FEMI FANI-KAYODE SUPPORTS OBI EZEKWESILI TAGGED JONATHAN "RECKLESS SPENDER"

FEMI FANI-KAYODE SUPPORTS OBI EZEKWESILI TAGGED JONATHAN "RECKLESS SPENDER" 

 

I think that it is a pity that President Goodluck Jonathan's Government declined to take up the challenge of the former Minister of Education, Mrs.Obiageli Ezekwesile, to a public debate on the $67billion USD savings that President Obasanjo left behind in 2007. I do not think that our government ought to have run away from the debating ring. They ought to have accepted the challenge of a rigorous public debate and allow the Nigerian people to listen to it and make up their own minds about who was right and who was wrong. I thought that the response of the Special Assistant to the President On Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, to Obiageli Ezekwesili was more logical and made far more sense than that of the Honorable Minister of Information, Labaran Maku's, but I still believe that Obiageli Ezekwesili was right. I believe that the Government's position on this issue and it's attempt to over-aggressively defend what I personally consider to be the indefensible is not only disengenious but it is also essentially dishonest and self-seeking.

The charge that our foreign reserves were heavily depleted between 2007 and 2013 cannot be convincingly or logically denied. In 2007, President Olusegun Obasanjo left 45 billion USD in our foreign reserves and 22 billion USD in our Excess Crude Account. If the two figures are added up the amount that you will come up with is 67 billion USD of savings for our country. This is the figure that Obiageli Ezekwesili cited. It represents what was in both our foreign reserves and our Excess Crude Account put together.

Let us look at the history. When President Olusegun Obasanjo came to power in 1999 Nigeria only had 1.5 billion USD in her foreign reserves and consequently no-one in the world took us seriously. We were poor, weak and lonely and we were viewed as a failed state and a pariah nation. No-one trusted us, no-one wanted to do business with us and no-one seriously believed that we as a people or as a nation were capable of enduring the rigours of serious economic recovery, prudence and fiscal discipline. As far as the developed world was concerned Nigeria was only good for it's endless supply of sweet bonny light crude oil. Yet Obasanjo proved the world wrong and showed them that Nigerians could do far better than they thought. After eight years of good stewardship and the display of fiscal discipline and remarkable prudence he built up those foreign reserves from a measly and pitiful 1.5 billion USD in 1999 to no less than 45 billion by 2007. This was quite an achievement yet sadly what took place after Obasanjo left power was very disheartening. It was not only a downer but it was also sad and unfortunate. I say this because by the Federal Governments own admission, and four long years after leaving 45 billion USD for the Yar’adua administration to build on in 2007, we still only have that same figure of 45 billion USD left in our foreign reserves today. Worse still this was after it had plummeted to a shameful 30 billion USD under late President Umaru Yar Adua. Had it not been for the fact that whatever was coming in after we left in 2007 and over the last 4 years was being recklessly shared and spent by the Yar’adua and later Jonathan administrations our foreign reserves ought to have doubled and reached at least 100 billion US dollars by now. That is just the foreign reserves alone and I am not even adding the Excess Crude Account figures yet. If I were to do that I would be talking about an expected increase of up to 150 billion USD by today. That is what we ought to have in the savings kitty today if the two governments that succeeded Obasanjo knew anything about prudence, good management and fiscal discipline.

The difference is that under Obasanjo it was ”save, save, save” whilst under Yar’adua and later Jonathan it has been ”spend, spend, spend’. Yet if they insist on spending the question is what do they have to show for such high expenditure and what has this cost the Nigerian people in real terms. I believe that these are legitimate questions. Mrs. Ezekwezile may have been inelegant or a little too harsh in her use of words when she made those weighty assertions in her speech but her analysis and conclusions surely cannot be faulted. Yet the Government has given no reasonable explanation or response to her or the Nigerian people and they do not even appear to like the fact that questions are being asked.

As a a matter of fact they appear to believe that it is an achievement for us to be exactly where we were four years ago in terms of our foreign reserves by openly boasting that we have 45 billion USD saved today. The questions that we should put to them are as follows - did you not save anything in the last 4 years in either foreign reserves or the Excess Crude Account? Where did all the money that accrued to you and that you ought to have saved go? How come 4 years after being handed 45 billion in foreign reserves and after billions have come into your hands through record price crude oil sales you still only have 45 billion saved? Is this not strange and absurd? Is this the way a responsive and responsible government ought to behave? Do they know the true meaning of ''saving for a rainy day''?

It is not surprising that the Prime Minister of Great Britain, The Right Honorable David Cameron, asked just a few days ago where the 100 billion USD that Nigeria received from oil sales in the last few years has gone. Would our Government be good enough to answer his question and tell him even if they feel that they don't owe the Nigerian people themselves an explanation? As far as I am concerned it is not something that our government should be proud of that 4 years after Obasanjo handed 45 billion USD to them as savings in foreign reserves they have not built on it in all that time but rather they have spent all the receivables and inflows that came in after that time and that ought to have been saved.

Yet the story does not stop there. It gets worse. Apart from the sorry tale about our foreign reserves, the story about the usage and outright draining of our Excess Crude Account is even more damning. It goes like this. When President Obasanjo left power in 2007 the Excess Crude Account had just over 22 billion USD in it’s coffers. This figure was built up by Obasanjo from zero in 1999 because at that time there was no Excess Crude Account. In 8 years he built it up from zero to 22 billion USD. Yet when the Yara’dua administration and later the Jonathan administration came in ALL the money in that account was shared with the state governors and spent.

