the various departments of government. We are totally committed to creating jobs. Nigeria is a country with huge population of youths. If jobs are not created, there will be crisis. The housing, agriculture and power sectors are also receiving attention.

“In the next few years, Nigeria will begin to export cars to other countries. We are encouraging the government to support local manufacturers.”

Jonathan promised that the industrialists’ basic needs such as roads, power and port facilities would be addressed appropriately.

He said if Nigeria must become great as expected by all, the Federal Government must industrialise the nation.

To this end, he said his administration would continue to encourage industrialists in the country.

“If any country will be great, we must industrialise. If Nigeria must be a great country, we must industrialise. To this end, we will continue to encourage industrialists in Anambra,” the President added.

He said his government was also devoting attention and resources to the power sector because of its critical role in industrialisation.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo told the delegation that Jonathan had recently approved $3.7bn to improve power transmission across the country.

Obi had earlier told the President that the enterprising and preserving nature of Anambra people made them well-positioned to assist Jonathan to achieve his administration’s transformation agenda.

While declaring the support of the people of the state for Jonathan, Obi said, “You have excess credit in your political account that these people (members of the delegation) are ready to pay you when you need it.”

The governor said he led the delegation to express their support for the President and bring to his attention some of the industrialists’ collective, which if addressed, would help in anchoring the growth and development of industry in the state.

Some of the needs, according to him, are the completion of the 330/132/33KV power substation at Nnewi; provision of uninterrupted power supply in the Onitsha Harbour Industrial Area and Ozubulu Industrial Hub; completion of the Nnamdi Azikwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi; and the inclusion of Anambra State in the rail master plan.

Obi also made a case for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of federal roads within the state such as the Oba-Nnewi-Okigwe Section 1, Nnewi-Okija, start of Onitsha Second Niger Bridge, completion of the Onitsha-Enugu dual carriageway and completion of the Umueze-Anam Kogi road.

The governor also thanked the President for the inclusion of Nnewi in the National Automotive Industry Policy of the Federal Government.

This, he said, would attract many ancillary industries, especially with the coming on stream of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant, adding that the local content in vehicle manufacturing in no time would increase from 40 per cent to 60 per cent.

Jonathan spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while granting audience to a delegation of the business community from Anambra State led by Governor Peter Obi.

In responding to an address by the delegation, the President said, “I will refer all the issues you raised to the various departments of government. We are totally committed to creating jobs. Nigeria is a country with huge population of youths. If jobs are not created, there will be crisis. The housing, agriculture and power sectors are also receiving attention.

“In the next few years, Nigeria will begin to export cars to other countries. We are encouraging the government to support local manufacturers.”

Jonathan promised that the industrialists’ basic needs such as roads, power and port facilities would be addressed appropriately.

He said if Nigeria must become great as expected by all, the Federal Government must industrialise the nation.

To this end, he said his administration would continue to encourage industrialists in the country.

“If any country will be great, we must industrialise. If Nigeria must be a great country, we must industrialise. To this end, we will continue to encourage industrialists in Anambra,” the President added.

He said his government was also devoting attention and resources to the power sector because of its critical role in industrialisation.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo told the delegation that Jonathan had recently approved $3.7bn to improve power transmission across the country.

Obi had earlier told the President that the enterprising and preserving nature of Anambra people made them well-positioned to assist Jonathan to achieve his administration’s transformation agenda.

While declaring the support of the people of the state for Jonathan, Obi said, “You have excess credit in your political account that these people (members of the delegation) are ready to pay you when you need it.”

The governor said he led the delegation to express their support for the President and bring to his attention some of the industrialists’ collective, which if addressed, would help in anchoring the growth and development of industry in the state.

Some of the needs, according to him, are the completion of the 330/132/33KV power substation at Nnewi; provision of uninterrupted power supply in the Onitsha Harbour Industrial Area and Ozubulu Industrial Hub; completion of the Nnamdi Azikwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi; and the inclusion of Anambra State in the rail master plan.

Obi also made a case for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of federal roads within the state such as the Oba-Nnewi-Okigwe Section 1, Nnewi-Okija, start of Onitsha Second Niger Bridge, completion of the Onitsha-Enugu dual carriageway and completion of the Umueze-Anam Kogi road.

The governor also thanked the President for the inclusion of Nnewi in the National Automotive Industry Policy of the Federal Government.

This, he said, would attract many ancillary industries, especially with the coming on stream of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant, adding that the local content in vehicle manufacturing in no time would increase from 40 per cent to 60 per cent.

KEDC to take delivery of 40,000 prepaid meters from World Bank

The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company will take delivery of 40,000 prepaid metres from the World Bank in February, the company’s Managing Director, Malam Mohammed Idris, has said.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Kaduna that the prepaid meters would solve the current dearth of the equipment in the state.
Idris said the company had marked the areas that the new meters would be installed.
The managing director said that the debt profile of the company stood at N40 billion.
He, however, added that the company had introduced new measures that would enable customers to pay their electricity bills promptly.
He added that “we have introduced new metering programme and we are confident that it is accepted by customers.

“The National Electricity Regulatory Commission said if you have money and want a meter but cannot wait for the free meters from government, you can pay to accredited vendors, approved by the commission.
“Some electricity consumers who keyed into this arrangement will get their meters installed in five weeks.
“We are glad that the arrangement is working and we have recorded successes.’’

We won’t allow politicians use us for violence – NURTW

The National Union of Road Transport Workers in Ogun State on Monday said it was not involved in the recent spate of violence between rival members of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state.

The union further denied an allegation that the chapter had instructed its members to disrupt any political gathering perceived to be against the interest of Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

The NURTW cautioned Senator Gbenga Kaka not to drag the union into the crisis rocking the APC.

The NURTW State Secretary, Sunday Yeye, who stated this at a news conference in Abeokuta, debunked the claims made by Kaka in some national dailies that the union had a hand in the violence unleashed recently on supporters at the party state secretariat, Abeokuta.

 

 

 

“It is a lie. We did not instruct our members to go against those who are anti-Amosun. It is a false allegation,” he said.

