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AAUA front gate SaharaReporters Media

Authorities of the Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, AAUA, in Ondo State have barred students from holding any congresses as the students were recalled from their mid-semester break.

This coming almost five weeks after the school was shut by its management for the students to embark on a mid-semester break.

Students of the state institution had protested against "No School Payment, No Test/Exam Policy" of the school management causing the school to close down the University.

Mr. Opeoluwa Akinfenwa, the Acting Registrar of the institution announced the resumption in a circular obtained by SaharaReporters.

Akinfenwa said the students were to be back on campus today (Sunday) in order to prepare for their first semester examinations. 

The circular read, "All students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko are welcome back from their mid-semester break. As the university reopened today, June 9, 2019, for the conclusion of first semester 2018/2019 session, all students are advised to go about their normal academic activities and preparation for first semester examinations, which commence on Monday, 17th June, 2019."

Meanwhile the school management has warned the students from holding any congress on the campus.

The directive followed a tip that the Students' Union Government of the school called for a congress on campus to address the issue of the obnoxious hike in their tuition.

However, the management warned in the circular: “No any form of congress of students will be allowed on campus, as all students are expected to settle down immediately to prepare for their examinations.”

“All law-abiding students are assured of adequate security, as law enforcement agencies are fully on the ground. Serious sanctions await any one who plans or attempts to disrupt the peace on campus." 

SaharaReporters reports that the AAUA students had been protesting over hike in their tuitions which was increased last year by over 200 percent.
 

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AAUA front gate SaharaReporters Media

Authorities of the Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, AAUA, in Ondo State have barred students from holding any congresses as the students were recalled from their mid-semester break.

This coming almost five weeks after the school was shut by its management for the students to embark on a mid-semester break.

Students of the state institution had protested against "No School Payment, No Test/Exam Policy" of the school management causing the school to close down the University.

Mr. Opeoluwa Akinfenwa, the Acting Registrar of the institution announced the resumption in a circular obtained by SaharaReporters.

Akinfenwa said the students were to be back on campus today (Sunday) in order to prepare for their first semester examinations. 

The circular read, "All students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko are welcome back from their mid-semester break. As the university reopened today, June 9, 2019, for the conclusion of first semester 2018/2019 session, all students are advised to go about their normal academic activities and preparation for first semester examinations, which commence on Monday, 17th June, 2019."

Meanwhile the school management has warned the students from holding any congress on the campus.

The directive followed a tip that the Students' Union Government of the school called for a congress on campus to address the issue of the obnoxious hike in their tuition.

However, the management warned in the circular: “No any form of congress of students will be allowed on campus, as all students are expected to settle down immediately to prepare for their examinations.”

“All law-abiding students are assured of adequate security, as law enforcement agencies are fully on the ground. Serious sanctions await any one who plans or attempts to disrupt the peace on campus." 

SaharaReporters reports that the AAUA students had been protesting over hike in their tuitions which was increased last year by over 200 percent.
 

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In the Boston metropolitan area is a Liberian who loved to attend Nigerian parties. (Let us call him Walter, because we have no permission to use his real name.) He loved Nigerian music, jollof rice, pepper soup, Shoki dance and watching Nigerians spray dollar bills like snow flakes at these parties. Trust Nigerians in America, they come up with every reason to throw a party - child dedication, wedding anniversary, birthday, graduation, send-off, wake-keep, etc.

Every party is special but none is as special as a wake-keep. If you rent a hall to celebrate your 50th birthday or 25th wedding anniversary, or even your child's 5th birthday, or your child’s dedication in church, the general feeling is that you have the money to spare. People will still come, enjoy, and may even give you gifts, but it is mostly not seen as obligatory. But when it is a wake-keep, the party from conception to execution is aimed at raising money to assist the bereaved to go home and attend the funeral of the dead. The MC makes that clear every ten minutes of the event. And since people are expected to "drop something," organizers make sure that there are a lot of food and drinks to justify the things people will "drop".

Another feature of these wake-keep, other than the fact that most of those for whom the events are held had never been to America, is that there is an unwritten understanding between the organizers and the attendees that whatever the attendee gives is documented, noted and permanently preserved for the time when it would be necessary to return the favor. In Igbo community, they even have a proverb that backs it up. It says: whatever a man gives to another man is a loan waiting to be repaid.

This last part accounts for the proliferation of wake-keep. It is like a form of isusu. You wait for your turn to collect return on your investments. Those who had lost their parents before coming to America waste no time in holding wakes for their uncles and aunts, not minding whether they were close or not.  Some will roll out the wake-keep red carpet for their step-mothers and step-fathers, even if they never saw eye-to-eye in life. All that they needed to say was that their parents died when they were young and it was this uncle, this aunt, this step-father, this step-mother, even step-sister and step-brother that stepped in and raised them.

Who are you to argue with a grieving fellow? After all, the ever-increasing cost of burial at home means that no matter who dies, once the 3 am call comes, the demand for money follows. And having someone abroad means pressure to go for “a befitting” oversea-higher-standard burial.

Wake-keep is so ubiquitous that people now simplify it by saying Peter's wake or Angela's wake, instead of properly labeling it as the wake of Peter's father or Angela's mother. It saves everyone the headache of figuring out the real relationship.

Once you are part of the wake-keep-going circus, it is expected that, sooner or later, you will get your own wake. One guy having difficulty completing his house in the village manufactured his own wake out of the death of his maternal grandmother.

Recently, the expectation of going home for the funeral has been waived. It is now acceptable that the person who collected all those money at the wake did not even go home for the funeral. That he or she presumably sent the money home is satisfactory.

Wakes of Nigerian-Americans who died in America is a different ball game. Some consider that the more legitimate kind of wake. Friends and associates sympathize more and understand the need to raise money to support the family and in some cases, to transport the body back to Nigeria. Though recently there has been the increasing grumble for Nigerian-Americans to obtain life insurance to cover transportation of their body home, if they so wish, and still leave something for those they left behind.

Walter is a permanent fixture at these wakes. He drinks to his heart’s desire, dances until his waist aches. He once inquired about joining People's Club after he watched the display of the club members at some of these wakes, but he pulled back when told how much it costs to join the club.

Then, one day, Walter's mother died. And Walter had his wake.