The Federal Government saved nothing for a rainy day and instead chose to just spend all the money. It was was initially run down to zero by President Umaru Yar Adua's government but, in fairness to President Jonathan, he has now been able to build it up to approximately 10 billion USD. This represents approximately half the figure that Obasanjo left in that account in 2007 but at least it is a step in the right direction. Yet if both the Yar adua and Jonathan government’s had continued to save and not just spend all the money we would have had at least 50 billion USD in the Excess Crude Account today and not just a paltry 10.

Whichever way one looks at it, when one sees all these figures and considers the strong position that we were coming from in 2007 it represents a failure in fiscal discipline by both the Yar’adua and Jonathan administrations. This is because the Federal Governmentt was meant to build up on the legacy that they inherited in 2007 and not spend and squander all that money. For the purpose of emphasis permit me to repeat the fact that had they been doing the right thing in the last 4 years and not overspending we ought to be hitting at least 100 billion USD in our foreign reserves by now and at least 50 billion in the Excess Crude Account. Yet we have not seen anything near that and instead all we have seen is a depletion and a drain of both accounts and the monies that ought to have accrued to them since 2007.

Finally when President Obasanjo came to power in 1999 our foreign debt was 30 billion USD. Yet by sheer dint of hard work by the time he left office 8 years later he had paid off the foreign debt compltely and for the first time in its history Africa had a debt-free nation. This was a monuemental achievement by any standard and one that which every serious-minded and patriotic Nigerian ought to be proud of no matter what side of the political divide they stand. Yet sadly 4 years later we are back in chronic debt to the tune of 9 billion USD and we are still borrowing. In view of the foregoing it is perfectly legitimate for anyone to ask how come so much money was spent, what it was spent on and how the government has managed our resources over the last 4 years. As a matter of fact not asking any questions would be most unpatriotic and it would lay some of us open to the charge of cowardice and collusion.

Since 2007 we have seen nothing but depletion of our resources and more and more borrowing. Unlike President Obasanjo, both President Yar Adua and President Jonathan's governments did not build up our reserves or save any money. Instead they both spent recklessly and borrowed more and more. As a matter of fact if our government continues to borrow at the rate it has been borrowing for the lastr four years for another two years Nigeria will be back to having a foreign debt of close to 30 billion USD very soon. That was where we were in 1999 and if that were to ever happen it would be a tragedy of monuemental proportions.

I sincerely hope that other than the usual insults, intimidation, sponsored stories, persecution and baseless allegations that are channeled against and heaped on some of us for pointing out these matters and raising these questions, the Federal Government will endeavour to change it's ways and display a greater degree of fiscal discipline and accountability to the Nigerian people. To that extent I am in total agreement with my former cabinet colleague in the Obasanjo administration, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwezile.

Nigeria Police Seize 5000 Rounds Of Illegal Arms at Ghana's Border

The police said it has taken measures to secure Nigerian borders.
The Nigerian police on Tuesday said it recovered some lethal weapons in two separate raids.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the weapons were recovered because the police had taken measures to enhance the safety and security of Nigerians, adding that it has also secured all Nigeria’s borders.
Mr. Mba said, during the first raid which occurred on January 20, the police arrested two suspects and recovered a cache of 5,564 live cartridges at Idiroko in Ogun State, a border town between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.
He said the suspects reside in Accra, Ghana and “are suspected to be behind the supply of arms and ammunition to criminal groups operating in parts of the country” .
The police spokesperson said the live cartridges were concealed in the engine compartment and inner crevices of a Mercedes Benz SE saloon car with registration number CC 270 FKJ.
Mr. Mba said the suspects claimed to have taken off from Ghana through Benin Republic en route Lagos.
The second raid, the police spokesperson said, happened on January 24 in Edo State after the police got an intelligence report.
The police, Mr. Mba claimed, raided a local arms manufacturing factory and recovered ammos including two double barrel gun pipes, two double barrel gun butts, three single gun butts, nine single barrel gun pipes, one locally made double barrel cut-to-size gun pipe, a bag of weed and other incriminating items.
Mr. Mba said two persons were arrested in connection with the raid. The suspects, he said, might be responsible for the supply of lethal weapons to armed robbers and kidnappers in the South -West, South- South and South -East regions.

Source; newsrescue.com

PHOTONEWS: Protesters Storm Ministry Of Justice Over Pension Thief Sentence

PHOTONEWS: Protesters Storm Ministry Of Justice Over Pension Thief Sentence  READ MORE:http://bit.ly/1298YO4 —

 

Source;sahara report

Kano State Government justified suspension of commercial motorcycles

The suspension is to enable the state’s government register all motorcyclists in the state.

The Kano State Government on Tuesday said it suspended the operations of all commercial motorcycles in the state for security reasons.

The State Government had in a press statement announced the suspension on the use of motorcycles for commercial purposes.

In the statement, the state’s Acting Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, said the suspension is to enable the state government undertake a proper registration of all the commercial motorcyclists in the state.

“After a meeting with security agencies and a careful study of their reports, we noticed that it has become necessary to suspend motorcycle riders from carrying passengers as from Thursday, 24, January, 2013,” Mr. Ganduje said.