The Ogun NURTW secretary flanked by the state Chairman, Alhaji Akeem Adeosun, the state Vice Chairman, AlhajiAbiodun Akeem; and other union officials argued that nobody appeared at the venue of the violence in the name of the union or carried any banner that reflected the NURTW’s on the day of the violence.

Yeye however noted that the union’s constitution allowed its members the freedom to belong to any political party of their choice.

He stressed that members of the union, whom he described as professional drivers, were not thugs and should not be linked to any political violence.

Lagos Assembly bans smoking in public places

The Lagos State House of Assembly has passed a bill for a law to ban smoking in public places. The bill, which was passed on Monday, has been sent to the executive arm of the government for the governor’s ascent.

The bill, which scaled through the third reading, prohibits anybody smoking in all public places

$10.8bn ‘missing’ money spent by Nigerians –NNPC

In its bid to further defend how it spent the allegedly missing $10.8bn, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Monday stated that the fund was not missing but was used by Nigerians.
Specifically, the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, declared that if the fund was missing, then it was missing in the pockets of Nigerians.

In what seemed to be a reply to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the NNPC boss stated that the corporation had persistently filed-in its claims to the Federation Account monthly.
While explaining how the fund was spent, Yakubu said, “The $10.8bn is not a missing money; if it is missing, (then) is missing to the pockets of the beneficiaries who are you and me.”
Okonjo-Iweala had stated that the NNPC would provide evidence to show that the fund was judiciously spent.
“If the money was spent on operational cost, let us see evidence that it was spent in an authorised way. And if not, let the amount be remitted to the Federation Account,” she had said.
According to Yakubu, the biggest chunk of the $10.8bn was the subsidy incurred on petrol and kerosene.
He said, “This is part of NNPC’s quarterly allocation which it is to provide to the country, especially for petrol. NNPC is the only importer and producer of kerosene in Nigeria. The corporation brings in kerosene and sells at less than N50 at designated depots and the landing cost of this is over N150.
“Now we compute these numbers on monthly basis and that amount plus the subsidy on PMS, which we all know, amounts to about 80 per cent of this $10.8bn that we are talking about.
“So what we do is to account for it and they are unrealisable flows, and are unrealisable because they have subsidies and we do not have control over the prices, but we are asked to account for the crude at international crude oil price.”

Fashola redeploys 7 permanent secretaries

 Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has approved the redeployment of 11 permanent secretaries in the state's public service.

The redeployment was contained in a statement signed by the Head of Service, Oluseyi Williams, in Ikeja on Thursday.

Olalekan Ogunbanwo was moved from the Lagos Television/Radio Services to Parastatals Monitoring Office, while Adekunle Ajanaku, formerly of the Deputy Governor's Office, is to take over from Ogunbanwo.

According to the statement, Paul Omotayo Bamgbose-Martins of Ministry of Works takes charge at Office of Infrastructure.

Nurudeen Adeyinka Ojora-Adejiyan moved from Local Government Service Commission to Teachers’ Establishment and Pensions Office, while Ashamu Fadipe of the Ministry of Tourism and Intergovernmental Relations, is to serve at the Local Government Service Commission.

Olufunmilayo Balogun of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture is to take over at the Ministry of Tourism, Omotayo Olabenjo, formerly of the Civil Service Commission, takes charge at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture.  

Four newly appointed permanent secretaries were given portfolios as follows -- Jokotola Ojosipe-Ogundimu (Civil Service Commission), Michael Dawodu (Deputy Governor’s Office), Olujimi Hotonu (Works) and Oluwatoyin Adegbuji-Onikoyi (Ministry of Finance). 

In the same vein, three newly appointed tutors-general/permanent secretaries were also deployed  - Florence Ogunfidodo (Education District I2), Margaret Titilayo Solarin (Education District II) and Yinka Olaniyi (Education District III).

The statement added that the postings would take effect on January 20.

Jonathan advocates computerisation of land registry

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday advocated for the computerization of land registry as a means of assisting land administration in the country. The President said this will ease the cost of house construction and sale by private developers.

Mr. Jonathan said this while speaking at the presidential launch of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinancing Company (NMRC), a vehicle for funding the cost of residential mortgages and promoting affordable housing for Nigerians .
While calling for a reduction in the cost of land registration, the president stressed the need for the streamlining of quick completion of the foreclosure processes. He advised state governors to consider delegating land consent in their states to speed up the process of land acquisition.
President Jonathan further disclosed that his administration has taken steps to create a stable macroeconomic environment that has lowered the rate of inflation from 12 per cent to 8 per cent last year as well as reducing all impediment to a sustainable and dynamic housing market.
“The Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company was established to support our objective towards. The housing sector is a key component of this administration’s transformation agenda. That is why we conveyed the presidential retreat in May last year.
” And in November, I asked the Coordinating Minister to host a roundtable on housing finance. The objective was to take a critical look at the sector and recommend ways that could be harnessed to provide shelter for Nigerians and create jobs for our teaming youth.
“The housing sector is known worldwide as an avenue for job creation and economic stability. That is why we are focused on the sector and the concrete action we have taken I alleviating the major constraints to its rapid development.
“The first step we are taking is to create a micro economic environment that will lower inflation from 12 percent to 8 percent,” he said.
He said government is carrying out these measures because of its understanding that high inflation constitutes a major impediment to the creation of a sustainable and dynamic market.
“The next major step we have taken is to create the enabling environment for primary mortgage bank and other financial institution to offer real mortgage facilities to Nigerians at affordable rates,” he said.
The ceremony witnessed the signing of two major agreements. The first was between the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, and Shelter Afrique; while the second was a subsidiary agreement between the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria, and World Bank on the occasion.

Nigeria launches new Mortgage Refinance Company

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan launched the proposed Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company.