He contacted his Nigerian friends who told him how to plan a wake. He did not have close friends to constitute his Committee of Friends so he became his own one-man Committee of Friends. He did all the running-around and spent all the money needed for drinks, hall, DJ, photographer and food. On the day of the wake, Nigerians came in large numbers. They ate, drank, danced, and, went home.

The morning after Walter's wake, he went to the office of a friend of mine who had given him $50. The average money given at these wakes is $100. Walter thanked my friend so profusely that my friend found it odd. Something a phone call would have taken care of, Walter came in person. 

When Walter left, my friend called around to find out why Walter was super appreciative. Could it be because someone who didn’t know him very well gave him $50?

What my friend found out was that all those Nigerians who came, ate, drank, danced, and then went home, none gave Walter any money because he never gave any money at all those wakes he had attended over the years.

…….

Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo is the author of “This American Life Sef.” His latest book is “The Secret Letters of President Donald J. Trump age 72 1/6.” This piece was first published in the Catalyst International magazine.

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The Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Ishaq Kawu. THISDAYLIVE

Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance (CACOBAG) has alleged that Is'haq Modibbo Kawu, Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission of issuing himself licences to operate broadcast stations in the country.

Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff of President Muhammadu Buhari, was also accused to have benefited from the racketeering and substitution of radio and television broadcast licences.

CACOBAG, in a petition to the president, said Kawu by issuing himself broadcasting licence was culpable of criminal breach of trust, forgery, fraud, alteration racketeering and substitution of licences.

Toyin Raheem, Chairman of CACOBAG, stated that Kawu allocated six slots of radio licence to his private company, Word, Sound and Vision (WSV) Multimedia Ltd and another 10 to companies that did not apply or on the list approved by President Buhari.

Raheem said, “We are again compelled to draw the attention of President Buhari and indeed the Nigerian public to another finding, which indicates that one of the 10 radio licences doled out by the leadership of NBC is owned by Abba Kyari, who used his position and influence to award to his company through his children as proxies. 

“The 10 companies that did not apply or bided for any radio licence were smuggled into a list already approved by President Buhari.

“Our investigations shows that one of the beneficiaries of the doctored licence list is Oracle Exclusive Services and Consult Ltd, with its registered address as 20 Monrovia Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

“Further investigations also reveal that the company has only two directors/shareholders, who are both children of Mr. Kingibe, namely; Abdulkabir Kingibe and Zara Aminu Deribe, who both gave the same address as 59 Nelson Mandela Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja, the personal residence of Ambassador Kingibe.”

Raheem posited out that the licence racketeering was a confirmation of one of the ways the cabal around President Buhari operates by circumventing due process and manipulating his approval for personal benefits.

He added that the act is condemnable and totally unacceptable in a country governed by rules and regulations while describing it as “an abuse of office and a display of sheer greed.”

The governance group urged Buhari and the anti-graft agencies that had been petitioned on this matter to move swiftly and probe its allegations against NBC and its leadership.

“We reiterate our earlier call on President Buhari to immediately direct the EFCC and ICPC to launch an investigation into this embarrassing development to protect the integrity of the administration, which professes zero tolerance for corruption as one of its principal pillars.

“We equally assure the public of our commitment to expose corruption anywhere we find any,” CACOBAG said.

It added that if the federal government and its anti-graft agencies failed to act by probing these allegations, CACOBAG would approach the court to seek an order of mandamus to compel the government to do the needful.

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The Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Ishaq Kawu. THISDAYLIVE

Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance (CACOBAG) has alleged that Is'haq Modibbo Kawu, Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission of issuing himself licences to operate broadcast stations in the country.

Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff of President Muhammadu Buhari, was also accused to have benefited from the racketeering and substitution of radio and television broadcast licences.

CACOBAG, in a petition to the president, said Kawu by issuing himself broadcasting licence was culpable of criminal breach of trust, forgery, fraud, alteration racketeering and substitution of licences.

Toyin Raheem, Chairman of CACOBAG, stated that Kawu allocated six slots of radio licence to his private company, Word, Sound and Vision (WSV) Multimedia Ltd and another 10 to companies that did not apply or on the list approved by President Buhari.

Raheem said, “We are again compelled to draw the attention of President Buhari and indeed the Nigerian public to another finding, which indicates that one of the 10 radio licences doled out by the leadership of NBC is owned by Abba Kyari, who used his position and influence to award to his company through his children as proxies. 

“The 10 companies that did not apply or bided for any radio licence were smuggled into a list already approved by President Buhari.

“Our investigations shows that one of the beneficiaries of the doctored licence list is Oracle Exclusive Services and Consult Ltd, with its registered address as 20 Monrovia Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

“Further investigations also reveal that the company has only two directors/shareholders, who are both children of Mr. Kingibe, namely; Abdulkabir Kingibe and Zara Aminu Deribe, who both gave the same address as 59 Nelson Mandela Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja, the personal residence of Ambassador Kingibe.”

Raheem posited out that the licence racketeering was a confirmation of one of the ways the cabal around President Buhari operates by circumventing due process and manipulating his approval for personal benefits.

He added that the act is condemnable and totally unacceptable in a country governed by rules and regulations while describing it as “an abuse of office and a display of sheer greed.”

The governance group urged Buhari and the anti-graft agencies that had been petitioned on this matter to move swiftly and probe its allegations against NBC and its leadership.

“We reiterate our earlier call on President Buhari to immediately direct the EFCC and ICPC to launch an investigation into this embarrassing development to protect the integrity of the administration, which professes zero tolerance for corruption as one of its principal pillars.

“We equally assure the public of our commitment to expose corruption anywhere we find any,” CACOBAG said.

It added that if the federal government and its anti-graft agencies failed to act by probing these allegations, CACOBAG would approach the court to seek an order of mandamus to compel the government to do the needful.