He added that henceforth all motorcyclists will be required to “register their bikes in order to ensure safety of their own lives and those of public members”.

The acting governor also directed the motorcyclists to “go back to their respective local government to register for their own benefit and that of others”.

Private individuals may be allowed to ride motorcycles as long as they do not carry passengers.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt the state government does not plan to ban Okada in the state, but is pursuing a policy to streamline the motorcycle business and have a complete directory of all who engage in the business.

Kidnap of two toddlers throws Ketu into confusion

Falilu and Toheeb

The kidnapping of two toddlers -  Toheeb Adedokun and Falilu Tajudeen -  has thrown Taike Street, Ketu Lagos into confusion.

The two boys have some things in common. They are three-years-old and  live in the same compound at number 18.

Toheeb and Falilu , who are the youngest in the house were kidnapped on Friday, and since then, nothing had been heard of them.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the toddlers were playing in front of the compound when suddenly, no one saw them again.

The parents of the children told our correspondent that no headway had been made since  they  reported the mysterious disappearance of their children  to the police five days ago.

Narrating what occurred on the fateful day, Toheeb’s father, Rasaq Adedokun, said, “I was at work and at about 9pm, my wife called me that she could not find Toheeb, who is the youngest of my three children. She also said people had been looking for him and Falilu since  6pm.

“I went back  home and we began a renewed search for them all over the place. He (Toheeb) does not go out of our compound, so I don’t know what happened that day.

“We were told that a woman selling alcoholic drinks close to our street claimed that she saw the two kids. On getting to her, we met  a man who promised to bring the kids to us by 1am and he spoke with so much confidence.

“When we called him at the said time, he told us to call again in an hour. When he was not forthcoming, we reported the matter to the police at Ketu division.”

Razaq, a commercial driver, said policemen at the Ketu Police Division, advised them to also make a report at Alapere Division and Mile 12 Police Post.

Falilu’s father, Moshood, said he had been living in the compound for over eight years, adding that no child had ever gone missing  even though many families live in the house.

The carpenter lamented that no headway had been made in police investigation as a  woman who was  arrested had been released.

Meanwhile, PUNCH Metro gathered  that there was an attempted kidnapping in the same Ketu area about two weeks ago.

It was learnt that about two weeks ago, a five-year-old boy, Dayo Olubajo, escaped being kidnapped on Ogunkoya Street.  A suspect was caught.

Dayo’s mother, Olawunmi, said, “On January 15, 2012, Dayo, who had measles at the time, came to see me where I sell rice. On his way back, a man kidnapped him.

“The man was apprehended by a young man . The  suspect was later taken to Ketu Police Division  .

The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, said Dayo’s kidnapper had been paraded.

She  confirmed the kidnapping of the minors.

She said, “We are making efforts to ensure that the children are returned to their parents safe and sound.

“So far, two people have been arrested and they are at Ketu Police Station. However, they will soon be transferred to SARS for further investigation. One of the suspects had told the parents that he would get the children back and claimed to have information as to their whereabouts last Friday.”

Jonathan Boys Shows Intolerance On Criticism Again Over Ezekwesili Comment.

  Jonathan Boys Shows Intolerance On Criticism Again Over Ezekwesili Comment.

The Presidency has refused to join the former World Bank Vice President for Africa, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili in a national debate over the spending of the funds in the nation’s excess crude account.

Briefing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, insisted that Dr. Ezekwesili “lied shamelessly” and that there is no basis for entering into any debate with her.
Dr. Okupe advi sed the former Minister of Education to disclose to Nigerians the source of the money she claimed was left in the excess crude account by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According the President’s aide, the figure stated in the account of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), grossly differ from Dr Ezekwesili stated.
He explained that as at May 2007, when former President Obasanjo handed over power to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the excess crude account had $43 billion and that as at the 22nd of January 2013, the excess crude account stood at $45.3 billion.
He therefore enjoined the former Minister to explain the source of her figures.
Dr Okupe further affirmed that the presidency will not engage in a debate with Dr Ezekwesili because the facts as stated in the books of the CBN are very clear. “I will not engage in a debate over facts that are clear. I will engage in debates over government policies but not facts” he affirmed.
“It is preposterous for her to be demanding a debate over an outlandish and incorrect figure she is giving to incite Nigerians against the government” Dr Okupe added.
Dr. Ezekwesili had on Monday, via her Twitter account, asked the Federal Government to accept her challenge to a public debate, as, according to her, “it would demonstrate a healthy democratic culture of responding to citizens.”
She also insisted that the $67 billion which the Obasanjo administration left in the foreign reserve and the excess crude account was brazenly misappropriated by the respective governments that succeeded him.
The former World Bank executive had earlier alleged in her keynote address at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka convocation that $67billion was mismanaged by the succeeding governments of late Yar’Adua and Jonathan.
Describing the allegation of misappropriations against her by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, on Sunday, as “careless” the ex-minister stated that the N458.1 billion in reference was the entire budget of the education sector, including statutory bodies to which sitting ministers had no access.
Mr. Maku had accused the former minister of misappropriating the said sum allocated to the country’s educational sector when she served as minister between 2006 and 2007.