                                

The mortgage company is a key part of the government’s economic transformation programme and aims to re-energize the housing sector as well as deliver effective mortgage financing to Nigerians.
“There’s the Mortgage Refinance Company which is being launched and there is also the supply side initiative because the challenge with mortgage in Nigeria is, beyond the financing, there is a supply constraint which also needs to be unblocked,” Niyi Adeleye, Head Real Estate Finance West Africa, Stanbic IBTC Capital.
The country currently has a deficit of 17 million housing units and needs one million units per annum for the next 17 years to meet this demand. The Mortgage Refinance Company is expected to create over 200,000 mortgages over the next five years at affordable interest rates and will begin in 14 pilot states and the state governors have agreed to fast track land titles.
“The mortgage refinance focuses on creating a window, a liquidity window for financial institutions to refinance the long term exposure that they can go back into the market and create new mortgages with the expectation that there’ll be greater incentives for banks to create mortgages,”
Banks in the country currently do not create mortgages because financing is generally short term and the mortgage liquidity company is trying to fill this gap, however the supply side still plays a major part.
“For a developer the most important thing is, the government has to factor what are the funding alternatives that developers can access to improve the supply of housing stocks into market by virtue of technology or by virtue technical capacity which I believe the government really needs to look into critically,” Damola Akindolire, General Manager Alphamaed Property Development Company told OPINIONVOICES.
Mustafa Chike-Obi, the Managing Director for Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) recently said that the housing market needs N10 trillion annually for the next five years. However, with the launch of this new company, interest rates are expected to come down to about 13 per cent.
“The company is supposed to create sustainable droppings in mortgage rates. The thing is that if you have a liquidity window that financial institutions can’t access and this is both banks and PMI’s, the liquidity premium that they normally add to mortgages which would be 10, 15, 20 years long, will be shortened or eliminated. The expectation is that over time, that would translate to a drop in mortgage rates,” Adeleye said. 

Republicans warn of security flaws in Obamacare website

Republicans in Congress sought to showcase what they call major security problems with the Obamacare website HealthCare.gov on Thursday, just as U.S. officials ramp up a national campaign to persuade young adults to use the site to enrol in health insurance.
In a public messaging tug-of-war that will likely intensify in coming weeks, the Republican-led House of Representatives targeted the healthcare reform law in three separate oversight hearings. Two were geared toward Republican claims that HealthCare.gov remains vulnerable to hackers more than three months after its botched October 1 rollout.
Democrats accused Republicans of "cherry picking" partial information about the website to try and scare consumers away from it. Later in the day, Obamacare supporters, including federal and state officials, staged a six-hour presentation on YouTube.com intended to drive enrolment among 18-to-34-year-olds.
The administration also disclosed plans for a media promotion campaign during next month's Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and unveiled 30-second ads with former basketball stars Magic Johnson and Alonzo Mourning.

U.S. officials are eager to boost youth participation, which is widely seen as vital to the success of President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement.
The administration needs enough young people, who are typically healthier, so that their premiums will help offset costs from older enrollees and prevent insurers from raising their rates.
Officials hope to enroll more than 2.5 million young Americans in coverage by a March 31 deadline. So far they have signed up only about one-fifth of that number, partly due to early technical glitches at HealthCare.gov.
While the performance of the website has greatly improved, the Obama administration is contending with fresh attacks from Republicans eager to highlight the healthcare reform's flaws, including security questions.
"It seems to defy common sense that a website plagued with functional problems was, in fact, perfectly secure by design," said Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, who presided over one of Thursday's security hearings.
At another Republican-led hearing, a cybersecurity professional warned that the federal government has failed to implement fixes necessary to protect the HealthCare.gov website from hackers.
"HealthCare.gov is not secure today," David Kennedy, head of computer security consulting firm TrustedSec LLC, told the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
HealthCare.gov is the consumer web portal to a 36-state federal health insurance marketplace, which offers private insurance, with federally subsidized rates for some consumers. The 14 other states have built their own marketplaces.
Kennedy said "nothing has really changed" since a hearing before the same committee in November when he and three other expert witnesses said they believed the site was not secure and three of them said it should be shut down immediately.
"I don't understand how we're still discussing whether the website is insecure or not," said Kennedy, who worked for the National Security Agency and the U.S. Marine Corps before entering the private sector. "It is insecure - 100 percent."
Before the hearing, Kennedy told Reuters the government has yet to plug more than 20 vulnerabilities that he and other security experts reported to the government shortly after HealthCare.gov went live on October 1. Hackers could steal personal information, modify data, attack the personal computers of website users and damage the infrastructure of the site, Kennedy said in an interview.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency responsible for HealthCare.gov, said in a statement to Reuters, "There have been no successful security attacks on Healthcare.gov and no person or group has maliciously accessed personally identifiable information from the site."
CMS said Kennedy's methodology undermined his findings: "Because this individual had no direct access to the operations of the HealthCare.gov website, the information in the report is based on assumptions, not fact."
The agency's information security chief also publicly tried to reassure lawmakers that the site is safe.
The CMS chief information security officer, Teresa Fryer, said the website underwent end-to-end security testing on December 18 and met all industry standards.
"The (federal marketplace) is secure. In many instances, we have gone above and beyond what is required, with layered protection, continuous monitoring and additional penetration testing," Fryer said before the House Oversight panel.
Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings charged that Republicans were "cherry-picking partial information to promote a narrative that is inaccurate" about the Obamacare website, when its security was "strong and keeps getting stronger".
Instead of holding ever more hearings on the Obamacare website, lawmakers should be looking into the massive data breach affecting millions at Target Corp, Cummings said at the hearing where CMS's Fryer appeared.
As the hearings took place, Republicans sought to amplify their anti-Obamacare message by advancing another bill to tweak the law. The legislation, which passed by a 259-154 vote, would require the Obama administration to issue weekly enrollment statistics.
The White House considers the transparency bill another Republican attempt to harass implementation of its healthcare reform. However, 33 Democrats voted for the bill. Last week, the House passed a Republican measure that would require the government to notify consumers in two days if their personal information on HealthCare.gov has been compromised.

Obama picks Latina banker to lead small business agency

U.S. President Barack Obama nominated Maria Contreras-Sweet on Wednesday to lead the Small Business Administration, an agency that provides loans and helps small businesses get government contracts.
"She understands the needs of small business owners like herself. She knows how they can lift entire communities, and ultimately how they lift our country," Obama said in making the announcement at the White House.
She is the second Hispanic nominated to Obama's second-term cabinet after Labour Secretary Tom Perez.
Contreras-Sweet founded ProAmerica Bank, a Latino-owned community bank in Los Angeles, which focuses on lending to small- and medium-sized Latino businesses.
"Maria knows how hard it is to get started on a business, the grueling hours, the stress, the occasional self-doubt - although I have not yet seen self-doubt out of Maria," Obama said.
The Mexican-born Contreras-Sweet was California's secretary of business, transportation and housing in the Democratic administration of Gray Davis. She immigrated to the United States as a child.

