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  • Senate Presidency: erring senators risk expulsion from APC

    If the All Progressives Congress (APC) embraces Senator Abu Ibrahim’s suggestion, senators who go against the party’s decision on the choice of the next Senate President will be expelled.

    The Katsina South senator spoke with reporters in Abuja.

    Ibrahim, who is Chairman, Senate Committee on Labour and Productivity, noted that in democracy, “once any one chooses a party, you must abide by the rules of that party at all times or leave”.

    In his view, there will be no need for individuals who disobey the party to remain because “that is an act of indiscipline which no party should condone”.

    The senator said: “First of all, we have to remind ourselves that it is a political party which gives an individual the ticket to participate in an election. Once such a ticket is given, it is the caucus of the party in the National Assembly that will determine the emergence of a candidate that eventually become the leader of the Senate through voting.

    “Specifically, the party decides which zone should produce candidate for the position and when such decision is taken every member must abide by that decision. No one can come out of a caucus meeting’s voting to say he would not accept the decision of the party on such election process.

    “As a loyal party member, anyone who dares the party’s decision and come out to connive with PDP to truncate the decision of the party will be expelled from the party.

    “As a matter of fact, if the party gives a ticket to an individual and he/she is assisted with resources to contest and win election, the person must naturally obey the rules of the party at all times.

    “In democracy, once you choose a party, you must abide by the rules of that party at all times or else you leave. There will be no need for individuals who disobey the party’s decision and remain in such a party.   That is an act of indiscipline, which no party should condone.”

    Asked if APC could reach out to PDP senators to seek support for its candidate, Ibrahim said: “You see, there is no need to reach out to the opposition minority members because APC, as a party, has a clear majority to decide straight away who should become Senate President.

    Read also: Oyo APC will bounce back, says Ajimobi’s wife

    “PDP, as a party, played this game for the whole 16 years when it was in power between 1999 and 2015.  All the PDP members, who are now talking today, including Senators Abaribe, James Manager, Ekweremadu and others, know the rules of this game.

    “It is sheer mischief, greed and a great insult for any PDP member to now claim that every member in the National Assembly has a right to contest. This is not done anywhere in the world. Not in U.K, U.S.A or anywhere else.

    “David Mark was Senate President between 2007 and 2015 when his party was in power and the majority party in Senate. Nobody from the opposition parties contested along with him. Now he thinks numerical strength does not matter again but it did when he was the Senate President. What an absurdity.

    “The leadership of the National Assembly now belongs exclusively to APC in the two chambers because the party has a clear majority and does not have to consult the opposition members to pick its principal officers. It is never done anywhere in the world and it will not be done this time around.

    “The minority leadership in the National Assembly is there for the PDP to choose their leaders. No one is interfering with them in choosing their leadership.

    “No one from APC will go there and contest to be a member, so why should anyone from PDP want to contest for majority leadership position?   Well, it happened the last time in 2015 when Senator Ekweremadu contested the position of the deputy Senate President. He clearly undermined the APC in that exercise but this time around no one can try that and succeed.”

  • ‘We’ll follow the rules’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu has said the party has modalities for dealing with members that goes against its Constitution.

    “I think you should avail yourself with the party constitution. It has procedures for handling such things. A member is just making suggestion and you do not expect the party to go against its own rules,” he said.

    Article 21 of the party’s constitution identifies offences against the party to include: anti-party activities or any conduct which is likely to embarrass or have adverse effect on the party, or bring the party into hatred, contempt, ridicule or disrepute; disobedience or negligence in carrying out lawful directives of the party and any act of impersonation of party offices or it’s holders.”

    Read also: Why we lost some of our states, by APC

    It also lists as offence, flouting the rules, regulations and decisions of the party, engaging in dishonest practices, thuggery, continuously being absent from meetings to which he or she is invited without reasonable cause, carrying out anti-party or other activities which tend to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient organisation of the party or which are inconsistent with the aims and objectives of the party.

    Article 21(d) however states punishment for members found guilty to include reprimand, censure, fine, debarment from holding party office, removal from office, suspension from the party and expulsion from the party, among others.

    It also states that “where it is proposed to expel a member of the executive committee, political office holder or a member of a legislative house from membership of the party, such a proposal shall be submitted to the National Executive Committee (NEC) which after deliberation on the matter, may confirm or reject the proposal”.

    Issa-Onilu said that in all cases, the party will be guided by its own rules and will not do anything out side the laws.