Source;channelstv

  Anger for re-tweeting Jesus joke and apology by El- Rufai

Nicholas Ibekwe

Published: January 28,2013

The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, attracted anger from Christians on Twitter on Sunday for re-tweeting a Joke about Jesus that was intended to be a criticism of the Jonathan’s insensitivity to criticism of his administration’s policies.

1. The former Minister who is a Muslim, is an avid user of the micro-blogging site, where he has attracted a large following for his criticism of the government policies. Earlier on Monday he had re-tweeted following tweet from another social critic know as Ogunyemi Bukola with the Twitter handle @zebbook: 
2. 

   Nasir El-Rufai@elrufai

   “@zebbook: If Jesus criticizes Jonathan's govt, Maku/Abati/Okupe will say he slept with Mary Madgalene.”....LWKMD.....

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3. But no sooner had the tweet appeared on his timeline than many of his followers took offence describing the tweet as blasphemous.
4. 

   Emmanuel Nicholas@gbygeniro

   @elrufai @zebbook I think you take pleasure in creating confusion and tense atmosphere. May God have mercy on you Mallam Elrufai.

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5. 

   SANTA NO-CLAUS@Deblasanta

   Wrong Way 2 Correct"@Engee24: @elrufai @zebbook I also guessed your so called Muhammad/allah slept with your mother hun..#frustrated fool""

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6. 

   A.Kolawoleh@_Dr1960adekola

   Dear @zebbook @elrufai and everyone supporting this careless. THE OUTCOME WILL BE MORE DISASTROUS THAN IMAGINE. #WeSAYNOToJesusJoke

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7. 

   Michael. C. N@WorldRenownedMC

   @elrufai @zebbook Is dis suppose to be a joke or somethin? B careful that you don't rain curse on yourself. Ask God for forgiveness.. Else!

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8. 

   kabir dinar@dinarsnr

   @zebbook @kennyadewole @elrufai you guys are fools coz you can't differentiate who wrote it and what his response was. #twitterjjc

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9. 

   Don Austine@GentleMe4real

   @elrufai it is quit disappointing that such a blaspheous talk comes from you:@zebbook

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10. However, others rose the defence of the ex-minister saying it was a harmless joke that wasn't meant to caste jesus in a bad light; 
11. 

    Idomagirl@ebonyoma

    First and foremost, that tweet wasn't sent by el-Rufai. No 2) that person wasn't insulting Jesus. C'mon!

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12. 

    OluSeye@seyewest

    @zebbook just read it and what is wrong with that tweet? It's not offensive at all we all need a chill pill and face this useless Govt.

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13. 

    Ij Ugboma@ij26b

    @Nedunaija Besides, the joke started with an "if" which makes it hypothetical at best. What's wrong with all these fanatics?

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14. El-Rufia did not initially directly respond to the anger directed at him as observed by this Facebook post:
15. 

    Gimbiya Farve Kwaha

    The tweet by Mallam Nasiru El-Rufa'i making such an insensitive joke about Jesus Christ is disrespectful and highly provocative. Considering the sensitivity of Nigerians on such issues. I am dismayed he is yet to delete the tweet nor apologise despite criticisms on twitter.

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16. He,however, posted a statement on his Facebook page apologising to those that saw the tweet as offensive. He explained that he didn't mean it to come across that way and the tweet was taken out of context:
17. Hello Friends. I have been travelling and try to catch some sleep in between the last 24 hours and missed all the furore arising from my retweet of Ogunyemi Bukola's (@zeebook) joke Maku eat al and Jesus. I must say I am taken aback by the extent of desperate misrepresentation of what was an innocuous attempt to show the godlessness of the Jonathanians to denigrate anyone that dares to ask them to be accountable.
    To those who were genuinely offended by the retweet, I apologize. I did not meant to offend anyone, neither did the @zeebook I know and featured as one of the Young Voices in my Friday Column. Jesus or Isa Alaihis Salaam is a respected prophet of Islam. Every Muslim accepts this in addition to his miraculous virgin birth. It is therefore absurd for any Muslim believer to disrespect Jesus Christ.
    
    I hope those in this class will see my point of view and accept my apologies for any offense or disappointment caused. And I advise everyone to read @zeebook's timeline and mine to read EXACTLY what was tweeted rather than the second-hand reports of certain people who ALWAYS twist whatever I write or not write to achieve their morally-repugnant objectives.
    
    To those in that class of liar - the political contractors who tried to attribute the entire statement to me to destroy perceived political capital, I say keep on doing that till the day your cups will be full. Everything these days is reduced to posturing for 2015,but those doing it do not even know which one of us will be alive to witness the events of that time. I leave all those to God and their conscience.
    
    To the Warriors of God, who misinterpret the Scriptures (both Bilble and Qur'an) and pretend to be capable of fighting His battles, please learn from history. The multiple Crusades and Jihads are yet to convert the entire human race into one religion. If God wished us all to be of one religion, He would have made us so. So please leave God's work to Him, and just be good to other humans.
    
    I thank all my friends who stood up for me in this saga. They know me better than what the desperate Jonathanians want to paint as El-Rufai. An those that wish to know me a little batter should please read my forthcoming book. Thanks and God Bless.

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18. After initially refusing to apologise as some of his followers had suggested:

    
    
19. 

    PHOENIX Bukola@zebbook

    That tweet WAS and IS NOT a blasphemy. I am not responsible for how anyone chooses to interpret it. No apology.