China says smaller firms will get more loans, other help

 China said on Thursday it will take steps to boost bank lending and subsidies to small and medium-sized businesses in labour intensive industries, many of which are facing a tougher business environment.

 

A joint statement issued by nine government departments outlined broadly how smaller firms would be assisted, but did not give specifics on what kind of lending help will be extended.

Among the bodies issuing the statement was the China Banking Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The statement said that the government would "develop financial products and services fit for small- and medium- sized firms in labour intensive industries and set loan rates reasonably".

Syndicate Arrested with Presidential Seal, Fake Custom Seal

On Thursday, members of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested four members of a syndicate which specialized in the production of fake Customs papers.

Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, Ogun state Police Public Relations Officer said, the suspects were arrested by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, in Ogun State. According to Adejobi, items recovered from the suspects include fake seal of the Presidency, fake stamps of Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Police, computers, typewriters, printers and forged tinted glass permit.

Speaking with the press, three suspects; Austin Henry, Bala Idris and Peter Patrick, confessed to the crime of forging customs papers in the last three years, they however said, they were not the only ones involved as others had fled before the police could nab them.

Sack Of Service Chiefs

Removal of the Service Chiefs by President Goodluck Jonathan in compliance with the judgment of the Federal High Court in the case of Festus Keyamo Vs. President and 4 others (which declared the previous appointments null and void) is a welcome development. Recall that last week I issued a fourteen-day ultimatum to all relevant parties to comply that judgment.

 Therefore, the appointments of the new Service Chiefs that have just been made subject to the confirmation of the National Assembly (in compliance with the judgment) is also commendable.

Nigerian power supply at risk

In 2013, Nigeria’s energy sector witnessed a slew of activities, with the handover of ten distribution and four generation companies.

                                

Many Nigerians claim that the power supply in the country has worsened. Photo: Getty images

The events in the country’s energy sector last year were no doubt significant, however, despite the set target to raise power generation capacity to about 20,000 megawatts, power supply in the country seems to have worsened.
“You have to look at these things in perspective. Given the lack of investments taking place in this sector over the last 20 years or so, we Nigerians have to be a little patient in expecting the gains in the reforms that just took place to actually bear fruit,” Muyiwa Lawal, Business Manager- Power and Services, Diamond Bank told  Opinionvoices.
Even so, Lawal is optimistic about the future of the sector in 2014 because improvement in the service delivery can be expected as the new owners take stock of the assets they’ve acquired and also put in place measures to stop technical losses.
With more privatized power companies seeking offshore funds, Lawal believes that the process won’t be too difficult and as a result of the BPE’s proper handling of the first phase, a lot of the foreign investors who were weary of the sector are more comfortable now.
“We know that for us to achieve that (target), we require about 3.5 billion dollars of annual investment in the sector. If you look at those numbers and what took place last year, it doesn’t just add up that local banks would be in the position to cover the funding gap,” he added. 

Nigerian president replaces military leadership

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan replaced his entire military leadership without explanation on Thursday.

President Goodluck Jonathan.

 

 

This decision comes as he struggles with an Islamist insurgency and political crisis within his ruling party.
The presidency announced the removal of the chiefs of defence, army, navy and air force and named their successors. It gave no reason but the military has suffered a series of setbacks recently in fighting the Boko Haram sect which is trying to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.
Boko Haram gunmen stormed the air force base and military barracks around the airport of the northeastern city of Maiduguri on December 2. The group was also suspected of being behind a car bomb in the city this week which killed 29 people and wounded dozens more.
"I think this is performance-related," a security expert in Nigeria said. "The security teams haven't had a glowing record recently. The air force base attack was shocking."
Boko Haram has waged a four-year-long insurgency which has killed thousands in the religiously mixed country of 170 million and is the biggest security threat in Africa's top oil exporter and second largest economy.
The Nigerian army had its own internal shake-up of senior and mid-level positions in December.
Jonathan ordered a state of emergency and an intensified military surge last May in the northeast, where the bulk of Boko Haram attacks take place. He was forced to extend emergency rule in November as troops struggled to contain the insurgents.
A presidency source said Jonathan was keen to score some visible successes against the insurgents before what are expected to be closely contested elections next year.
All the four newly appointed chiefs of staff are experienced military officials in their mid-50s.
Air Marshal Alex Badeh - who is from Adamawa state, one of three in the northeast under emergency rule - takes over from Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim as Chief of Defence staff, the presidency said in a statement. 
The president is also facing a political crisis in his People's Democratic Party (PDP) and mass defections to an increasingly powerful opposition.
The PDP meets on Thursday to decide the future of its chairman Bamanga Tukur, a presidential ally who has been under pressure to quit from the Jonathan's opponents.
Reshuffles in state institutions have been expected by analysts before the elections in a country where political patronage plays a major role.
"I suspect it's just to assert himself as commander in chief. He's facing a lot of tension at the moment. It's to remind people that I'm the boss," said Lagos-based blogger and political commentator Tolu Ogunlesi.
Nigeria has been ruled by the military for long periods since independence in 1960 but Ogunlesi dismissed any suggestion that democracy was under threat. "The possibility of a coup happening is non-existent ... but it's what you do to assert your authority under pressure," he said.
Nigeria, an OPEC-member, is also blighted by offshore piracy and rampant oil theft in the Niger Delta, where criminal gangs tapping into pipelines can cut out hundreds of thousands of barrels per day of output and cause environmental damage.
Among the other appointments, Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah has replaced Lieutenant-General Azubike Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff. Rear Admiral Usman O. Jibrin is the new Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu has become the Chief of Airforce, a position previously held by newly promoted Badeh, the presidency said.

Nigeria anti-gay law ’ll fuel violence –UN Secretary General

United Nations’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern on Wednesday at a new Nigerian law that criminalises same-sex relationships, which he fears could fuel prejudice and violence and risks obstructing an effective HIV/AIDS response.

