The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerians

  • Afe Babalola Foundation to give N100,000 to 200 indigent Nigerians

    Afe Babalola Foundation to give N100,000 to 200 indigent Nigerians

    Are Afe Babalola Foundation, a charity established by Aare Afe Babalola, will give funds varying from N50,000 to N100,000 to 200 under-privileged Nigerians.

    A statement from the management of the Foundation stated that those who qualify to apply are indigent students, men and women,  who need financial assistance.

    To qualify, interested persons should obtain free application forms immediately by visiting www.abuad.edu.ng, download, fill the forms and send to abpoverty alleviation @abuad.edu.ng.

    In the alternative, they should visit AB Foundation Civic Centre, Iworoko Road, Ado-Ekiti, between 10am and 4pm daily to obtain the form.

    The completed form should be submitted to abpovertyalleviation@ abuad.edu.ng or to AB foundation Civic Centre, Ado-Ekiti.

    The statement added that all duly filled application forms must be submitted either online through ab poverty alleviation @abuad .edu.ng or to the AB foundation Civic Centre, Ado – Ekiti latest by noon on December 29.

    A committee set up by the Foundation will on December 30 select 1,000 qualified applicants after which the names of 1,000 successful applicants will be sent by SMS and also pasted on www. abuad.edu.ng or AB foundation Civic Centre, Ado – Ekiti on December 31/  January 1.

    On January 3, the qualified 1,000 applicants shall participate in a ballot by 10am of which 200 winners will emerge.

    The event will be chaired by the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Ado Ibrahim.

    Guests of honour are Governor Ayo Fayose, former Governor Segun Oni and former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran.

    The royal father of the day is the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe.

    The statement enjoined the public to contact Tunde on 08037877802, Olu on 08030527261, Bayo on 08034402771 and Taiwo on 08036209927 for more details.

  • Kashamu to Nigerians: support Buhari to end economic woes

    Kashamu to Nigerians: support Buhari to end economic woes

    The Senator representing Ogun East, Senator Buruji Kashamu, has urged the citizenry to support the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to tackle economic challenges facing the country.

    He identified bad leadership, corruption and lack of political will to save for a rainy day as some of the factors responsible for the economic woes.

    Kashamu, who spoke at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, said: “President Muhammadu Buhari became the president of this country at the time the global economy was not only in the doldrums; the global economy was also battling recession. Oil prices were flunking lower and restiveness in the Niger Delta made matters worse.

    “In some ways, you may want to say that he was not as lucky as his predecessor. I must say that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was the luckiest person to have been president of this country. Oil prices were phenomenally high and the amnesty programme that was still at the early stages of implementation maintained some kind of truce in the region.

    “External debt was actually very low and our excess crude account was heavily funded. But he mismanaged the resources at his disposal and left the country broke and vulnerable.”

    The senator added: “There is enough information and analysis that give an honest perspective to our current predicament. It is now common knowledge that the administration of our father and mentor, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, left behind $45billion external reserves and the late President Umaru Yar’Adua administration grew the reserves to $64billion within just one year.

    “That was why it was able to finance 15 months of imports despite the 2008/2009 world economic meltdown. Hence, Nigeria survived the meltdown because those administrations had the political will to save. Even more commendable is the fact that in spite of the tough economic reality at that time, the administration left $47.7 billion in reserves and an external debt of $3.94 billion even though the administration earned only N9 trillion from crude oil sales within that short period.

    “But after the demise of President Yar’Adua, his successor’s lack of political will to save in the midst of an oil boom brought economic destitution.

    “It would be recalled that Brent crude sold at over $100 /barrel and raked in N51trillion within a period of five years. But because of corruption, governors demanding it was their constitutional right to take all the savings and other irresponsible acts of government, the administration did not only squander the oil revenue, it depleted the reserves left by  President Yar’Adua, leaving $32billion and a huge external debt of $63billion.”

    Kashamu berated those who said things were better off in the past when corruption was rife, stressing that, “It was their seemingly little acts of corruption here and there that coalesced to get us to where we are today.”

    He urged the citizens to give Buhari the required support to move the country out of recession.

  • ‘Why many Nigerians are living in poverty’

    ‘Why many Nigerians are living in poverty’

    •Foundation empowers 20,800

    Why are many Nigerians living in poverty? They are poor because they live above their means, says Alhaji Mumini Alao, the Group Managing Director of Complete Communication Limited, publishers of Complete Sport.