  • I donated eight years’ pay to Osun, says Aregbesola

    Former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has revealed how he voluntarily forfeited his official salaries totalling N114, 743,197.4 million for the eight years he was governor.

    Aregbesola spoke during a lecture he delivered at the 65th Anniversary and Old Students’ Re-union of Manuwa Memorial Grammar School (MMGS), Iju-Odo, Ondo State, where he emphasised the importance of productivity in the life of a nation and at the level of individuals’ economy.

    The former governor, who warned on the dangers of living a life-style not commensurate with one’s income, noted that the way to bankruptcy and inability to meet essentials needs stepped from when an individual either lived above his or her income or consumed all incomes as they came.

    In his view, the lure to live above one’s income often come from lust to acquire what one may not need or what one could not afford.

    Aregbesola, who urged Nigerians, particularly youths, to always distinguish between needs and desires, made reference to himself when as governor, he said all his needs; including food, housing, cars and all others, were borne by the state, just as he had no school children he had to sponsor.

    The former governor said though acquiring new houses, cars and other related property might be desirable as a governor, but added that they were no longer of necessity to him and that what was noble and honourable for him to do was to donate his salaries for the eight years he was governor for the good and benefit of the government and people of the state.

    Unlike some of his former colleagues, Aregbesola said he built no house in Osogbo, Ilesa, Lagos or in any other place throughout his two terms tenure as Osun governor.

    He said sticking to only essential needs either at the level of individuals or a country would enhance investment and productivity.

    To promote the culture of investment and productivity and inculcate them in the minds of youths, the former governor recommended that Investment and Productivity be taught as a subject in Nigerian schools from the elementary to the tertiary level, just as he admonished workers generally to emphasise on productivity more than on salary as a right.

    He lamented that one of the banes of low productivity in the country was that workers always pay more attention to salary as a right without considering productivity as a right or as an obligation.

    The former Osun helmsman in company of some alumni of the college, among whom are Major General Olu Bajowa (retd), a former Quarter-Master General of the Nigerian Army, inaugurated some teaching-learning enhancing projects sponsored by the college’s alumni association.

    A re-constructed chalet, where Aregbesola lived as a student in 1971, was named after him and he pledged to regularly maintain it.

    The former governor bemoaned the state of education, but gave kudos to the alumni association for its contributions to the development of the college and urged them to double their efforts.

    He noted that in doing this, they would be contributing in no small measure to the emancipation of the children of the poor masses. He noted that with the support of the alumni to boost education, children of the poor would be able to identify their individual passions and develop the hunger to achieve them.

    General Bajowa extolled the leadership quality of Aregbesola, especially his passion for selfless service to mankind as demonstrated by the forfeiture of his salaries for eight years and more strikingly, his identification with the alumni and financial contributions to the college regardless of the fact that he only did forms One and Two in the school.

    MMGS, named after the late world renowned surgeon, Dr. Samuel Manuwa, is one of the oldest 100 secondary schools in Nigeria.

    It was established on February 22, 1954.

  • Why we’re sticking to Gbajabiamila on House leadership, by Kaduna Rep

    HOUSE of Representatives Garba Datti Mohammad has backed the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership on zoning the leadership of the Ninth House.

    Mohammad, a ranking member in the Green Chamber from Sabon Gari Federal Constituency, Kaduna State spoke with The Nation.

    According to the APC lawmaker, the leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamiila ordinarily should have been elevated to the position of Speaker without any fuss.

    He said: “That is because it’s the normal convention in all democracies of the world. The majority party will always constitute the leadership and whoever is the head of that party in parliament that has the majority party automatically becomes the presiding officer.

    “It happened in recent time. Just last November, after the midterm election in the United States (U.S.), Nancy Pelosky became the Speaker. She was the Minority Leader but once they (her party) became the Majority, she automatically became the Speaker.

    “And this is the second term she has emerged as the Speaker; not even through election! It was just automatic. There was no election, although we have some slight differences in our constitution.

    “To me, the decision of the party leaders is right. These (Gbajabiamiila and Lawan) are two leaders that have done a lot for this party, so they deserve to lead.”

    On the argument of the Northcentral lawmakers that they contributed more to the emergence of the President through their number of votes, he said: “Well, anybody can argue whatever he wants to argue but the hard fact is, these are our leaders and we have majority now, so automatically they should take over because they have never been found wanting in their positions.

    “They have played very vital roles. Like Femi, he has been in the leadership since 2007 as Minority Whip, Minority Leader to Majority Leader and he has performed wonderfully well.