The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex “amorous relationships” and membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the National Assembly last May and signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday.

“The Secretary-General fears that the law may fuel prejudice and violence, and notes with alarm reports that police in northern Nigeria have arrested individuals believed by the authorities to be homosexuals, and may even have tortured them,” Ban’s press office said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

As in much of sub-Saharan Africa, anti-gay sentiment and persecution of homosexuals is rife in Nigeria, so the new legislation is likely to be popular. Many African countries are seeking to tighten laws against homosexuality.

Under existing Nigerian federal law, sodomy is punishable by jail, but this bill legislates for a much broader crackdown on homosexuals and lesbians, who already live a largely underground existence.

“As UNAIDS and the Global Fund noted in a statement yesterday, the law also risks obstructing effective responses to HIV/AIDS,” Ban said.

Bin Laden's Former Mistress, Kola Boof Gives Advice to Gays in Nigeria: "Kill All Christians!"

Controversial Sudanese-American author of “The Sexiest Part of the Bible” and sworn hater of Christians the world over has come out to speak on the anti-gay law uproar that is ongoing in Nigeria. She, in a nutshell, called on all gay people to form militia groups and seek out the Christians and, in her words, “kill all f**king Christians in Africa.”

The drama queen and former mistress of Osama Bin Laden – who was originally born Naima Bint Harith – is famous (or infamous, as the case may be) for several things, one of which was her scandalous statement a few years ago when she said that Osama had held her against her will and had repeatedly raped her. She claimed that her baby boy was the product of rape but her friends rebutted the testimony, saying that she had slept with Osama willingly and had been his lover.

Former Sudanese diplomat, Nadeen Quttub, defending Osama and disproving Kola Boof to the BBC said “Kola Boof was with Bin Laden willingly and miscarried their child in May 1996…Kola Boof accepted marriage with Bin Laden, re-converted to Islam and was very happy with the terrorist, but is now trying to save her reputation in the west with fantastical stories of rape and imprisonment.”

Kola Boof made her “kill all African Christians” suggestion on Twitter, specifying that gays should kill Christians in Nigeria because of the anti-gay law. Naima Bint Harith, Kola Boof

Tukur quits as PDP chairman

After months of political  horse- trading,  Dr. Bamanga Tukur,  on Wednesday  finally bowed   to pressures on him to resign as the National Chairman of the ruling  Peoples Democratic Party.

Before an  authoritative source in Abuja made this known to The OPINIONVOICES  at about 10.40pm, there had been confusion on   whether he had indeed quit or not.

Tukur himself accentuated the confusion when he told State House correspondents minutes before the PDP  Board of Trustees met in the Presidential Villa, that he had not resigned.

“If I resign, you will know. I am not somebody that will resign and you will not know. I have not resigned.”

But a BoT member, who declined to be named, told one of our correspondents that the PDP had already accepted his resignation.

“Yes, it is true that he has resigned and the party has accepted his resignation ,” he said  after the meeting.

 

 

He explained that the National Executive Committee of the party would announce Tukur’s resignation during its meeting which would  commence at noon  on Thursday.

The source added that the  decision by the leadership of the PDP and the Presidency to  keep  Tukur’s resignation  under wraps was  to  prevent  a leadership vacuum in the party.

“We couldn’t make it public now since we have not appointed his successor. We would announce his resignation after  our  NEC meeting . But I can tell you authoritatively that he has resigned.”

Tukur had amid  speculations that  he had   turned in his resignation letter to the President  before noon on  Wednesday,   arrived the Presidential Villa, Abuja for the BOT  meeting which started  at about 7.55pm.

He wore a flowing  brown  guinea brocade.

Although he was absent from the reconvened national caucus meeting in the Villa, he attended the Armed Forces Remembrance Day’s laying of wreath at the National Arcade, Abuja.

Before  these,  his media aide, Mr. Oliver Okpala, said in a text message to  one of our correspondents,  that his boss had yet to resign.

Okpala said, “Be informed that the national chairman has not resigned. It is all speculation.

“The national chairman will be at the BOT meeting at  Wednesday night and will also attend the NEC of the party tomorrow.”

Tukur  was however absent at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday when the other members of the NWC met.

The  Chairman of the BOT, Chief Tony Anenih,  had told journalists  after the meeting  that Tukur  attended   as the national chairman  of the PDP and   that he believed he(Tukur) also left in the same capacity.

“He (Tukur) attended the meeting as the national chairman. We all left together. I believe he left as national chairman,” Anenih claimed.

When asked about the major decisions taken at the meeting, he  said they were meant for only BOT members and  not  journalists.

Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State said Tukur’s  fate was a decision the party would take at its own time.

• How Jonathan failed to save him

Jonathan  had on Tuesday night failed to convince the  governors elected on the platform of the PDP  to allow Tukur remain in office till March when the party’s    mid-term convention would hold.

His  suggestion, which was tabled at the national caucus meeting of the party, was aimed at giving the embattled  chairman   a soft landing.

However, the governors protested, saying that they would rather want him to leave office on Thursday not March.

Tukur was said to have compounded his problems with the governors  during  the caucus meeting, which was also attended by Vice-President Namadi Sambo and the principal officers of the National Assembly.

The President, who presided,  was said to have asked Tukur  to explain   the cause(s) of the crises in the PDP.

A highly placed source  at the meeting said that rather than  address issues, Tukur accused the governors of encouraging many  of the    National Working Committee members to   work against him.

The source said, “The chairman started by accusing the governors of being the problems in the party.

“He said they(governors) were encouraging indiscipline with their tactical support for some of the NWC members to undermine him.

“He also said the governors were never happy with his decision to instill  discipline in the party and  to also make sure that the PDP  constitution  was  used as a yardstick in every decision taken by him.”

The source  added that  Tukur  indirectly inferred that those who wanted  him out were actually targeting the President.

It was however gathered that at the meeting, which another source described as unusual, that   Jonathan and not Tukur  presided.

This  action, it was learnt,   was  to ensure that  the national chairman  did not  dictate the pace of the meeting and determine  who was to be recognised to speak.