    He spoke yesterday at the 12th Zakat Distribution Ceremony organised by Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) at the Lagos State Secretariat Mosque Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja.

    At the event, 700 Lagosians went home with empowerment items and cheques. These include tricycles, motorcycles, grinding and sewing machines and refrigerators.

    Alao described poverty as a disease, which must be cured in order to have a sane society.

    According to him, poverty can lead a person to become an unbeliever.

    “If you are very poor and you pray every day and you don’t get out of poverty. You will start questioning the existence of God. But you have to check yourself, what you are getting, how are you managing it? Are you living beyond your means? A lot of our people that claim to be poor, if you check their lifestyle, many of them live above their means. Be contented with what you have and things will improve,” he said.

    He urged the Zakat beneficiaries to make effective use of the fund, adding “Don’t see this fund as a bonus or fall-out or an opportunity to finance projects other than what the fund was meant for. Don’t spend it unwisely. Those who are paying this Zakat take proper care of their investment and that’s why they are able to pay Zakat, hence you should be prudent in spending the fund.

    “The idea is for you all to graduate from the level of recipients to payers of Zakat because giving is absolutely better that taking.”

    ZSF Executive Director Prince Sulayman Olagunju, said no fewer than 20,800 individuals were beneficiaries of the empowerment fund across the country.

    Lagos beneficiaries, Olagunju said, got N68, 771,218, amounting to 77 per cent of the entire N102,251,490 disbursed.

    He noted that the foundation was exerting more energy in the areas of economic empowerment and medical support.

    According to him, a total amount of  N16,713,372 was spent to take care of the medical needs of various applicants, adding that N7,350,000 was disbursed to 20 finalists of the foundation’s youth empowerment scheme tagged “Business Plan Competition.”

    “We have been able to engage many unemployed youth by providing them with tools and cash to set up their businesses while we have equally restored hope to those who have various illnesses,” he said.

    He, however, expressed delight that some beneficiaries of last year’s disbursement have started paying their own Zakat to the foundation.

    “For example, five people among those who collected Zakat last year have started paying their own Zakat and we have some of them who are paying Sadaqat even though it might be small, we just try to continue encouraging them and supporting them.”

    Guest speaker, Imam Abdullah Shuaib also advised the beneficiaries to be sincere with the fund and items received.

    He urged Muslims to pay their Zakat to the right channel, urging Zakat organisations to explore all avenues at ensuring the disbursement of the fund to people who deserve it.

    “Be wary of misapplication of the resources you receiving today.  Don’t’ start acquiring liabilities. Acquiring only assets that will make you grow in your business in order to make yourselves self-reliant,” he said.

  • NDIC to Nigerians: stay away from ‘wonder banks’

    NDIC to Nigerians: stay away from ‘wonder banks’

    • MMM moves to Kenya

    The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has warned Nigerians, especially those investing in “wonder banks”, to desist from such investments.

    The Deposit Money Banks’ insurer gave the warning in reaction to the development on the Ponzi Scheme company, Mavrodi Mondial Movement (MMM), which has frozen its operation in Nigeria.

    It said such firms are not licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to operate as financial institutions.

    NDIC Managing Director Umaru Ibrahim, who gave the warning at the annual workshop for Business Editors and Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) in Kaduna, at the weekend, said MMM is neither guaranteed nor regulated by any authority in Nigeria, adding that anyone investing in it should be ready to bear the risk whenever it occurs.

    Ibrahim, who described MMM as fraudulent and not in tandem with any business model, said regulatory authorities should not be expected to regulate such a non virtual organisation.

    He said the MMM had moved to Kenya after freezing its account in Nigeria, urging Nigerians to patronise only licensed financial institutions.

    He urged banks to invest in innovation as a way of cushioning effects of the economic recession currently rocking the nation.

    He said the theme of the workshop: Economic recession and the Nigerian banking: Opportunities, challenges and the way forward, was timely and could not have come at a better time than now that Nigeria is currently facing recession and equally looking for a way out.

    “Now as we know, we are living in what is referred to as vocal world, meaning vulnerable, uncertain, complex and unpredictable world, and we are experiencing this in one way or the other, as individuals and corporate entities, therefore it is obvious that for any individual, any organisation to survive, one has to be creative, one has to be innovative to survive this very turbulent moment.