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20.  Ms Ogunyemi (@zebbook) who originally posted the tweet, later posted an apology in a series of ten tweets:
21. 

    PHOENIX Bukola@zebbook

    (1) I wish to apologize a tweet I sent yesterday which has since become controversial in which I drew an analogy using the person of Jesus.

Boko Haram Ceasefire; Can It Be Trusted?

Boko Haram Declares Ceasefire

The dreaded Boko Haram sect has declared ceasefire after allegedly holding talks with “officials of Borno State Government and leaders of thought from the state”.
“I am announcing this ceasefire with the approval and consent of the leader Sheikh Abubakar Shekau. We, therefore, call on all our members to stop all acts of violence immediately and await further directives,” said Sheikh Abdul Aziz, who introduced himself as the second in command to Mr. Shekau.

Reports say the group declared the ceasefire in Maiduguri at about 3:00 p.m. on Monday.
However, the Special Adviser to the state governor on Media, Isa Gusau, in a telephone interview with Channels Television, said he could not confirm the meeting between the Borno State government and the Boko Haram sect.
Mr. Gusau maintained though that the government has been working on several ways to ensure that the crisis is resolved
Sect To Surrender Arms
Sheik Abdul Aziz urged the Joint Task Force and other security agents to reciprocate the ceasefire announcement as it takes immediate effect.
On the mode of the ceasefire, the second in command said talks with government officials on how to surrender the arms are also on-going and urged members of the sect nationwide to cooperate fully.
The sect has earlier announced ceasefire with much stiff conditions in the recent past as security and government officials rejected such conditions.
Reasons And Conditions For Ceasefire
He said the adoption of the ceasefire is because of the hardships women and children are subjected to and urged members to abide by the directive of the ceasefire and to extend same to others yet to be aware of the development.
He also demanded that detained members of the sect be released and the destroyed mosque of its late leader, Mohammed Yusuf, rebuilt as a condition for the ceasefire.

Man gets 3-year jail term for stealing phone handset, as pension thief is freed for stealing N2billion

The State Attorney General says he does not understand what the magistrates want

 The man was sentenced to three years in jail for stealing a telephone handset worth N17, 000 even as pension thief who stole N2billion is freed

Less than 24 hours after an Abuja High Court sentenced Pension Thief John Yakubu Yusuf to two years in prison for admitting to stealing around N2 billion, an Ikare Magistrate Court in Ondo State has sentenced another man to three years in prison for stealing a telephone handset worth N17, 000.

The Abuja court had on Monday sentenced the former director of the Police Pension Board, John Yakubu Yusuf, to two-year imprisonment.

Mr. Yusuf pleaded guilty to two-count charges of embezzling about N2 billion of the total N33 billion stolen from police pensions. He was, however, given an option of fine of N250, 000 instead of going to jail.

Adepoju Jamiu, 23, living in Ondo was not so lucky. On Tuesday, the Ikare Magistrate Court sentenced him to three years imprisonment for stealing a China Blackberry phone worth N17, 000.

Like pension thief Yusuf, Mr. Jamiu also pleaded guilty to the charge.

If the ratio of years of sentence was relative to the amount stolen and the same law was used to try both men, should Mr. Jamiu be jailed 3 years, Mr., Yusuf would have been sentenced to at least 110,000 years in jail.

Not only was Mr. Jamiu given a seemingly incomparable jail sentence, he was not given an option of fine by  Chief Magistrate Sunday Adeniyan.

Mr. Jamiu’s crime

 The police prosecutor, Aigbojie Amileomen, told the court that the stolen phone belonged to one Suleiman Asimiyi.

While briefing the court on the case, the prosecutor said the accused committed the offence in November 2012 at about 5.30 a.m. at Olukare Central Mosque, Inu Odi, Okela, Ikare.

When the case was read, the accused pleaded guilty as charged.

Mr. Adeniyan convicted Mr. Jamiu having found him guilty.

He said Mr. Jamiu’s action violated Section 383(1) and punished him under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap 37, volume one, laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.

He therefore ordered that Mr. Jamiu should remain in prison for three years without an option of fine.

Source; premium times

US is the Most Corrupt Nation in the World-Jackie Chan:

 US is the Most Corrupt Nation in the World-

Jackie Chan:

Riled by US media reports highlighting corruption in China, Hong Kong based Hollywood star Jackie Chan has hit back at America branding it as the world’s “most corrupt” country.
Chan told Chinese Phoenix TV that China has been bullied by international powers for a long time and started making progress only in recent years.
While China had corruption problem, so do other nations, including America, he said, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

He went on to say that America is “the most corrupt (country) in the world”, not China.

“Where does this great breakdown (of corruption) come from? It started exactly from the (rest of the) world, the

United States… If our own countrymen don’t support our country, who will?” he said.