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The federal government has the moral obligation to explain to Nigerians questions surrounding illicit funds said to be in millions of dollars traced to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, a civil rights group has said. Recently, reports indicated a fresh discovery of another £211 million traced to the late dictator. The fund is part of a global $500 million found in Paris, Dublin, London, and the Island Jersey barely a decade ago. In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA): “These funds were kept by some banks for 20 years. The federal government should invoke international instruments to sanction international collaborators who assisted in fleecing the country.” HEDA said the recovery of Abacha’s loot was not enough, adding that President Buhari should institute an extensive probe into the era of military rule with the goal of achieving “total recovery”. The group said going into the past should not be seen as time-wasting but as a historic responsibility of the government in ensuring that criminals will have their judgment day irrespective of time and space. It added: “A crooked leader is expected to be surrounded by a retinue of corrupt aides. With the looting of billions of dollars by Abacha, it should be expected that the five-year rule represented an era of the locust when public funds were plundered in the most reckless and irresponsible manner.” “Recovering the looted funds of late Abacha should be commended, but there are still many rivers to cross. Many loose ends are yet to be tied. These funds passed through the banking system, they were not shipped abroad. The funds were withdrawn from the Nigerian financial system definitely with the collaboration of some officials. These are grave questions that Nigerians should ask.” HEDA said though series of reports had concentrated on naming Abacha as the culprit but that the federal government has failed to name the inevitable collaborators and enablers. The OPL245 heist, from investigation and evidence, could not have been possible without the active complicity of local and international banks and companies. The group said a comprehensive probe into the past will strengthen public confidence that criminals of yesteryears will not be allowed to live with the impression that you can live in peace at the expense of misery and extreme poverty their acts of corruption had nurtured.

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5 die in auto crash in Abuja NAN

 

Five persons, including a couple, died in a road accident in Abuja on Sunday.

A sixth person, who was seriously injured in the incident which occurred at about 8 a.m. near Setraco Junction along Kubwa Expressway, was rushed to the hospital.

According to an official of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Emmanuel Agbo, the incident occurred when a Toyota Camry car coming from Kubwa area to Abuja city centre was hit by a trailer.

Agbo told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the scene of the incident, that the impact of the contact with the trailer, which was travelling in the same direction, forced the car, with six passengers, off the road.

“The impact forced the car, with registration number ABC 978 SL, to crash onto a concrete pillar of a bridge across the highway.

“Five persons in the car, including a couple, died on the spot. You can see their corpses on the ground.

“A sixth person in the car, a woman, sustained serious injuries and has been rushed to the hospital.

“We are trying to move the dead to the mortuary of one of the hospitals in the city,” Agbor said.

He said that the trailer did not stop after hitting the car, adding, however, that it was chased and caught by the police.

A police officer, Insp. Danjuma Garba confirmed that the fleeing trailer and its driver had been held.

According to him, when the trailer escaped, the police contacted their men and the vehicle was given a chase.

The trailer driver was apprehended at Aya area.

 

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5 die in auto crash in Abuja NAN

 

Five persons, including a couple, died in a road accident in Abuja on Sunday.

A sixth person, who was seriously injured in the incident which occurred at about 8 a.m. near Setraco Junction along Kubwa Expressway, was rushed to the hospital.

According to an official of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Emmanuel Agbo, the incident occurred when a Toyota Camry car coming from Kubwa area to Abuja city centre was hit by a trailer.

Agbo told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the scene of the incident, that the impact of the contact with the trailer, which was travelling in the same direction, forced the car, with six passengers, off the road.

“The impact forced the car, with registration number ABC 978 SL, to crash onto a concrete pillar of a bridge across the highway.

“Five persons in the car, including a couple, died on the spot. You can see their corpses on the ground.

“A sixth person in the car, a woman, sustained serious injuries and has been rushed to the hospital.

“We are trying to move the dead to the mortuary of one of the hospitals in the city,” Agbor said.

He said that the trailer did not stop after hitting the car, adding, however, that it was chased and caught by the police.

A police officer, Insp. Danjuma Garba confirmed that the fleeing trailer and its driver had been held.

According to him, when the trailer escaped, the police contacted their men and the vehicle was given a chase.

The trailer driver was apprehended at Aya area.

 

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The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, says erratic power supply is killing Nigeria’s industries and the economy, adding that the availability of consumer credit facility is an important option in fighting corruption in the country.

Mr. Dangote said this on Saturday in Lagos at a consultative roundtable titled, “Going for Growth” with some economic stakeholders.

He said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and commercial banks should develop consumer credit products to encourage low-income earners to engage in loan taking.

He also identified a lack of policy implementation as the biggest challenge in the country.

“How do you have economic growth without power? No power; no growth because without power there can’t be growth. “Egypt increased its electricity by 10 gigawatts, which is equivalent to 10,000 megawatts in 18 months.

“In Nigeria, we have been struggling for 18 years without adding 1,000 megawatts and we have spent about three times above Egypt, why?

“So, I think we all need to be concerned about that.”

Mr. Dangote advised that the country needed to promote import substitution for foreign exchange accumulation through proceeds from exports.

He called for a public-private partnership to boost the non-oil sector of the economy and added that Nigerians should invest in the development of the non-oil sector which had been left in the hands of foreigners.

“Government need to encourage non-oil sector growth rather than depending on proceeds from crude oil to pay salaries.

“Proceeds from crude oil sale should be for major investment in the country,” he added.

He urged the federal government to improve more on the power sector, saying, “No business will thrive with business owners generating powers themselves.”

Mr. Dangote said that all stakeholders must come together and support the government in finding a solution to power challenges in the country.

Apart from power, Mr. Dangote suggested that government focuses more on three areas which include finance, manufacturing and agriculture.

According to him, Asian Tigers concentrated on these three sectors for them to be where they are.

He further urged the government to focus more on the fiscal policies for the country to move to the next level.

The business mogul said by next year, the country would have exported eight million tonnes of cement to African countries from the present six million tonnes.

Mr. Dangote added that Nigeria would also be the biggest exporter of fertilizers in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, noted that government policies had supported the production of petroleum, cement, and fertilizers.

Mr. Ovia commended the government on broadband penetration in the country, saying it had boosted banking activities.

He supported Dangote on the need for consumer credit and said banks were doing their best on it.

Mr. Ovia, however, noted that the process had been slow because of the challenges associated with people given accurate data for know-your customers (KYC) process.

Also, the former Managing Director of Stanbic IBTC, Peterside Atedo, urged the CBN to continue with the effort taken in reducing the inflation rate from 18 percent to as low as 11.37 percent as at April 2019.

Mr. Peterside said the CBN should use the same pace to bring the country’s inflation rate to a single digit.