    “Banks, as we know, are facing liquidity issues, foreign exchange issues and unemployment. There is high expectations from depositors for quality service and complaints against unreasonable charges, as well as high expectation from investors even in difficult times,” he said

    On MMM, NDIC Director, Special Insured Department, J. J. Etopidiok, said: “As we speak MMM is not a creation of Nigerian environment. In 1994, it entered Russia where they were able to defraud about 11 million people and people lost about $1.5 billion, and 50 people committed suicide.  When the Russian government was about to arrest them, they moved to China committing the same havoc. Again, when they wanted to arrest them, they also disappeared to South Africa.

    They resurfaced in Nigeria sometime in October this year. As at the last check, the enrollment in Nigeria was about three million.

    While speaking on the theme: ‘Effect of falling oil prices on the banking sector Performance in Nigeria: microfinance banks and primary mortgage institutions’ perspective, Etopidiok said the regulator has increased strategies to ensure the financial sector remains strong.

    He said the MfBs/PMB segment holds great potential for economic development, adding that  the Corporation has extended insurance coverage for PMBs to N500,000 per depositor from N200,000.

    The NDIC has also instituted insurance cover for agency banking, online, mobile money to the tune of N500,000, in efforts to deepen payment system and institute confidence in alternative payment channels.

  • Nigerians and ‘ember’ months’ myth

    Recently, sorrow, tears and blood reigned supreme at the Lagos-Ibadan expressway as three lives were lost in a road carnage that led to the destruction of some articulated vehicles and a few cars. The sad incident would complicate the agonizing Lagos-Ibadan expressway traffic jam as movement along the road was at a standstill. Folks who live along the axis had to make alternative sleeping arrangement as going back home was definitely out of the equation. No thanks to the excruciating traffic jam occasioned by the horrifying road accident.

    As usual, many have attempted to explain the dreadful Lagos-Ibadan expressway disaster and similar others across the country in the characteristic ‘ember’ months’ tragic jargon.  In our country, the so called ‘ember’ months, which refer to the last four months of the year from September to December, are naturally regarded as tragedy prone period. This belief is so entrenched in the consciousness of the people that various religious groups and other relevant institutions regularly organize special prayer sessions and seminars with a view to minimizing ember months’ havoc.

    The reality, however, is that the so called ‘embers’ months are not really spiritually jinxed as many might want to swear they are. Tragedy occurs in ‘ember’ months just as it does in every other month of the year. Ascribing needless spiritual and mythical undertones to tragic happenings during the ‘ember’ months could just be the usual Nigerian way of trivializing issues. Rather than clothing the ‘ember’ months in a garb of gratuitous mystery, the pragmatic way of explaining dreadful events during these months is more human than mythological.

    The truth is that there is usually an increase in the tempo of public, private and corporate activities during this period.  Religious bodies are equally not left out of the frenzy of the season as they organize various events during the period. The ‘ember’ months are always the busiest on our roads for obvious reasons and the tumultuous air of festivity do not really help matter. It is a period when people are in so much haste to make all the money they have not made since the beginning of the year. Hence, commercial drivers, who usually embark on five trips per day, capitalize on the aura of festivity to go for 10 trips. This, naturally, comes with its fatal consequences. It is only logical that when there is a mass exodus of people from one place to the other, there is bound to be a measure of uncertainty and disorder.

    The bottom line, therefore, is that tragic occurrences are bound to happen during the ‘ember’ season because of the intensity of human activities. In a bid to be part of the various end-of-year activities slated for the period, a lot of people throw caution into the wind by disregarding critical safety issues. Vehicles are driven irresponsibly. Alcoholic drinks are consumed with reckless abandon while social outings are organized as if tomorrow will not come. The atmosphere, during the season, is often filled with unusual allure and jollity. It is in the midst of this hilarity that avoidable human blunders that result into diverse kinds of misfortunes usually occur.

    Hence, it is imperative for everyone to, first and foremost, have a changed perception of the ‘ember’ months. Hence, conscious efforts must be made to disrobe the months of every garb of unfounded mysticism. It is only when we are convinced that the dangers associated with the months are human rather than mythical that we could really make considerable progress in averting disasters during the months.

    Therefore, enforcement of existing laws and attitudinal change is central to making any progress. Sadly, law enforcement agents are also involved in the mad ‘ember’ months’ rat- race. In a bid to make some ‘extra’ buck to furnish special festive ‘necessities’ , they usually engage in treacherous compromise that encourages law breakers to go unpunished. The result, of course, is the continuation of avoidable circle of pandemonium and sorrow.