He was apparently angry over recent US media reports highlighting massive assets accumulated by some of the Chinese leaders, including Premier Wen Jiabao whose family assets were stated to be around USD 2.7 billion.
Wen’s family had denied the report and had threatened to take legal action against New York Times, which published the report.
China’s new leader, Xi Jinping has made corruption the main focus of his campaign, warning ruling Communist Party men that the party’s hold on the country is threatened if graft is not weeded out.
During the show, Chan, mainly brought up in Hong Kong, also said that Chinese people should only criticise China among their own people, and not to foreigners.
“We (can) talk about it when the door is closed. To outsiders, (we should say), ‘our country is the best’,” he advised.
source;newsrescue

First time I had sex, I was raped – Foluke Daramola

Popular Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola, takes ADEMOLA OLONILUAthrough the journey of her life
Why I am more into movie production than acting
I am a person that is very restless in nature. I have been acting for over 18 years. I feel that it is becoming monotonous for me; doing the same old thing over and over again, despite the fact that creativity is dropping by the day. I still do a bit of acting; it is just that I am more of a production person. I am even derailing a bit back into doing English soap operas which was what I started out from. I started with soap opera and English movies before I delved into Yoruba movies.
Competition from upcoming actors
The only thing that is constant in life is change. If you do not look beyond and think outside of the box, you are going to box yourself in the corner. What I mean by that is that there is no how you would not grow. There is this proverb that says you have to take a bow when the ovation is loudest. Taking a bow doesn’t mean leaving the scene; it means you should go and re-strategise and find ways to work around things that would make you relevant. There is no way I would say my younger colleagues should not grow. I started out when I was a teenager and I have had my fair share of the industry. I’m still having it. I’m still staying relevant. The only thing you can do is just to make yourself relevant. A threat from the younger generation is not one that relates with me. I am not one that would sit in a corner. A lot of my colleagues ask why I read so much. I just had my masters degree, I am going for my Ph.D. I believe in dynamism and upgrading myself at every point in time so nobody is a threat to me.
Journey so far
When I started I was very young. I was about 16 years and I had not entered the university for my first degree. At that time, I was a young girl who wanted to have fun and I did not see myself as anything. One thing about me is that I have had it in my sub-conscious that stardom would not change me or take anything away from me. I have had my challenges, times when I wanted to party with my friends, go to clubs, parties, go out to have fun. People see me and begin to talk. At each point in time, because I was a teenager, I might have made one or two mistakes. At the end of the day, I learnt while growing up in the industry that you do not do things like this, you just walk around them. It is just part of learning in life. I am not one person that regrets anything. I just learn from my past. Anything I have done in life, I do not wish they never happened.
My dream of becoming a lecturer
I have always wanted to be a diplomat. I have always loved to be a lecturer; that is why I’m still upgrading my education. I had a scholarship in Canada but I had to postpone my admission to take another course. It is an ongoing process.
My parents’ reaction to my career
My dad is late; I lost him when I was very young. My mum was strongly against my movie career. She felt that I would be too exposed. Later, my mentors called her, spoke to her and gave her the assurance that I would still go to school. They told her that I would still be educated and do the normal things people do. She grudgingly agreed but I’m sure she has not regretted it so far. I sneaked to location several times after she said I should not go. There was a time she had to shave my head because I sneaked to location. I thought I would be back home that day but I did not get to our house until 2am. She was really worried; immediately she saw me, she picked a pair of scissors and shaved my head. I had to put relaxer on my hair to make it look like rough curls. Later, when she saw that I was determined and dogged about it, she allowed me. She just made me to sign an undertaking that I was going to go to school. She is an educationist so I had to sign and give her the assurance that I was going to go to school.
My first crush
I would say that my first crush was my first relationship. I was about 17 years old then. Unfortunately, he was not the first person I had sex with. I share it with the younger generation because it is something that has been talked about but I have got over it. The first time I had sex, I was raped. I had my first relationship with the first person I had a crush on, Seun Olomofe. He is one of the most caring and considerate persons I have ever met in my life. He was my mother’s close friend’s son. He was one person that showed me so much love. He was always there for me; he was the first person to ever make me a special card. I had a huge crush on him. When sex was not coming to play in the relationship, he said he was tired and I was so heart-broken. I was supposed to go to University of Lagos; it was because of him I changed my admission to Obafemi Awolowo University. I saw him as an epitome of the kind of person I would like to spend the rest of my life with. That was the first major crush that I had.
My first sexual encounter
My first introduction to sex was rape. It was with one of our tenants. I got so close to him and saw him as an elder brother. He looked at me as someone that had been exposed because I was busty and he thought I had had a sexual experience before. So he had his way with me. Then it was not something you tell the whole world. People said we should keep quiet about it. Then they tried to make trouble with him but subsequently people said we should keep quiet about it. We had to try and manage it in our own way even though it affected me for a long time psychologically. I had to gradually get over it. I believed so much in the principle of keeping your virginity till you are married. I started showbiz from Teen TV on DBN with Chichi Okaro. Then I used to be so vocal and when we spoke about pre-marital sex and virginity, I was always so passionate about it. It was such a disadvantage and a pity for me.
My experience as a busty lady
At the initial stage, I used to be so ashamed of myself. At that time, I would wear clothes that would not let my bust be noticeable. I was trying everything I could so that it would not be obvious. Subsequently, when I started acting and reading books, I read a book that said the best admirer you have is yourself and the way you carry yourself is how people would take you. I had to psyche myself to love it. After I did so, I noticed that I was getting advances even from people I didn’t expect, like some of my late father’s friends. Being a deep thinker, I always look at the advantage of everything, I saw that it was something I could not change so I had to make the best out of it. I got it into my sub-conscious that it was a plus than minus. I have had reasons to talk to a lot of people that are busty and who do not appreciate themselves. They now see it as an asset than a liability.
Errors in subtitles of Yoruba movies
The reason why that occurs is because we all want to be a jack of all trades and master of none. The few people that are educated know that there are supposed to be professionals for everything .The ones that are not believe that because they have a popular face, they are already stars and can do anything and get away with it. It’s partly the reason I reduced acting because it was already becoming a mess. If you know you are good at acting and you are a popular face, it does not mean you know it all. Some people are perfect for some jobs but because they want to cut corners and believe they can do it better than the next person, they make a mess of it.
My recent project
I am working on my latest project called Cobwebs. It is a cinema-bound movie. We take our movies to the cinema because we are expanding our scope. Home videos are giving us a lot of problems. So we have decided to do something else that would expand our network. We are shooting that. We are planning on featuring Femi Kuti in the movie. We are still talking with him. I know he doesn’t act but if I can get him, it would be a big break.