 

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The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, says erratic power supply is killing Nigeria’s industries and the economy, adding that the availability of consumer credit facility is an important option in fighting corruption in the country.

Mr. Dangote said this on Saturday in Lagos at a consultative roundtable titled, “Going for Growth” with some economic stakeholders.

He said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and commercial banks should develop consumer credit products to encourage low-income earners to engage in loan taking.

He also identified a lack of policy implementation as the biggest challenge in the country.

“How do you have economic growth without power? No power; no growth because without power there can’t be growth. “Egypt increased its electricity by 10 gigawatts, which is equivalent to 10,000 megawatts in 18 months.

“In Nigeria, we have been struggling for 18 years without adding 1,000 megawatts and we have spent about three times above Egypt, why?

“So, I think we all need to be concerned about that.”

Mr. Dangote advised that the country needed to promote import substitution for foreign exchange accumulation through proceeds from exports.

He called for a public-private partnership to boost the non-oil sector of the economy and added that Nigerians should invest in the development of the non-oil sector which had been left in the hands of foreigners.

“Government need to encourage non-oil sector growth rather than depending on proceeds from crude oil to pay salaries.

“Proceeds from crude oil sale should be for major investment in the country,” he added.

He urged the federal government to improve more on the power sector, saying, “No business will thrive with business owners generating powers themselves.”

Mr. Dangote said that all stakeholders must come together and support the government in finding a solution to power challenges in the country.

Apart from power, Mr. Dangote suggested that government focuses more on three areas which include finance, manufacturing and agriculture.

According to him, Asian Tigers concentrated on these three sectors for them to be where they are.

He further urged the government to focus more on the fiscal policies for the country to move to the next level.

The business mogul said by next year, the country would have exported eight million tonnes of cement to African countries from the present six million tonnes.

Mr. Dangote added that Nigeria would also be the biggest exporter of fertilizers in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, noted that government policies had supported the production of petroleum, cement, and fertilizers.

Mr. Ovia commended the government on broadband penetration in the country, saying it had boosted banking activities.

He supported Dangote on the need for consumer credit and said banks were doing their best on it.

Mr. Ovia, however, noted that the process had been slow because of the challenges associated with people given accurate data for know-your customers (KYC) process.

Also, the former Managing Director of Stanbic IBTC, Peterside Atedo, urged the CBN to continue with the effort taken in reducing the inflation rate from 18 percent to as low as 11.37 percent as at April 2019.

Mr. Peterside said the CBN should use the same pace to bring the country’s inflation rate to a single digit.

 

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Mr Godwin Emefiele, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says the bank has identified smuggling and dumping as major challenges sabotaging Nigeria’s economic policies, noting that some companies’ bank accounts have been blocked.

The governor said this on the sideline of a consultative roundtable with some economic stakeholders in Lagos titled, “Going for Growth”.

Emefiele said, “We have identified smugglers and people dumping goods as those who sabotage those policies and we decided that we will deal with them. The strategy that we came up with is that we will not bother ourselves with them.

“There is an agency of government that is responsible for border control and if these people pass through the border control we would use the instrumentality of being the regulator of the banking system to make sure that we get the banks to provide all details about them.

“We investigate their accounts and if they are found in economic sabotage, boarding, smuggling and dumping in Nigeria, we would not only block their accounts, we would close their accounts in all the Nigerian banks simultaneously.”

He also said the CBN asked commercial banks to close those companies’ accounts and those of the top members of such entities.

The bank chief said CBN in due course would come up with the names of those that had been identified.

“We want to be sure that we come up with something that is credible and cannot be denied. At this stage we have already blocked the accounts of some in the textile, rice and palm oil companies.

“We are investigating those accounts and as information becomes clearer, we can clearly say that they committed the offence. We would then go to the next level which is to forbid any Nigerian bank from maintaining accounts for these people,” he said.

The roundtable was held to encourage participants to highlight important building blocks that will lead to greater economic growth in the country.

It also involved the CBN governor listening to their ideas and views on how productivity and investments by companies operating in Nigeria can be improved.

Others include how to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported goods and increase exports of non-oil goods and services.

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One person has been killed and six others injured after a crane collapse during a storm in Texas.

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Organisers say one million people took part, making it the biggest rally since handover to China in 1997.

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A 38-year-old man allegedly brandished a BB gun, sending people running for their lives in the US.

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally accepted the retirement letter of suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.

Onnoghen has been enmeshed in a false asset declaration scandal since January 2019, as upon resuming office as CJN, failed to declare a domiciliary US dollar account, a domiciliary euro account, a domiciliary (pound sterling) account, an e-saver savings (naira) account and a naira account, all maintained with Standard Chartered Bank (Nig.) Ltd in Abuja as part of the compulsory asset declaration form.

Onnoghen, 68, was due for retirement in 2020, but he turned in his resignation letter as CJN on April 4, 2019, to save himself from prosecution.

In a statement on Saturday, President Buhari said he had accepted the ‘voluntary retirement’ of Onnoghen and thanked him for his service to the country.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the voluntary retirement from service of Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria, effective from May 28, 2019.

“The President thanked Justice Onnoghen for his service to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and wished him the best of retirement life,” the statement said.

The NJC had recommended Onnoghen for compulsory retirement after deliberating on a petition by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleging “financial impropriety, infidelity to the constitution and other economic and financial crimes related laws”.

His retirement benefits in cash and kind will cost taxpayers about N2.5 billion.

As part of the package for retired chief justice, a house will be built for him in Abuja with a nine-digit sum for furnishing — in addition to a severance gratuity that is 300% of his annual basic salary of N3,363,972.50, as well as pension for life. He is also entitled to a number of domestic staff and sundry allowances for personal upkeep.

Meanwhile, President Buhari has ordered the Acting CJN, Justice Tanko Muhammad to appoint five new justices for the Supreme Court.

He said, “Pursuant to the provisions of Section 230(2) A&B of the Constitution of the Fed Republic of Nigeria, 1999(as amended), I am pleased to request that you initiate in earnest the process of appointing additional five Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to make the full complement of 21 Justices as provided by the aforementioned provisions of the Constitution.

“This is in line with the government’s agenda of repositioning the judiciary in general and Supreme Court in particular for greater efficiency, with a view to reducing the backlogs of appeals pending at the Supreme Court.”