    Consequently, as we march towards the end of the year, we must modify our views on the ‘ember’ months. We must not get involved in any pointless extra-ordinary end of the year ‘rush’ that could endanger our lives and indeed those of others. Those who have to organize social events to correspond with this period should do so bearing all safety precautions in mind. Commercial drivers and other road users must respect the sanctity of the human life by observing required road safety measures.

    Perhaps, more importantly, relevant government agencies must step up enlightenment campaigns as well as enforcement strategies to guarantee that ‘ember’ months’ crashes and other related tragedies are reduced to the barest minimum. In this respect, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, should be commended for their various ‘ember’ month’s safety strategies, in Lagos and adjoining states. However, there is a need for them to intensify efforts in this direction while more appropriate government agencies should also come on board the ‘ember’ months’ re-orientation and re-awareness project. Presently, the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy is embarking on an ‘ember’ months’ responsiveness campaign across the state. The objective is to change the attitude of the people towards these months and offer key safety tips.

    As it has been previously affirmed, it is critical to re- affirm that tragic happenings during ‘ember’ months are promoted by reckless human actions. It is only in living modestly and responsibly that we could avoid the dangers and hiccups that are generally associated with ember months. If only we could rid ourselves of our usual ‘ember months’ excesses, we would discover that nothing is actually wrong with the months.

    Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • ‘Nigerians should cooperate with Buhari to end recession’

    A group, Kwara Reformed Movement has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently solve the economic recession in the country.

    It appealed to all Nigerians to join hands with the administration in solving the myriad of problems confronting Nigeria.

    The leader of the group, Dr Amuda Aluko said efforts should be geared towards getting out of this recession as quickly as possible.

    “I am positive that if we all cooperate with the administration, for sure we shall get out of the current bondage. I believe God will help Nigeria out.

    “Today majority of our leaders apart from being greedy they are selfish. I am appealing to them to remember that one day they will be answerable to the Almighty God.

    “It is never too late to make a change. I am also appealing to all Nigerians to cooperate with the present administration so that recession can be a thing of the past.

    On the lopsidedness trailing the Buhari’s anti corruption crusade, he said: “I have asked myself that question before; if they are sure that X and Y are corrupt they should make it known.

    “It is no use grumbling privately. If youhave a mission and you are determined with the help of God, that you want to accomplish the mission, God is always on your side.

    “I look at the alleged one-sided anti corruption crusade of Buhari by his critics as mere blackmail. That is a careless talk. I think I read in one of the dailies that fighting corruption and the insurgents in the North-East that Buhari has done well, but he has no answer to the economy.

    “My reaction is that he is a human being that is not supposed to know everything. Honestly, when you are a good leader you look for those that will help your government. Unfortunately, they are making things difficult for him at the National Assembly. When they send names for confirmation the legislators will reject the names on alleged inadequate consultations. Must the president consult anybody?

    “Constitutionally, he has the right to appoint anybody anywhere to assist his administration. If there is good governance everybody will benefit, if it is the other way round then we are in trouble.”

    Speaking on the rot in the judiciary, he said: “The day I read in the papersthat the houses of some judges were raided and they discovered huge mount of money I felt terribly unhappy. Because judges the way I was told is that their salary is for life with other appurtenances of office.

    “Then what do they need money for again. It shows that they are ungodly. Many people cannot even afford two square meals in a day, yet they are keeping such huge amount of money in the houses and bank accounts.

    “Well we are still learning. I hope those who are there now and those who will step into their shoes as judges will learn to uphold integrity, “ he said.

  • What Nigerians searched for in 2016 on Google

    What Nigerians searched for in 2016 on Google

    Searches on Google, leading Internet search engine  in 2016 was intense and far-reaching.

    Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Anglophone West Africa, Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, stated this  on Wednesday  noted that the searches are from elections to exciting, shocking and hopeful issues.

    He said in a statement that this year’s compilation of top trending searches brought together stories and questions through the eyes of Nigerians on the web.

    “Sieving out the top searches from the flurry of inquiries on sensational and diverse moments, are top trending celebrity stories, major events on ‘what is’ and ‘how to’ searches, travel questions and exciting perspectives of the world.