The  actions  allowed the Deputy National Chairman of the party,   Uche Secondus,  to respond to the allegations   by Tukur against the NWC members.

The constitution of the party only names the deputy chairman, the national secretary, the national legal adviser, the  national treasurer, the national woman leader and the national youth leader as other members of the caucus.

 Secondus was said to have punctured all the allegations  by Tukur,  by  citing several  cases where  Tukur took decisions  without carrying them along.

He  mentioned the dissolution of some state executives of the party by Tukur and the suspension of some members  as examples.

Not only that, the chairman was accused of  always asking the NWC members to come to his house for meetings, an action some of them believed was not in the interest of the party.

The chairman was also alleged to have  employed  many aides, who were  not recognised by the party.

It was also learnt that Secondus, who sat beside  Tukur at the meeting, said it would be difficult for the NWC members to work with the embattled chairman again.

The  PDP governors had   advised  the NWC members   to suspend Tukur  during their  meeting on Wednesday.

It was gathered that when this  information leaked to the President, he warned  them that doing so could heat up the polity and portray Tukur in bad light.

• Tukur  may get ambassadorial position 

It was however gathered that   Tukur had been penciled  in  to serve as Nigeria’s ambassador to China. He is to replace Ambassador. Aminu Wali.

It was gathered that   the decision was  reached at the  caucus  meeting on Tuesday night.

Wali will return to the country to head President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign for 2015 election.

• President’s wife plans to install Tukur’s successor

Meanwhile, the wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan is said to be scheming to install the Minister of Transport,   Idris Umar as Tukur’s successor.

Some  of the PDP governors are also said to be pushing for a former Governor of Bauchi State, Mr. Adamu Muazu, as the next  chairman of the party.

• We’ve left PDP for good,  Amaechi, Nyako insist

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his   Adamawa State counterpart, Murtala Nyako, have insisted that they  would not return to the PDP whether or not Tukur remained its chairman.

Amaechi, who spoke through the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha,  said  that it was not possible for an arrow that had already left bow to return.

Amaechi said, “Tukur’s resignation or no resignation will not change our decision to leave the PDP because we have no regret moving to the All Progressives Congress. The arrow has left the bow and will not return to it.”

Nyako, through his  Director Press and Public Affairs, Ahmad Sajoh,  said the problem he and his colleagues had with the PDP was beyond the person of Tukur.

He said, “We do not have a personal problem with Tukur, it is the impunity that is in the PDP that we said we did not like.

 “We are talking generally about the party’s level of impunity not just Tukur, it doesn’t look like the PDP structure is ready to shed this brigandage which has come to symbolise its operations.”

• Jonathan, PDP govs  in pre-NEC  meeting

How to woo back Amaechi, Nyako and three other   PDP  governors who  defected to the APC  formed part  of the discussion the PDP governors had with  Jonathan on  Wednesday.

The meeting also looked at ways of ensuring  the party’s victory at the forthcoming governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti sates.

Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State disclosed these to State House correspondents at the end of  the meeting.

He said, “The concern is that the fortunes of our party are dwindling and so we need to address that. How do we re-position our party to win the forthcoming elections in Ekiti and Osun?

“How do we win back our colleagues that have stepped aside, we don’t believe that they have left the party, they only stepped aside. These are the issues that were raised.”

Suswam  said issues bordering on Tukur  was not discussed at the parley.

He said, “First, we met with the President as PDP governors to discuss issues of the party and the way forward. And that meeting is continuing,we just touched base with the President to discuss issues that affect the party.

“The issues discussed with the president were basically on how to re-strategise and re-position our party and how to move forward as a party.

“The second meeting is the national caucus and I am not in the position to comment on that. After the BoT meeting, the Vice President will brief you on the outcome.”

President of the Senate, David Mark; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Eweremadu; the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha;  the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba; and  the House Leader, Mulikat Akande, also   attended the  meeting.

Engineers advocate for e-voting in next election

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has recommended that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) use the Nigeria Communication Satellite’s (NigComSat’s) e-Voting platform to ensure credible elections next year.

The society said it was also willing to offer technical support to INEC on the platform having successfully used it to elect members of its current executives.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new executive members, President of the Society, Engr Mustapha Balarabe Shehu, said the country would save money by employing the platform.

“We have successfully used the NigComSat e-Voting platform to elect our executive members twice and we believe that INEC could also use the platform in the coming election. Government is already tackling the issue of power and broadband penetration. Once that is settled, I believe the next thing is for INEC to key in into the e-voting platform. We have tested it twice and we believe that it is workable," he said.

He explained how the society conducted its election using the NigComSat e-Voting platform.

“Prelude to the e-voting, an e-registration took place a day before where all eligible engineers had their data captured and saved on a database. Biometric details included photographs, finger prints among others for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). In all, 2048 engineers were captured during the registration and 1574 voted eventually. These figures surpassed those of previous year which recorded 1 313 on the register while 1303 voted,” said Shehu.

According to the NSE executive, the NIGCOMSAT platform included 30 networked computers that were connected to a central server and the internet to enable agents of contestants monitor the election online, real time. The platform was fitted with enhanced software developed by the Micro Electronic Centre (MEC) at NIGCOMSAT.

He advised INEC to use the platform on a small-scale for a pilot test and then eventually expand it to cover the entire country.

Obasanjo raised the mountain of corruption -Bakare

The Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said on Wednesday that despite former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s “supposed achievement” in office, his administration was characterised by the raising of the bar of corruption in the country.
Bakare spoke in Lagos as the guest lecturer at the 10th Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture/Symposium organised by the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association.
The event, with the theme, ‘Nigeria at centenary: A nation still in bondage?’, was chaired by former President of the Court of Appeal, retired Justice Ayo Salami, who called for the separation of the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria from that of the Chairman of the National Judicial Council.
The event, which started in 2004, is organised anually  to celebrate the virtues of the late Fawehinmi, who died on September 5, 2009 at 71.
In his lecture, Bakare said Obasanjo raised the bar of corruption to an unimaginable level.
He added that the former President’s administration was known for censorship of the media, targeting outspoken critics and subjecting judicial decisions to executive interpretations.