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In the mood of his birthday which happens to be today, Nigerian singer Dapo Oyebanjo better known as D’banj bought himself a Rolls Royce.

The singer whose sojourned into music and entertainment as a whole started from his days at Nigerian military school is celebrating his 39th year on the surface of earth.

Several Nigerian entertainers showered the singer with encomium on this day. “Happy birthday boo thang! Have a Blast” Nigerian actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, commented under a birthday post by D’banj on his Instagram handle a few hours ago.

Although D’banj did not announce the vehicle arrival, however, His stylist, Jeremiah Ogbodo also known as Swankyjerry let the cat out of the bag while wishing the former Mo’hit member a happy birthday where he congratulated him on the purchase a new vehicle.

He wrote: "DO IT BIG, DO IT RIGHT, DO IT WITH STYLE ...... BIG CONGRATULATIONS @iambangalee ON YOUR NEW ROLLS ROYCE ‍♂️ BIGGEST FISH........ Na God do am for you bro ... I tap into your blessing...... plus HAPPY BIRTHDAY I wish you long life and more prosperity in good health..... Amen enjoy your day king” D’banj who is known for his harmonica replied and thanked Swankyjerry: “Verified Chai Swanky! You don finally, cast me. Anyways let the show Begin 2019 #WeAreVeryfew Osshheee! #perfectbirthdaygift#birthdaybehaviour #legend"

Judging from the pictures posted, the car is a Rolls Royce Ghost which according to car website, True Car has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $314,400 which when converted to Nigerian naira currency is N96, 347, 880.

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Grenfell survivors are taking legal action in the US against three firms they blame for the fire.

Erasmus Ikhide

 

NIGERIAN First Lady Hajiya Aisha Buhari is known to have been stepping up to the plague ailling Northern Nigeria and the entire country since the husband's signs of woeful failure in governance emerged after two years in office.

She fired another salvo at the weekend, charging the nation's security leadership to save the north from going down under in the hands of Boko Haram, Fulani marauding terrorists, armed bandits and beastly kidnappers who have uprooted 25,000 people, raised down people's homes and killed tens of thousands in the last few months in Katsina State alone, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari!

“It is compulsory to speak the truth, it is not proper for us to give the highest number of votes during the general elections and allow bandits to continue killing people and keep quiet."

“We must speak on whatever is going wrong in the country. The security agents should either assist to take action or allow the situation continue until bandits finished killing our people", she added.

The President's wife shadow-boxing and powerless twitches on the nation's security challenges will be an exercise in futility if the husband refuses to address the evil of religious terrorism, which I doubt he can. Political terrorism can be addressed via political solution on the table. How then do you address religious terrorism of Fulani's Jihadist with nihilistic mandate of this proportion who have been brainwashed and are convinced that there are reward awaiting for them in Heaven for pillaging civilisation and destruction of humanity?

Lamido Sanusi, the Emir of Kano has been sermonising on the northern tragedy for a long time. He has been insisting deceptively that the nation unto which the north has been a misbegotten burden and pillaging parasite -- relentlessly without verifiable contribution other than Boko Haram and Fulani marauding terrorists -- must remain as an indivisible entity.

It's no fault of Sanusi and his northern oligarchs. It's the fault of the British colonialists who foisted a banal contraption of amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates together that allows indirect rule system of government. Indirect rule system accommodates all manners of absurdities like the existence of state of origin, cultural disharmony, yoking of religious pietism with governance, northern preeminent in the union as against the direct system adopted by French colonial masters in thier colonies.

But Sanusi who is now screaming blue murder over the splitting of Kano Emirate Council is also a lone deviant with the 'forbidden' message of redemption for the savaged north which the northern political leadership do not want to hear.

Sanusi is a solo voice in the impoverished northern wilderness of degradation. He has been calling for birth control against the Islamic faith that celebrates polygamy and procreation of multiple children as an achievement which the Muslims north have been exploiting unto the bargain. He has been routing against street begging and a complete end to it as against the stated position by the Qur'an which made begging compulsory in some instances.

The Emir is Hell bent in his advocacy that every child in northern Nigeria of school age has to be enroned into a school. He has been wailing that out of the 13.2 million Nigerian children who are out of school -- the highest number in the world -- more than 95% of those numbers are from the north. Sanusi has been hazarding agonisingly that illiteracy is at the heart of unremitting poverty in the north that fathers two evils: Boko Haram and Fulani Hersmen. His 'offences' are legion.

Although, Sanusi has been reprobate, approbating and repprobating about the northern denastic abnormalities to which he also subscribed negatively to for pecuniary and dominance seasons, Sanusi has found an opposing antagonistic match in the irritable Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje whose agenda is to further polute the political atmosphere and exacerbate the already direful and perilous socio-political space of northern Nigeria. Governor Ganduje has been consistently involved in and implicated in both financial and electoral fraud. He has been invoking unthinkable governmental policy and abominable governance strategies that reduce his government and that of the entire northern Nigeria to caricature.

A few weeks ago, the governor paid bride prices for 1,500 illiterate, jobless, Boko Haram embracing young men and Fulani Hersmen sympathizers with a whopping sum of N300 million naira! Before then, the governor reportedly purchased shoe and tea making kits for hundreds of thousands of Kano citizens.

Shamefully, the governor and his boothlicking minders called it empowerment projects! This is governance by tokenism at best, and at worst, governance gone awry. Peeping through the throbbing crowds jostling for shoe polish purchased for them by the governor on that occasion could not reveal any of Governor Ganduje's child or children of law makers and those in governments at all levels of the state. It was a major fraud. A tale of different citizens in one state. The occasion was a gathering of the 'Wretched of the Earth' and beggars' colony; a seething humanity, baying for survival, food or blood. Revolution? You can ask that again!

The like of Ibrahim Salisu, a 20 years old Fulani boy with two wives and two children without any former education whatsoever is one of the people who congregated to receive shoe polish from Governor Ganduje's mockery government of dis-empowerment on that day.

An illiterate Salisu has been reported to be one of the kingpins responsible for almost all the kidnappings and various attacks along Abj/Kaduna road lately. They are syndicate of between five and ten people. Salisu confessed to have purchased their AK47 riffles from Niger Republic between N700,000 and N900,000 each. This is the picture of an average norther Nigerian child.