    “The direction of this year’s search reveals that Nigerians are eager to learn about current events not just within the country, but in other parts of the world.

    “The searches for the year also moved outside search for songs, actors, movies and sports news.

    “For instance, going by the top trending searches, it was unveiled that Nigerians went online to search for “What is Budget Padding”, due to an allegation that came from the Nigerian Senate against the presidency.

    “Also are search questions like “what is in Nigeria’s newspaper today?” and “what is bureaucracy”, indicated that Nigerians were concerned about the state of the country,” he said.

    The Google manager said that some other top searches on Google for the year were personalities like ‘Stephen Keshi’ and ‘Bukky Ajayi’ who died in the year.

    He said that Donald Trump, America’s president-elect, his opponent ‘Hillary Clinton’ and Legendary American boxer ‘Muhammad Ali’ also trended.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that empowerment and self-improvement, which included seeking directions and finding new ways to do things was some of the top searches for the year.

    He said that Nigerians were also eager to empower themselves and learn ways to do new things.

    He said that some of the questions on the ‘How to’ list was “how to sing better” and “how to take care of pigs”.

    He listed the full 2016 search list as, for the ‘What is’ list are – “what is Nigeria news papers today’’, “what is the latest news of Manchester United’’, “the meaning of love’’, “what is Public Relations’’.

    Others on thewhat is list are “what is telecommunication’’, “what is mmm’’, “what is bureaucracy’’, “budget padding’’, “insulin’’, and “what is motivation’’.

    He said that on the ”How to” list are “how to DJ a party’’, “stop auto renewal on GLO’’, “know original iphone5s’’, “style twist braids’’, “munch on Samsung Galaxy 6 Egde’’, “take care of pigs’’.

    Others on the how list are “to check jamb result 2016’’, `edit a pdf file’’, “sing better’’ and “how to draw a perfect eye brow’’.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that as regards people searched are; Donald Trump, Stephen Keshi, Muhammad Ali, Pogba, Hillary Clinton, Simone Biles, Jose Mourinho, Prince, Shkodran Mustafi and Bukky Ajayi

    He listed the events searched as- Olympic Games Rio 2016, U.S. Elections, Brexit, ASUU Strike, Olajumoke Orisaguna, Miss Anambra, Fidel Castro, Edo Elections, Holi Festival and Black Friday.

    The Google manager said that on the songs list are – Kiss Daniel Mama, Tekno Pana, Phyno Fada Fada, Kiss Daniel Jombo, Olamide, Who You Epp, Lil Kesh Ishe, Falz Soft Work.

    Also on the songs list are Adekunle gold ready, Drake – One Dance Ft. Wizkid & Kyla and Psquare bank alert.

    He said that for actors are; Bukky Ajayi, Henrietta Kosoko, Arakangudu, Dede One dDay, Falz, Alan Rickman, Ani Iyoho, Juliet Ibrahim, Olumide Bakare, Halima Abubakar.

    He listed the Movies / TV Series as; Suicide Squad, Captain America Civil War, Game of Thrones Season 6, Empire Season 3, Deadpool, Batman vs Superman, Warcraft, Gods of Egypt, London has fallen and X Men Apocalypse.

    He said that for Sport People are; Stephen Keshi, Muhammad Ali, Pogba, Simone Biles, Jose Mourinho, Mustafi, Lucas Perez, Granit Xhaka, Kante, Mahrez.

    He listed the mobile phones searched this year as; iphone 7, Infinix Note 3, Samsung galaxy S7, Tecno Camon C9, Infinix hot 4, Tecno Boom J8, Infinix Hot 2, Infinix Zero 3, Tecno W4 and Tecno W3.

    List of recipes included; Nigerian spaghetti recipe, Nigeria chicken curry recipe, spaghetti bolognese recipe, ofada stew recipe, Nigerian cupcakes recipe, Nigerian grilled chicken recipe.

    Others in the recipe category are cake recipe with custard powder, easy sausage stir fry recipe, spring rolls recipe and velvet cake recipe.

    The Google Trends launched in May, 2006, allows one to see how popular search terms and its demography have been over a period.