 Okorocha Is A Failure -Obasanjo

Obasanjo and Okorocha
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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, described Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, as a “failure.”

Obasanjo said this just as the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, likened the current crisis rocking the ruling party as a “surgery” which must bring some pain to members.

Obasanjo who was responding to guests who spoke during the grand finale of a civic reception organised in his honour by the South West Zone of the PDP said there was no way he could associate with Okorocha who had jokingly referred to the former President as his “colleague.”

Okorocha, a governor on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance had defected from the PDP to the All Nigeria Peoples Party where he contested for the presidential ticket of the party in 2003 but failed to secure it.

The Imo governor had earlier in his speech talked about his days as Special Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs to Obasanjo, saying he gave the ex-President advice that resulted in the good decisions that Obasanjo took while in office.

The Imo governor said, “Obasanjo is indeed PDP. But in the actual sense, he’s a national leader. He does not belong to the PDP alone but a national leader of Nigeria. If I have another opportunity to advise him, I will tell him to be the national leader of the country and not the national leader of the party.

“We are here to give honour to whom honour is due. Obasanjo will remain immovable and unshakable. He is a man that is very difficult to describe. He represents different things to different people. But for me, he represents a former colleague. We both ran for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And later when he appointed me as his adviser, I gave him all the good advice.

“All the good things he did for those eight years, I advised him but all the bad ones he did, I travelled out of the country. I want to join Nigerians to celebrate this icon — this great and steadfast Nigerian, who is not afraid of fighting any battle. But when he starts fighting he doesn’t stop until he finishes fighting. He’s a general’s general and a soldier’s soldier.”

But the Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio, in his message immediately came to Obasanjo’s defence and told Okorocha that, “I was not as lucky as Governor Okorocha to work with him Obasanjo. So I did not give him advice. I’m very sure that even the few things that he did were actually taken out of the bad advice of APGA where Rochas Okorocha must have represented. Baba, I say the good ones are from you, not from him (Okorocha).”

In his reaction, the former president said he could not be a colleague to Okorocha.

He said, “I met Okorocha a long ago by virtue of the fact that he was brought up in Jos — one of the few cities that I found in the fifties and seventies as a genuine melting pot in Nigeria.  He is a true Nigerian and when he wants to pull me down, he will say we are colleagues. How can I be a colleague of a failure? You are a failure in contesting the presidency of Nigeria!”

Tukur in his speech said the crisis-ridden PDP was undergoing a surgery in which pains must be felt for the ruling party to get over its current unhealthy state.

He said, “Let us fight and win unity, peace, development for our dear nation. The surgery we have started in our party, the PDP is in line with our vision for a better society and the aspiration of all Nigerians. In this surgery we are aware we must lose some blood, undergo some pains and challenges but surely the result will eventually be one sacrifice that we made for ourselves.”

Vice-President Namadi Sambo who used the occasion to talk about the achievements of the Jonathan-led administration, described Obasanjo as a true nationalist.

Via Punch

“I Am Still In Love With Ayo Adesanya” – Pasuma

Alhaji Wasiu Alabi, popularly known as Pasuma he divulged some closely guarded secrets regarding his past and his unmarried status.

Extract:
YOU once said growing up in Mushin must have been a rough and tough time for you. How rough exactly was your childhood?
Talking about rough, there is something about Mushin that people run away from. Being a Mushin person, people don’t usually want to associate with you or give you things. When someone asks you where you are from and you say Mushin, they don’t want to have anything to do with you. But I saw it as a challenge. When I was a young boy, I attended Muslim Mission Primary School. Afterwards, I moved to Nigeria Model High School, Idioro also in Mushin. I decided that I wanted to get out of the place and make people know that it is not only rascally people that come out of Mushin. If we can talk of someone like Honourable Funmilayo Tejuoso, Honourable Ganiyu Solomon, Honourable Muiz Bamire all from Mushin making a difference, I determined that I could do better than they did. And thank God, for where I am today and I am proud to say it anywhere that I am from Mushin.
Are you not married or you’re divorced?
I am not married but I have children.