    “Then you can never take away experience in this system; competence, experience, doggedness, everything you are looking for; and he has paid his dues, so, to me, there is no issue.”

    Read also: House of Reps Speaker: Kano legislators endorse Gbajabiamila

    Speaking on the position of some PDP lawmakers that Gbajabiamiila can never be their Speaker, he said: “The minority can always have its say; the majority will always have its way! You can say whatever you want, the only thing is to try and unite as a party. Once we unite, PDP has no mouth to talk.

    “They cannot decide who becomes the presiding officer. They can decide who becomes the Minority Leader and the Minority Whip but they cannot decided the Speaker; that is if we put our house in order. I don’t think there will be much problem,” he said.

    He agreed that the party should call some of the aspirants to order, Mohammed said:  “Yes. I think the party has started doing that. I know of a person that even the president himself talked to him. I know of another person who his governor will talk to him either today or tomorrow to step down.

    “So, I am sure we will have it right when the chips are down. Some are just flying kites, some are serious and some are not serious. We know that.”

  • Chibok, Dapchi representatives visit Synagogue to pray for release of Leah Sharibu, others

    Representatives of Chibok in Borno and Dapchi in Yobe yesterday sought spiritual help at The Synagogue, the Church of All Nations, at Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos. They prayed for the release of Leah Sharibu and other pupils kidnapped by Boko Haram.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the representatives, who carried several placards told the General Overseer, Temitope Joshua, that they were at his church because they had exhausted all human efforts to get the pupils released.

    Their spokesman told Joshua that the father of Leah Sharibu could not come with them because he had been bedridden by stroke, as a result of the kidnap of her daughter.

    He said they had been watching the church activities  through a  cable television, hence their joint visit to plead for intercessory prayers.

    The spokesman said they had no doubt that with the approval of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God could trigger the release of the remaining pupils kidnapped in 2014 and 2018.

    The cleric told them that there was nothing impossible in the sight of the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

    He urged the congregation to pray and fast on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, for the release of the remaining schoolgirls.

    He said: “There is nothing God cannot do” and urged all to see the prayer and fasting on the mentioned days as an assignment.

    Some of the placards read: “Please intercede on our behalf for the release of Leah Sharibu, “The remaining 112 students kidnapped in Chibok are yet to be released, please help, among others.

    On April 14, 2014, 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State.

    Responsibility for the kidnappings was claimed by Boko Haram, a terrorist organisation operating in Northeastern.

    Since 2014, 164 of the girls had regained their freedom, while 112 are still being held by Boko Haram.

    Also on February 19, last year, no fewer than 110 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the insurgents from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, located in Bulabulin, Yunusari Local Government area of Yobe State.

    One hundred and nine of them  were released, except Leah Sharibu, who was said to have refused to denounce her religion.

  • Manhunt begins for domestic worker over guard’s death

    A manhunt has begun for a domestic worker, Joseph Monday Ogede, who allegedly killed a guard, Abdullahi Inusa, at Magodo, on the outskirts of Lagos.

    The police, it was learnt, have thrown their dragnet to catch Ogede, who fled after allegedly killing Inusa on Friday following a disagreement.

    Lagos Command spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), told The Nation on the phone yesterday that efforts were on to get the suspect.

    Read also: Five killed, 45 injured in Borno bomb blast

    He urged residents to alert the police  once the suspect is seen.

    Elkana said: “We received the information on April 5, at about noon. We visited the crime scene and moved the body to the mortuary for autopsy. The Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti has taken over the investigation.”

  • K 1 to fund kid artist’s education

    Fuji Music Legend, King Wasiu Ayinde Mashal, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate has promised to sponsor the education of kid artist, Oluwatobi Ilelolawa, the 12 year-old Primary Six pupil, who sketched President Muhammadu Buhari’s portrait with a pen recently.

    News of the little boy’s creativity got to the foremost musician, following a Facebook post by a journalist, Raheem Akingbolu.

    K1, through his publicist, Kunle Rasheed, reached out to the writer, saying he was touched by the story of the boy. Thus, he offered  to sponsor the promising artist’s post-primary education to university level.

    K1 described the boy as a raw talent that must be guided, supported and not allowed to waste.

    He said: “I was touched when the story was brought to my notice and I see it as one of those things one can do to impact the society.  Education is key to success and who knows the boy we are talking about may be a governor or President in the making. He may become another Ben Enwonwu, Bruce Onobrakepya, Wole Soyinka or an international Artist of repute in the future. If the society fails to give him the needed support now, posterity will not forgive us. This is the time to lift a hand and groom a talent for posterity.”