     

    Here’s The Full List: Year in Search 2016

    What is…

    what is nigeria news papers today?

    what is the latest news of manchester united

    what is the meaning of love

    what is public relations

    what is telecommunication

    what is mmm

    what is bureaucracy

    what is budget padding

    what is insulin

    what is motivation

    How to…

    how to dj a party

    how to stop auto renewal on glo

    how to know original iphone5s

    how to style twist braids

    how to munch on samsung galaxy s6egde

    how to take care of pigs

    how to check jamb result 2016

    how to edit a pdf file

    how to sing better

    how to draw a perfect eye brow

    People

    donald trump

    stephen keshi

    muhammad ali

    pogba

    hillary clinton

    simone biles

    jose mourinho

    Prince

    Shkodran Mustafi

    bukky Ajayi

    Events

    Olympic games rio 2016

    US Elections

    Brexit

    ASUU Strike

    Olajumoke Orisaguna

    Miss Anambra

    Fidel Castro

    Edo Elections

    Holi Festival

    Black Friday

    Songs

    Kiss Daniel Mama

    Tekno Pana

    phyno fada fada

    kiss daniel jombo

    olamide who you epp

    lil kesh ishe

    falz soft work

    adekunle gold ready

    Drake – One Dance Ft Wizkid & Kyla

    p square bank alert

    Actors

    bukky ajayi

    henrietta kosoko

    arakangudu

    dede one day

    falz

    alan rickman

    ani iyoho

    Juliet Ibrahim

    Olumide Bakare

    Halima Abubakar

    Movies / TV Series

    Suicide squad

    captain america civil war

    game of thrones season 6

    empire season 3

    deadpool

    batman vs superman

    warcraft

    gods of egypt

    london has fallen

    x men apocalypse

    Sport People

    stephen keshi

    muhammad ali

    pogba

    simone biles

    jose mourinho

    mustafi

    lucas perez

    granit xhaka

    kante

    mahrez

    Mobile phones

    iphone 7

    infinix note 3

    samsung galaxy s7

    tecno camon c9

    infinix hot 4

    tecno boom j8

    infinix hot 2

    infinix zero 3

    tecno w4

    tecno w3

    Recipes

    nigerian spaghetti recipe

    nigeria chicken curry recipe

    spaghetti bolognese recipe

    ofada stew recipe

    nigerian cupcakes recipe

    nigerian grilled chicken recipe

    cake recipe with custard powder

    easy sausage stir fry recipe

    spring rolls recipe

    velvet cake recipe

    Near Me…

    nail salon near me

    movies near me

    hotels near me

    places to eat near me

    western union near me

    moneygram near me

    things to do near me

    job opportunities near me

    fidelity bank near me

    hair salons near me

    Directions to…

    directions to lekki peninsula resort lagos

    directions to banana island lagos

    directions to home

    directions to ikeja city mall

    directions to national postgraduate medical college

    directions to ruby gardens lekki

    directions to yaba lagos

    bus directions to acl travels

    directions to yaba market lagos

    directions to a nike store in nigeria

     

  • ‘Nigerians should cooperate with Buhari to end recession’

    A group, Kwara Reformed Movement has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently solve the economic recession in the country.
    It appealed to all Nigerians to join hands with the administration in solving the myriad of problems confronting Nigeria.
    The leader of the group, Dr Amuda Aluko said efforts should be geared towards getting out of this recession as quickly as possible.
    “I am positive that if we all cooperate with the administration, for sure we shall get out of the current bondage. I believe God will help Nigeria out.
    “Today majority of our leaders apart from being greedy they are selfish. I am appealing to them to remember that one day they will be answerable to the Almighty God.
    “It is never too late to make a change. I am also appealing to all Nigerians to cooperate with the present administration so that recession can be a thing of the past.
    On the lopsidedness trailing the Buhari’s anti corruption crusade, he said: “I have asked myself that question before; if they are sure that X and Y are corrupt they should make it known.
    “It is no use grumbling privately. If youhave a mission and you are determined with the help of God, that you want to accomplish the mission, God is always on your side.
    “I look at the alleged one-sided anti corruption crusade of Buhari by his critics as mere blackmail. That is a careless talk. I think I read in one of the dailies that fighting corruption and the insurgents in the North-East that Buhari has done well, but he has no answer to the economy.
    “My reaction is that he is a human being that is not supposed to know everything. Honestly, when you are a good leader you look for those that will help your government. Unfortunately, they are making things difficult for him at the National Assembly. When they send names for confirmation the legislators will reject the names on alleged inadequate consultations. Must the president consult anybody?
    “Constitutionally, he has the right to appoint anybody anywhere to assist his administration. If there is good governance everybody will benefit, if it is the other way round then we are in trouble.”
    Speaking on the rot in the judiciary, he said: “The day I read in the papersthat the houses of some judges were raided and they discovered huge mount of money I felt terribly unhappy. Because judges the way I was told is that their salary is for life with other appurtenances of office.
    “Then what do they need money for again. It shows that they are ungodly. Many people cannot even afford two square meals in a day, yet they are keeping such huge amount of money in the houses and bank accounts.
    “Well we are still learning. I hope those who are there now and those who will step into their shoes as judges will learn to uphold integrity, “ he said.