He said, “Media was censored, outspoken critics were targeted and judicial decisions were subjected to executive interpretations. Meanwhile, Obasanjo himself raised the moutain of corruption to an unimaginable level.
“As apathy set in among the electorate, General Obasanjo, indignant that he could not foist third term agenda on Nigeria, imposed a sick President on the nation through a fraudulent election, I beg your pardon, selection, overseen by Prof. Maurice Iwu.”
He said Obasanjo’s supposed achievements in office had no significant impact on the people’s lives.
Bakare, who expressed support for “a people-driven” national conference,  said the atmosphere of abundance prevailling when Obasanjo assumed office in 1999, provided a breeding ground for personal aggrandisement accross all government levels.
He said, “The atmosphere of abundance provided the breeding ground for personal aggrandisement as politicians,  from the Presidency to the state and local governments, helped themselves to the nation’s resources became the targets of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
“Then, complacency set in as General Obasanjo, satisfied with his supposed achievements, which however did not reflect significantly in the living condition of the average Nigerian, sought to perpetuate himself in power and so unleashed the machinery of state against percieved enemies among the political class.”

CHAN 2014: Eagles beat Mozambique 4-2 to secure first win

Nigeria survived a scare to defeat Mozambique 4-2 at the African Nations Championship(CHAN)securing its first victory at the competition.

A flurry of goals in the first 20 minutes opened the floodgates with both sides sharing two goals apiece in the opening stages of the encounter.

The homebased Eagles struggled to establish their foot-hold in the game lacking the coordination needed to be formidable.

Dario Khan opened the scores in the 10th minute from a wonderful free-kick that found its way into the net.

After getting accusing fingers pointed at him in the first game's defeat to Mali,Chigozie Agbim didn't help his case as he made costly errors that pegged Nigeria behind.

Ifeanyi Ede pulled one back for Nigeria almost immediately,capitalizing on the space afforded him in the far post to nick in the equaliser.

The goal seemed to have swung the momentum in favour of coach Stephen Keshi's team,who were flying then. Rabiu Ali made no mistakes from close range,smashing Nigeria into the lead in the 13th minute.

But Mozambique didn't capitulate rather they regrouped and found the equaliser.

Maninho played in a through ball to Diogo who levelled 2-2 for Mozambique.

However,both teams took their legs off the pedals after the initial frenetic opening 20 minutes to go into the break all squared.

Nigeria got out of jail in the second half,being lucky to have gotten a controversial penalty in their favour after a Mozambican defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box.

Rabiu Ali stepped up to dispatch the kick which gave Nigeria the 3-2 lead,his second goal of the game.

Gbolahan Salami came close to scoring a goal but his effort was cleared off the lines,but victory was secured when substitute Barnabas Imenger with a good finish scored the fourth goal,to secure the 4-2 victory.

Earlier on in the group,goals from Bernard Parker and Ibourahima Sidibe ensured that both South Africa and Mali played out a 1-1 draw.

Both Mali and South Africa have four points each,with Nigeria trailing them on three points.

The homebased Eagles will now have to beat South Africa in the final game of the group in order to qualify for the knock-out stages.

CHAN 2014, Homebased Eagles, Chigozie Agbim, Nigeria CHAN 2014 First WIN.

APC Issues 7-day Ultimatum to FG

The All Progressive Congress, APC has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar. The Party is demanding the immediate redeployment of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu.

Speaking to the PUNCH on Monday, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze,Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Rivers State APC Chairman, said, "We are compiling the sins of Mbu against Rivers people. We will also compile efforts made by the Rivers State Government in asking for Mbu’s redeployment.

"We are aware of the National Assembly’s resolution that Mbu should be redeployed and we are giving the Federal Government from now till Monday to redeploy the state police commissioner from Rivers.

"The Federal Government is trying to prove that we (Rivers people) are a conquered state. But by Monday, if nothing happens, we are going to write a petition to the United Nations on what Mbu’s mission is in the state. For the police to have shot a serving senator and fired teargas in a place where we had children and other innocent citizens shows that Mbu has done his worst and should be ready to leave", Eze added.


All Progressive Congress, APC, Joseph Mbu, Mohammed Abubakar, rivers state

IPMAN denies plan to commence nationwide strike

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has denied that its members plan to embark on a nationwide strike in February 2013.

 

IPMAN urges government to repair refineries, depots

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has called on the Federal Government to undertake urgent repairs of the nation's refineries.

The Sokoto State Chairman of the association, Sule Magaji, made the call in Sokoto on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He commended the Federal Government for rescinding its decision to sell the refineries.

Magaji also called on the Federal Government to repair the fuel depots of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) across the country.

The chairman stated that the repairs would make the refineries and depots to be fully functional.

“As it is now most of the refineries and depots are working but not to their full capacities.

 “So, they should be made fully functional to sustain the current tempo of steady supply of petroleum products across the nation,’’ he said.

Magaji further said that the marketers now had to sometimes transport the products from other parts of Nigeria.

 He said that the association was routinely monitoring the activities of its members to ensure that they were operating legally.

"We also make sure that all of them do not sell petroleum products above the government-approved pump prices.



IPMAN recommends energy saving bulbs to conserve power consumption

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Friday recommended the use of energy saving bulbs to conserve energy and stop power wastage in homes and offices.
Chinedu Okoronkwo, the National Vice-Chairman of IPMAN, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that energy saving bulbs would reduce energy consumption.
He said that the bulbs could be used to enhance security by providing street lights on major roads to reduce crime rates.
“Since we do not have enough capacity for power generation and distribution to meet our energy demand, we should imbibe the culture of saving energy.
“This can be achieved through the use of low energy appliances across board in our homes and industrial facilities,’’ Okoronkwo said.
He said that this could also be achieved through provision of incentives like subsidy to specialists in energy conversion.
“The energy saving can be channeled into other meaningful areas and will significantly reduce the pressure on the national grid.
“The financial savings on the part of the operators - federal, state and local governments - can also be used for other development projects.