In Yoruba culture, a 45-year-old man is expected to have been married.
Exactly.
So why aren’t you married?
I don’t want to rush into it. I would have been married earlier but it didn’t work out. The person I was supposed to have married was Ayo Adesanya. I love her so much. Everybody in my family knew her and knew that I wanted to marry her.
What happened?
You journalists caused it. Nobody outside of my family knew about our relationship then and that was the way we wanted it. But one day we went together to a show and some journalists saw us together and they slammed our pictures on the front page of the newspaper. It was The Fame newspaper then. Apparently, they had been hearing the rumour but they could not confirm it so they didn’t use the story. But this day when they saw us together, they just used the picture, without even interviewing us. When the wahala started, Ayo couldn’t handle it anymore. I would call her that I want to see her and she would say she was busy. I could feel it that she was withdrawing from the relationship and I had to let her go.
Did you feel you made a mistake letting her go?
Well, there’s something about love. If you love someone, you’d want them to be happy. If their happiness is not with you, you’ll have to let them go. She couldn’t handle the pressure and she obviously was not happy again. So I had to let her go.
It seems you’re still in love with her. Are you?
(Laughs). She’s been married and has a child. Although the relationship didn’t last.
If Ayo says yes to your marriage proposal today, would you still marry her?
Yes! If she says yes today, we’ll head for the altar tomorrow.

So you’re still in love with her.
Yes.
Are you dating someone now?
I am free. I am currently single but I have a friend.
Did you date Iyabo Ojo?
No. Thank you for that question. Let people know that she and I are not dating. She is my very good friend and we are very close. Outside of that, we are not dating. We have not dated before, and we are not dating. The idea has not crossed our minds.
Now that people have planted the idea into your mind, would you consider it?
No. We are friends and that is enough for us. I am not dating Iyabo. Please help me tell them.
You’ve given almost 30 years of your life to music. Any other plans for the future?
Let’s wait and see what the future has for me. You have to understand that you have to move with time and seasons. My own is that I want people to think of me and say this guy has tried for the industry and for the country. I want people to say I want to become like Pasuma. I want people to live a free and purposeful life. My future is in God’s hands. I pray for long life though and to be able to use that life to make significant impact on people’s lives and to make the industry bigger.

Source; informationnigeria

 Lagos can survive without oil – Fashola

Governor Babatunde Fashola
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Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State says Lagos is the only state that can survive if crude oil supply – the mainstay of Nigeria economy- is shut down.

Fashola explained that this was possible because the government in the state had made it a policy to implement the laws on taxation to the letter, which allows it to have funds for capital project.

He spoke on Thursday during the state’s sixth Taxation Stakeholders Conference in Ikeja.

The governor said, “A life without tax is a lie. If they shut down on oil, this is the only state that can survive. Everything that we have done in the past six years was funded by our taxes.

“Since I became governor, I have not made any tax law; only implementing the existing laws on taxation.”

Fashola, however, observed that majority of the state residents had not been paying their taxes, saying the government had started prosecution to achieve higher percentage in tax compliance by residents of the state.

He said, “While our population continues to grow, one cannot see appreciable growth in tax. Our record shows that only three million people are currently paying their taxes against eight million that should pay tax.

“Since we have a population of 20 million people in this state, it means that three million people are carrying the burden of 20 million, instead of eight that should be doing so. In the last four years, we have been doing enlightenment on the need to pay tax; but now, we will prosecute.”

The governor also explained that the government had made a list of the tax regime of the local governments which had been signed into law. He advised residents to acquaint themselves with the law so there would be no confusion.

He said his administration had judiciously managed revenue generated to turn the state into a place where everything works.

Via Punch

How to Avoid a Desperate Decision

When things get bad, it's tempting to try something--anything--to right the ship. Don't fall into these common traps.

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In the face of hopelessness, frustration, and obstacles, it’s all too easy to make only a token decision, and then hide under the veneer of "at least we got something done."
Leaders, whether in government or the private sector, feel that they have to achieve some forward movement. They have to show that anything is better than stagnation. But it’s precisely when you’re fed up with your present situation and are willing to try something different just for the sake of it that you’re most likely to be rewarded with a mediocre result.
Acting from a position of desperation is not the same as trying to achieve a rational, well-thought-out compromise.
In a recent article in the Administrative Science Quarterly, researchers Ji-Yub Kim, Jerayr Haleblian, and Sydney Finkelstein examined the behavior of managers who were under pressure to show growth. In a study of 872 acquisitions made by 401 firms, the authors found that managers who were desperate to show growth—as measured by their firm’s weak growth as compared to that of comparable companies--were more likely to overpay for an acquisition. They had taken action for the sake of taking action, and their companies were paying the price.
It’s not just acquisitions. In many spheres, the pressure to get something done can lead to a sense of desperation, impacting the quality of leadership decisions.
How do you, as a leader, make sure that your desperation and frustration do not result in decisions that weaken your position in the long-term?
When you find yourself in a corner, take a step back and consider these five points:
1. Avoid making symbolic moves: It may look grand, it may have a sense of drama to it, but it just might not be necessary. Certain actions may make you look busy, but at what price?
2. Appreciate that no action is action: Just because you remain in place doesn’t mean you’re out of the race. The tortoise, after all, wins the race.
3. Do not lose sight of quantitative numbers: In desperation, leaders sometimes rationalize to suit their own ends. Make an effort to leave your emotions on the side when you gather, compute, and analyze the relevant numbers.
4. Keep your ego in check: Ego and overconfidence sometimes compel individuals to make moves they shouldn’t.  Before moving forward make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, and don’t let your personal feelings unnecessarily influence your judgment. .
5. Don’t get carried away with the doomsday metaphor: It’s tempting to believe that if you don’t make a decision or don’t take any action, everything around you will sink into oblivion. In these situations, keep in mind the immortal words of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “Don’t panic.”