Over the years, President Buhari and the northern political leadership has refused to answer this question I have been asking them, consistently. Why are the northern youths roaming the entire Nigerian forests in the name of cattle herding, thereby kidnapping people for ransom when 21st Century economy dictates that they should all be enroned in schools? What effort is President Buhari making to change the trend, at least to placate the APC now abandoned CHANGE sloganeering? What's the "Next Level" without basic education and job creation?

Governor Ganduje lost the chance to prove to his people and the entire world that he holds a PhD in education for not building schools and purchasing books with the humongous amount of money he wasted on 1,500 illiterate would be parents who will form the leadership of Nigerian next generation. Strictly speaking, Ganduje deceived his people and himself. It calls to question the validity of his certificates and how such degrees were acquired without basic understanding of civil society in mind.

Ganduje's education certainly speaks of late President Nelson Mandela's prescription of a doomed society outside education in his book titled "Long Work To Freedom". The governor may well start building prisons since he failed to build schools! That may be before the entire north is either wipped out on the pages of time, in the estimation of Mrs. Aisha Buhari, or before those who will be left to tell the story relocate to neighbouring countries, as they're already doing.

Only last month, 15,000 displaced Nigerians from Zamfara and Sokoto States went seeking refuge in Niger Republic. Before then, 30,000 people from Katsina State had been granted asylum in Niger Republic. The numbers mainly comprise women and children displaced by activities of insurgent groups.

Dr. Kofoworola Soleye, Head of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Sokoto Operations Office, revealed this at the stakeholders’ meeting on disaster management organised by the agency in Gusau, Zamfara State.

He noted that data collected showed that the Nigerians were those who fled from Isa and Sabon-Birni Local Government Areas of Sokoto State as well as Shinkafi and Zurmi Local Government Areas in Zamfara, while adding that they are residing in nine host communities in Niger Republic.

He also said that NEMA headquarters would visit the refugees with relief materials and he urged stakeholders to be abreast of disaster management issues in the state. Northern Nigeria has become a huge refuge camp.

The Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumuni Kabir, President Muhammadu Buhari's state of origin also cried out penultimate week for help in the face of relentless daily killings by armed bandits. He said the nation's security apparatus is overwhelmed and helpless.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin confirmed Katsina's Emir position in his address at the closing ceremony of the Joint Campaign Planning Course at the Defence Intelligence College in Abuja last week. Olonisakin reportedly said that the current security problems in Nigeria are threatening its existence.

Those who're still not convinced that the climatic upsurge of Boko Haram, Fulani Hersmen, armed banditary and widespread kidnapping under President Muhammadu's administration in all part of the country has the endorsement and backing of northern political elites, covertly or overtly are part of the larger problems engulfing the entire country.

They may wish to ask President Muhammadu Buhari, his wife, Lamido Sanusi, Governor Nasir El-Rufai the security apparatus and the northern political elites what they know about the religious terrorism in and around the country. 

 

Email: ikhideerasmus@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter @ikhide_erasmus1

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Mr Godwin Emefiele, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says the bank has identified smuggling and dumping as major challenges sabotaging Nigeria’s economic policies, noting that some companies’ bank accounts have been blocked.

The governor said this on the sideline of a consultative roundtable with some economic stakeholders in Lagos titled, “Going for Growth”.

Emefiele said, “We have identified smugglers and people dumping goods as those who sabotage those policies and we decided that we will deal with them. The strategy that we came up with is that we will not bother ourselves with them.

“There is an agency of government that is responsible for border control and if these people pass through the border control we would use the instrumentality of being the regulator of the banking system to make sure that we get the banks to provide all details about them.

“We investigate their accounts and if they are found in economic sabotage, boarding, smuggling and dumping in Nigeria, we would not only block their accounts, we would close their accounts in all the Nigerian banks simultaneously.”

He also said the CBN asked commercial banks to close those companies’ accounts and those of the top members of such entities.

The bank chief said CBN in due course would come up with the names of those that had been identified.

“We want to be sure that we come up with something that is credible and cannot be denied. At this stage we have already blocked the accounts of some in the textile, rice and palm oil companies.

“We are investigating those accounts and as information becomes clearer, we can clearly say that they committed the offence. We would then go to the next level which is to forbid any Nigerian bank from maintaining accounts for these people,” he said.

The roundtable was held to encourage participants to highlight important building blocks that will lead to greater economic growth in the country.

It also involved the CBN governor listening to their ideas and views on how productivity and investments by companies operating in Nigeria can be improved.

Others include how to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported goods and increase exports of non-oil goods and services.

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Divine Oduduru gettyimages

 

The Nigerian athlete Divine Oduduru has won his first NCAA 100m title clocking 9.86 seconds to become second African runner to achieve this feat.

Oduduru’s 9.86 second was the second-fastest time in NCAA history.

He is now the second Nigerian after Olopade Adeniken in 1992 and third African after Namibia’s Frankie Frederick in 1991 to successfully complete a sprint double at the NCAA Division 1 Championship on Friday.

His time was just a 100th of a second off Olusoji Fasuba’s 9.85-second African record set 13-years ago in Doha. Fasuba is the fastest African athlete of all time, while Oduduru is just a 100th of a second behind him.

The time is third joint fastest in the world as he equals Noah Lyles and Christian Coleman’s runs last month in Shanghai at the IAAF Diamond League meeting.

He later ran the second-fastest 200m in NCAA history with 19.73 seconds.

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The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus in Nigeria's House of Representatives has offered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers the chairmanship and deputy chairmanship of 60 committees in order to boost the chances of Femi Gbajabiamila emerging the next speaker.

Abdulmumin Jibrin, director-general of the Femi Gbajabiamila /Ahmed Wase Campaign Organisation, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Saturday.

Jibrin said the PDP members had accepted the offer and have started working to ensure the emergence of Gbajabiamila, preferred candidate of the ruling party.

Jibrin said the PDP caucus in the house is divided into two factions but that the APC had sealed a deal with one of the groups.

“Before Femi’s endorsement by the party, the president, the governors and others, majority of us the lawmakers have agreed that he is the speaker that we want. It was after that decision that other endorsements came,” he said.