IPMAN directs members to sell kerosene at N50 per litre

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Wednesday directed its members to sell kerosene at N50 per litre in their filling stations.
Chinedu Okoronkwo, the National Vice-Chairman of IPMAN, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that association would sanction members who flouted the directive.
"We have been mandated to ensure the sale of the product at the regulated price of N50 per litre in all our filling stations and which we are complying.
"The association has been at the vanguard of ensuring that the product that is meant for the local people is sold at approved government price.
“This has also been the focus of IPMAN and the minister of petroleum.
“I want to assure every Nigerian that if the process is sustained, it will go a long way in assisting the general populace," Okoronkwo said.
The IPMAN boss commended the management of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Pipelines Products and Marketing Company (PPMC) for the distribution of kerosene to marketers.
He advised the companies to be consistent in the supply of the product to marketers and ensure effective monitoring.
Okoronkwo also called for increase in the use of cooking gas by Nigerians, stressing that other countries had changed from kerosene to gas.
“I want to assure Nigerians that a lot has been done by government to ensure that the use of gas has come to stay.
“If you go to Benin, we have compressed natural gas and in Lagos, NIPCO has 5 000 metric tonnes of LPG.
“We are trying to create awareness among the people about the essence of gas usage, advantages and prices," he said.

 

APC warns Jonathan over Sanusi dismissal

The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) said the nation’s economy would be adversely affected if Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi resigned as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The party thus warned President Goodluck Jonathan to reverse alleged plans to force him to resign.

In a statement Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, issued, the party said asking the CBN Governor to step down, on the basis of a “mere allegation” that he leaked the letter he wrote to the President, over the unremitted $49.8 billion oil revenue, did not bode well for an economy that is already “on crutches.”

It warned that any move to suspend Sanusi and use security forces to prevent him from entering his office, as reported by the media, would be worse because it would mean that the President was willing to circumvent the provision of the law that the Governor of the CBN could only be removed by two-thirds of the Senate membership.

“Our worry here is that the President should not destroy our institutions before he leaves office,” the party stated.

It said the party's main reason for commenting on the planned removal of Sanusi, either through forced retirement or via suspension, was the impact that a crisis of confidence between the President and the CBN Governor would have on the nation's economy.

“These include a loss of confidence in the economic management of the country, leading to uncertainty among domestic and foreign investors; as well as pressure on the exchange rate as foreign portfolio investors in government bonds and the stock market make their exit, and the corresponding fall in the value of share prices. 'Overall, a protracted standoff between the President and the CBN Governor will spell bad news for economic growth and employment and increase poverty. This is why we advise President Jonathan against precipitating a crisis in the economy, and we urge all Nigerians to advise him against such,” APC said.

The party saw no wrong in a CBN Governor alerting the President to any discrepancies.

“It stands to reason that if the CBN Governor had wanted to leak the letter, he had no reason waiting for four months to do so. Also, the moment the letter was sent to Mr. President, it has gone beyond the purview of the CBN Governor, and anyone with a reason to do so could as well have leaked the letter. 'Therefore, for the President to have made the extraordinary move to force out the CBN Governor, even though he has a few months to the end of his tenure, smacks of vendetta and is capable of impacting negatively on the economy. Circumventing the law to force out the CBN Governor will amount to brigandage and reinforce the perception of the  Jonathan Administration as one with a propensity for impunity,” APC stated.

Obasanjo threatens to withdraw from Nigerian party

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he will "consider withdrawing" from the country's governing party until it gets rid of a top financier wanted in the U.S. for alleged drug trafficking.
The political bombshell in the run up to 2015 presidential elections comes in a letter dated January 7 and leaked to reporters Saturday.

Obasanjo cites the elevation to regional party chief of Buruji Kashamu, "a wanted habitual criminal" whose extradition has been requested by the U.S.
Kashamu has said the 2009 indictment is a case of mistaken identity and refers to his deceased brother.
President Goodluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party has fractured over his perceived desire to run for re-election. It recently lost its majority in the House of Representatives when dozens of legislators defected to an opposition coalition.

Ruling party slams media over division reports

The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has denied media reports suggesting divisions among the members of its National Working Committee (NWC).

“Our attention has been drawn to a malicious report in the January 11edition of the Punch Newspapers entitled ‘At last, President Goodluck Jonathan turns against Tukur’ wherein the Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, His Excellency Governor Godswill Akpabio, was falsely reported to have sponsored some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) to destabilize the leadership of our great party for alleged political reasons. This report is not only fictitious, but part of the viscous plot by the enemies of the PDP to destroy the hard earned reputation of our officials, divide our ranks and ultimately destroy our unity by compromising certain section of the media to plant fabricated stories and tissues of lies; a project which has already failed,” PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, stated.

He added that the NWC was not divided and members were not in any way influenced by any person whatsoever in presenting their positions at the meeting with the President.

This, Metuh said, was contrary to the “malevolent” report planted in the Punch Newspapers.

“For the avoidance of doubt, all members of the NWC took turns to make their presentations to the President in the meeting which dwelt on the domestic affairs of our party. No member was in anyway represented and none aired his or her view in represented capacity.  It is instructive to note that neither the Punch reporter nor any other journalist for that matter was present at the meeting and as such could not have been privy to what exactly transpired,” he said.

Metuh described the reports as “the height of wickedness for any person to, under any guise and for whatever price, choose to jettison the ethics of the profession by going to press to distort facts, fabricate falsehood and spread same to Nigerians concerning the meeting. “

“Nevertheless, we wish to caution those who trade in falsehood that not only will they continue to fail but they also heap upon themselves divine judgment unless they repent and retrace their steps.”

He thus urged party members and supporters to disregard the report.

“We charge the media to always cross check their information and get clarifications from appropriate quarters before going to the press,” Metuh added.

Unemployment to rise in 2014

Lagos - Nigeria's domestic unemployment rate may rise by 2% in 2014, reports OPINIONVOICES

In a report published by Financial Derivatives Company Limited (FDC), a Lagos-based financial advisory firm, Nigeria’s jobless rate is likely to approach 32 percent in the coming months as the economy fails to grow quickly enough to employ people rejoining the labor force.

According to the report, the impact of unemployment is expected to manifest in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which stood at 7.9 per cent as at November 2013.  The figure is expected to increase to between 9.5 and 11 per cent by the end of the year.

The country’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is also expected to decline to $4.8 billion in 2014.