The chairman of the Nigerian Governors ‘Forum (NGF), Rotimi Amaechi and his close allies in the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria boycotted a meeting conveyed by President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday night at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The late night meeting was summoned by the President to resolve the crisis rocking the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC). About 25 governors and deputies were present. Last Thursday, the Commissioners of Finance in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had walked out on the Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Ngama. Hence, the revenue allocation for May could not…
Author: tech
President Goodluck Jonathan may have directed the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, and other members of the PDP National Working Committee to resign. It was learnt on Monday that Jonathan gave the directive after the presidential committee on the PDP crises headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Pius Anyim, submitted its report to him in Abuja . The order and submission of the report which noted that the party was drifting coincided with the lifting of the suspension of Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, by the 12-member Tukur-led NWC. A…
Nigeria kicked off their Confederations Cup campaign with a predictably facile 6-1 victory over a game but painfully limited Tahiti side. Nnamdi Oduamadi helped himself to a hat-trick, Uwa Echiejile struck twice with two deflected efforts, while Jonathan Tehau also put through his own net. The latter also struck at the right end, with a towering header, but despite their best efforts, the OFC Nations Cup champions could have lost by a lot more, with their opponents having spurned numerous one-on-ones by rather disrespectfully trying to walk the ball into the net. With Tahiti having arrived in Brazil boasting just…
The Federal Government has so far paid N192.5 billion to oil marketers in 2013 as subsidy claims, the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala announced on Monday. The verified payments comprises of outstanding claims of N135.6 billion in 2012 and N56.8 billion as at June this year. According to the Special Assistant to the Minister, Paul Nwabuiku, the payments were made based on bathes of claims submitted by the Petroleum Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA). “In line with the continued commitment of the Federal Ministry of Finance to manage fuel subsidy payments in a transparent and efficient manner that protects…
Despite continued insistence of President Goodluck Jonathan that it is too early to start campaign ahead of 2015 elections, elders from the South-south and north-central on Monday insisted the President must run in 2015. They practically took the campaign to the Presidential Villa when they visited the President under the aegis of Congress for Equality and Change to present their position that he must contest for second term as guaranteed by the constitution. Speaking with correspondents after the meeting with the President, a former Federal Commissioner, Edwin Clark, noted that a northerner, former President Shehu Shagari had…
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday lifted the suspension placed on Sokoto state Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko. The National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur announced the decision of the party leadership after the meeting which held behind closed doors. The decision to pardon the embattled governor followed a passionate appeal by the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Governor Godswil Akpabio of Akwa Ibom. Governor Akpabio had met with the NWC in earlier in the day at Wadata House, Abuja. He also pledged the…
And God is able to make all grace (every favour and [a]earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need [b]be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. 2 Corinthians 9:8 (AMP) Religious organisations in Nigeria have come under fire, some of it deserving while some of those are just a form of misplaced aggression. Many have designed the craft of abusing religious bodies, saying they are the bane of the society. While that is increasingly a popular…
Nigeria is no doubt a victim of long years of the locusts. In the prophetic words of Professor Chinua Achebe in his book “THE TROUBLE WITH NIGERIA”, there is nothing absolutely wrong with the Nigerian climate but the problem of Nigeria according to him, is failure of leadership. As a result of the cumulative consequences of failure of leadership which has visited devastating social-economic realities like mass poverty; unprecedented insecurity and corruption, Nigerians as a collective do not always appreciate some good Nigerians whenever they show some of the rare attributes of patriotism such as volunteering to work…
Vexed by the increasing rate of sexual attacks against young girls and boys by adults and the lack of concerted commitment on the part of the Federal Government to check the ugly trend, a call has gone to the wife of the President to devote more time to battle this menace which has become a hydra-headed monster. HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) – a development inclined Non-Governmental organization which made the observation, counseled the President’s wife Mrs. Patience Jonathan to stay out of local politics of her state of birth – River State and rather work to…
One. Nigeria can indeed be a strange place. According to Wale Adebanwi, in his 2010 book, “A Paradise for Maggots”, no financial or bureaucratic provisions were made for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission when it was set up a decade ago – no take-off grant, no office space, nothing. All Nuhu Ribadu had were a letter of appointment and a fiery ambition to make a difference. Before then the same thing had happened with the Oputa Panel. Rev. Father Matthew Hassan Kukah narrates the cash-strapped beginnings of the Commission in his book, “Witness to Justice: An Insider’s…