“As it is today, he has massive supports across party lines. In 2015, the APC was just only guiding its votes because we believed then that we had the number to win the election. We didn’t bother about anything, but the PDP was concentrating on how to poach the APC members and that was how the election was won.

“But this time round, the APC is more comfortable because we have more numbers with our 223. But even at that, our campaign is more aggressive towards poaching the PDP members than the aggression of the PDP members trying to poach our members.

“As it is today, the reality of the matter is that the PDP has been split into two factions. We have been open in negotiating with both factions. We have sealed a deal with one of the factions and we are still talking with the other faction.

“We are only doing that as a safety net. We do not need the whole of the PDP members to win the election. In fact, we may not even need a vote from the PDP because we are guiding our 223 votes religiously.

“But as a safety net, we have already over 60 members of the PDP working with us. There is nothing you can do to change the minds of these PDP members because their support is based on their conviction that Gbajabiamila and Wase are the best to occupy those positions at this time.

“On the aspect of responsibility in the parliament, we are always reluctantly mentioning this but it is the reality, sharing of committees and the rest. We have offered 60 positions.

“If not that the party has been broken into two factions, it is what we would have offered to all of them, but since we have concluded with one faction, we have given them that offer and they have accepted it.

“We have 60 of them and they are going to have 60 offices. It means that every one of them will have a particular position to hold in the next house.”

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives in a carriage for the annual Trooping the Color on Saturday in central London. (Andy Rain/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday celebrated her 93rd birthday with a parade, a cause for Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry, to make her first official engagement since the birth of their son Archie in May.

Elizabeth II is the Queen of the UK and the other Commonwealth realms, she was born in London as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, they later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

The Queen's birthday falls on April 21, however, she traditionally plans birthday festivities for June due to the typically warmer weather.

The crowds were in luck: After a rainy morning, the sun popped out.

The queen arrived at the Horse Guards Parade near Buckingham Palace by carriage, where some 1,400 soldiers took part in the spectacle. 

The queen’s husband, Prince Philip, who turns 98 years old on Monday, did not attend; he has rarely been seen in public since entering retirement.

Later on, the queen, with her family, are scheduled to watch the Red Arrows air show from the balcony of the palace.

The crowds were especially thrilled to see Meghan, who did not participate in the official events that took place for U.S. President Donald Trump’s three-day state visit to Britain this week.

The report says the former actress is considered a sharp critic of Trump’s policies.

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The Arewa Progressive Congress has appealed to the members-elect of the ninth assembly, not to embarrass the country by electing a Speaker “with questionable past, tinted antecedents, and a barrage of court cases”.

The congress gave the admonition at a media briefing on Saturday in Abuja, ahead of the May 11 inauguration and the election of the leadership of the ninth National Assembly.

The Chairman of the congress, Alhaji Ali Abacha, said the incoming lawmakers must look at the antecedents of the contestants to make a choice that would not embarrass the country, and make Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of nations.

“We are particularly concerned about who will eventually emerge the leader of the green chamber. As the day of decision inches closer, there is the need for the lawmakers to peruse the credentials of those presently angling for the exalted position.

“A close look at the antecedents of some of the contestants would suffice for the incoming lawmakers to make a choice that would not embarrass the country and make Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of nations.

He added: “Regardless of the volume of money spent by any aspirant, what counts most as lawmakers take an important decision that will guide the destiny of the green chamber for the next four years, should be the level of patriotism and integrity of whoever emerges as the speaker.

“Any candidate with court cases should be told to clear himself of litigations before contesting for the number four position. Electing a speaker with a piece of baggage of court cases is tantamount to the mockery of our selection process.”

Abacha also noted that having a speaker with questionable past and tinted antecedents would negate the anti-corruption stance of the government of the day.

He stressed that the “next level’ administration should excise men with a blemish in the polity if the international community would take the fight against corruption seriously.

“It is on record that President Muhammadu Buhari predicates his agenda on the tripod of fighting insecurity, repositioning the economy and waging war against corruption. We are particularly impressed with the president’s zeal to extirpate corruption from the national polity.

"The president has done his best possible to improve the local and international perception of the country. Such gains must not be dissipated with the enthronement of any individual with integrity question as to the speaker of the ninth House of Representatives. All hands must be on deck to support the President in this onerous task of fighting against corruption especially at the highest level. It is on this note that men of goodwill must rise against the possibility of an emergence of a Speaker with a questionable character,” he said.

The chairman noted that the ruling party had zoned the position of the speaker to the South-west.

He added that though the onus of choosing a speaker rests solely on the 360 members-elect, their choice should reflect the wishes of the majority of Nigerians who voted them into power.

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Muhammad Babandede

 

Mr. Muhammad Babandede, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has advised 53 newly promoted officers to shun corruption and nepotism in handling the affairs of the service.

Babandede, who gave the advice at the decoration ceremony of the 53 officers, held at the NIS headquarters Abuja, said their promotion was well deserved.

The 53 officers were promoted to the ranks of comptrollers.

He also advised the officers not to use their uniforms and ammunition against citizens, but to ensure their security and safety.

“As comptrollers, you have reached management level. You need to know your work and be good ambassadors of the service and the country.

“I urge you to put in your best before personal interest.

“You will be heading men from different locations so you must make sure you comply with the standard of this administration.

“As you are aware, President Muhammadu Buhari has always insisted we must do our work very well that we must shun corruption and respect human rights.

“You must be firm and obey the rule of law,” Babandede said.

He also called on the officers to have the right attitude toward work and be disciplined.

The comptroller-general said that they would be trained on leadership skills, emotional and social intelligence because they would lead the service in the future.

He said that the service was engaging in human capacity development and as such, they should use the opportunity to improve on their skills.

Babandede said that the service would soon be through with the process for the establishment of its academy.

“We have finished the academy brief; we have finished the masterplan and will soon go for approval for a university like-academy.

“This means that immigration will be able to provide issues to do with a degree not only for us but for the entire diversion,” he added.

Also speaking, Mr. Jaafaru Ado, Commissioner, Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board said the exercise had the largest number of comptrollers promoted at the same time.

He urged them to be disciplined and dedicated to duty.

Ado said that the good leadership skills of the CG had transformed the service into a technologically-driven agency of government.