  • ‘Corrupt Nigerians waiting for Buhari to leave office’

    ‘Corrupt Nigerians waiting for Buhari to leave office’

    •PACAC member seeks presidential task force on corruption

    Corrupt officials are waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari to leave office so they can keep looting the country, a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), headed by Prof. Itse Sagay, said at the weekend.

    The PACAC member, Prof. Femi Odekunle,  said corruption grew unprecedentedly before Buhari came into power.

    He spoke at the pre-inaugural lecture of the Olusegun Obasanjo Good Governance and Development Research Centre, organised by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja.

    Odekunle, who spoke on: ”Fighting Corruption in Nigeria: The Journey so far”, said corruption, since 1999, became endemic, pervasive and systemic in virtually all areas of the country’s public and corporate existence, adding that those who governed the country during that period ran it like a “criminal racket”.

    According to him, virtually every category of Nigeria’s “leadership is implicated in corruption”.

    “Prior to the Buhari administration, corruption continued to fester and its control largely half-hearted and utterly ineffective.

    “Except for 1975/76 and 1984-85, the status of corruption in the country described by the late Major Nzeogwu in January, 1966, has not only remained in its essence, but has grossly deteriorated from one regime to another.

    “It has been endemic, pervasive and systemic in virtually all areas of our public and corporate existence. At the top and indexing the untoward situation are the post-1999 myriad of un-sanctioned “scams” (such as Halliburton/Siemens, Police-Pension/Pensions, OPL 245/Malabo, and others associated with certain ministers, heads/functionaries of MDAs, governors, legislatures, judicial officers, banks) – to some extent that the country appears to be run like a criminal “racket” with nigeria@419.com as a derisive email address.

    ”Virtually every category of our leadership is implicated as shown by an official release that between 2006 and 2013, N1.34 trillion was stolen by about 50 people.

    “The consequences of corruption for the nation over the period continue to be devastating to the extent that it is ‘killing’ the polity economically, politically, and socio-culturally, resulting in unjustifiable underdevelopment,” he said.

    He said the fight against corruption would continue to fail, if the government continued to adopt legal and technical approach in fighting it.

    According to him, while anti-corruption efforts and achievements of the new administration are sincere and commendable, there remains a challenge, which must be addressed with conventional/routine measures and “out-of-the-box” thinking strategy.

    Odekunle called for a presidential truth and restitution task force on corruption.

    A former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Malam Nuhu Rubadu said corruption had remained mind-boggling that successive governments had strived to eradicate.

    Ribadu, who was chairman of the occasion, hailed the judiciary and legislature for their support in the fight against corruption.

    He said the Supreme Court rejected all efforts to whittle-down powers of EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

    “We have had amazing judgments that often become golden references in support of the war against corruption. For example, all efforts to whittle down the powers of EFCC and ICPC have been vehemently rejected by the Supreme Court,” he said.

  • Lafarge Africa urges safety consciousness among Nigerians

    Lafarge Africa urges safety consciousness among Nigerians

    Ahead of the Yuletide, a leading construction solutions company in Nigeria, Lafarge Africa Plc, has urged Nigerians to be safety-conscious.

    The company also advised all to prepare for the increase in human and vehicular movements during the season.

    The company’s Country CEO, Michel Puchercos, spoke in Lagos office when he addressed reporters on activities for the Yuletide.

    Puchercos said Lafarge Africa was committed to extending its health and safety beyond employees, contractors, communities and customers to the government and the public.

    He said: “At this festive period, the Nigerian government and citizens must do more to prevent accidents and create a healthy and safe environment for families, homes, work places, worship centres, communities, and so on. To achieve this, accident prevention, disaster preparedness, emergency response, periodic health checks as well as first aid training, are important safety measures that must be taken.”