He, however, urged the CG to ensure the welfare of staff of the service should be prioritized.

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FIRS Executive Chairman, Babatunde Fowler

 

A group, Concerned Staff of FIRS, have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over the atrocities and infractions allegedly perpetrated by the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Babatunde Fowler.

In an open letter, the group advised President Buhari not to re-appoint Fowler because the FIRS boss had “unimaginably taken it back to the old dark period of inefficient and ineffective days.”

It also recommended that the activities of Fowler from the day he was appointed up to his last day in office should be investigated and brought to book for all infractions he had committed while holding sway as the Executive Chairman of FIRS.

The group wrote, “One would have expected that his appointment would improve the hallmark achievements he met on the ground but the reverse is the case. The first seven months of his tenure as the chief executive of FIRS has led to a series of abuse/violation of laid down processes and procedures, a flagrant disobedience to established rules, policies and laws, a total disrespect to the leadership in various coordinating groups, departments and other positions within the service and a total collapse of the entire system. 

“The noble and professional institution (FIRS) which was left behind by his predecessors has completely been politicized and has now become a Mecca or Jerusalem of some sorts to politicians and parasitic contractors.

“This rascality was further heightened by the claim that the current Vice President is his (Fowler's) friend and a school mate and for this reason, he could abuse the due process and get away with it. In saner climes, his relationship with the vice president must propel him to respect all known processes, procedures, laws and constituted authority while discharging his duties and responsibilities as a public officer who would be held accountable for his actions and inactions. Sadly enough, the reverse is the case in FIRS.”

Other allegations against the FIRS boss included extravagant weekly spending on concerts and parties in Lagos, Port Harcourt and other major cities within and outside Nigeria, frivolous donations to organizations while staff entitlements for official engagements would take a long time to settle. 

The FIRS staff claimed that Fowler had got away with what it termed corporate and institutional lies about FIRS performance, adding that while Fowler announced N1.5 trillion as tax revenue in the first quarter of the year, the sum of N1.07 trillion was the actual collection for the same period.

The letter partly reads, “Dear Mr President, there are so many disturbing atrocities perpetrated by Mr Fowler in FIRS which your attention must have been drawn to but we wish to also draw it to you again, sir. There is convincing evidence already presented to you for further action and others that may be presented to you for further investigations and for his possible prosecution. We strongly advise that these atrocities be made known to the Vice President because it is his name that is being used as a shield against investigation and prosecution for abusing his office.

“Others are the suspension of tax audit and case investigation functions in various field offices since January 2016 and the engagement of friends as FIRS consultants to carry out core tax functions of audit, investigations, taxpayers’ registrations and other ancillaries of the service.  There is also the indiscriminate transfer of senior officers to non-existent offices and/or non-functional training schools nationwide.

“Continuous employment of new people unilaterally without recourse to established rules, processes and procedures for the recruitment exercise. There is no Staffing Needs Assessment carried out before recruiting the new staff. In 2019 alone, over 700 staff were brought in illegally.Sometimes appointment letters are brought to Mr Fowler to sign in the VIP lounge at the airport.

“Duplication and multiplicity of duties and responsibilities have become the order of the day in the Service. His verbal pronouncement at any meeting or forum has now become a policy statement. This is indeed an unfortunate nightmare currently existing in FIRS.

“Corruption has also become a phenomenon, a culture and a norm using all kinds of fronts in receiving gratifications from tax refund cases, contract awards, lien-on-accounts placement and even in employment.”

The group, therefore, advised President Buhari not to reappoint Fowler while adding that the composition of FIRS Board with quality minds and other institutional members are very important to drive the strategic implementation and values of the Nigerian tax system.

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Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today at the conclusion of the Group of 20 (G20) meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in Fukuoka, Japan: 

“We met at a time when the global economy is showing tentative signs of stabilizing and growth is projected to strengthen. While this is good news, the road ahead remains precarious and subject to several downside risks.   

“The principal threat stems from continuing trade tensions. The IMF estimates that US-China tariffs, including those implemented last year, could reduce the level of global GDP by 0.5 percent in 2020 or about US$455 billion (See G20 Surveillance Note)—which could make a significant dent in the projected pick-up in economic activity. A second risk is that, with interest rates very low, debt levels are rising in many advanced economies, and emerging markets remain vulnerable to a sudden shift in financial conditions. And all this at a moment when monetary and fiscal policy space is more limited than in the past.

“To mitigate these risks, I emphasized that the first priority should be to resolve the current trade tensions—including eliminating existing tariffs and avoiding new ones—while we need to continue to work toward the modernization of the international trade system. This would be the best way for policymakers to give more certainty and confidence to their economies and to help, not hinder global growth.

“At the same time, in most countries, monetary policy should continue to be data dependent and accommodative. Fiscal policy should carefully balance growth, debt, and social objectives. And structural reforms—from opening up markets to encouraging greater participation by women in the workforce—should be used to lay the foundation for stronger and more inclusive growth. If these kinds of measures were jointly implemented, the IMF estimates that they could boost the G20’s GDP level by 4 percent over the long term. 

“Of course, determined joint action is also needed in many other areas: in international tax—to ensure a globally fair, sustainable and modern system. In the financial sector, to ensure an open and resilient system grounded in agreed international standards. And in the area of debt—particularly for low-income countries—where cooperation is essential to ensure transparency and sustainability. 

“We also discussed the importance of working together to tackle global economic imbalances, which have become increasingly concentrated in advanced economies. In addition, led by the Japanese G20 Presidency, we focused on the issue of aging, its policy implications, and how we might help each other in this vital area. To support this dialogue, both on demographics (See G20 Background NoteMacroeconomics of Aging and Policy Implications) and global imbalances (See G20 Background NoteGlobal Imbalances), the IMF offered new cross-country research and analysis.

“In Fukuoka, Japan’s start-up city, I also spoke at the G20 seminar “Our Future in the Digital Age” which emphasized the importance of international cooperation in harnessing the potential of FinTech. 

“Overall, this meeting helped advance the G20’s approach on key issues and prepared the ground for the Leaders’ Summit in Osaka on June 28-29. I would like to thank Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, the Japanese authorities, and the people of Japan for their excellent organization and warm hospitality. I look forward to returning to Japan later this month.”

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