    Rasheed has assured that arrangements are being made  to introduce the promising artist  to his new benefactor and perfect ways through which his mentorship and sponsorship would  be handled.

  • NAICOM reiterates insurers’ role in adopting IFRS 9

    As insurers grapple with preparing their 2018 financial results in compliance with the new account standard, the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 9, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has continued to senstitise them on how to have a seamless transition.

    The commission made this known during a media session on IFRS 9 with reporters in Lagos.

    The Director, Inspectorate, NAICOM, Mr. Barineka Thompson, said the key aspects of IFRS 9 is that it is a forward looking impairment assessment model for financial assets.

    He said it is also a simpler and clearer classification, recognition and measurement rule while hedge accounting will be linked to the entity’s risk management framework.

    He added that changes in own credit risk are to be recognised in other comprehensive income, reducing volatility in the profit or loss account.

    He pointed out that for the operators to have a seamless transition, they need to embark on awareness training for senior management and members of the board of directors.

    He said: “They need to develop roadmap for adoption and follow follow-up action; develop policies, procedures and governance structure for implementation; and perform an impact assessment to determine the high level implications of applying the new C&M requirements, including potential accounting mismatches and resulting volatility of IFRS 9and 17. They need to carry predominance test and present result to the board of directors for decision on choice of option; classification and measurement (‘C&M’) of financial assets assets– changes to IAS IAS39 categories with new tests/criteria tests/criteria to be met; develop, test, apply and validate new impairment model based on expected credit losses rather than incurred losses; appraise new hedge accounting criteria, expected to be of limited interest to insurers.

    “Furthermore, we expect them to address organisational responsibilities aligning actuaries, risk and accounting identify, shared risk and actuarial data; conduct parallel testing and pilot phases for increased efficiency; IT architecture and infrastructure harmonisation for valuations and impairment calculations; new presentation and disclosure requirement. They also have to consider interpretation of new requirements and assess implications of having to apply new impairment rules to all financial assets other than equities.

    “They must assess need to collect, verify and store credit data not currently used. Insurers should already have prepared themselves for IFRS 9 before January 1, 2018 against year-end financial statements and if relevant, have performed and concluded all testing and disclosure requirements. The tax impact of any accounting decisions, judgements and transitional adjustments arising from IFRS 9 will need to be understood and assessed alongside those arising from IFRS 17 to fully understand the overall impact, including on tax profile and volatility while they also file relevant report with the regulator for review and assessment”, he noted.

  • Issuing Houses: economy needs N35tr investment to thrive

    The economy needs N35 trillion investment annually for the next 10 years to achieve desired economic growth, Association of Issuing Houses of Nigeria (AIHN) has said.

    In a statement at the end of its first bi-annual business lunch in Lagos, the AIHN President, Chuka Eseka, said Nigeria is a N140 trillion economy, adding that to reverse the negative trends in unemployment, poverty and experience real growth, the country needs  capital investment of N35 trillion per annum consistently for the next 10 years and the capital market if properly incentivised, can facilitate this.

    He explained that to deliver economic growth, revenue generation must be a priority for the government. “We must stimulate productive activities within the economy that will generate revenue. Private sector efficiency is critical in harnessing the potential infrastructure development. Increased efforts must be made to galvanise Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as well as domestic investment,” he said.

    Read also: Firm restates commitment to cheap housing

    He added: “For the power sector to thrive, the government must create an enabling environment and address existing governance, legal, regulatory, funding and pricing issues.”

    According to Eseka, this is the time for the capital market to invest in intellectual capital and develop solutions for funding key national priority sectors such as power, transportation and telecommunications to achieve the transformational and catalytic economic benefits.

    “While recognising the desired supporting role of government, the private sector and capital market need to put themself in the driving seat. The government must, however, be decisive and close out on key policy issues affecting the functioning of the economy to create the right framework for the market to thrive. Focus must be on policy reforms that promote market economics,” he said.

    According to the group, Nigeria is out of recession, but growth is anaemic at approximately two per cent. Inflation has moderated from 18 per cent to 11 per cent, but remains sticky above the Central Bank of Nigeria’s target of six to nine per cent.

    “Revenue improved by an estimated 41.2 per cent, but underperformed by an estimated 47.6 per cent relative to budget in 2018, the fiscal deficit remains elevated but reduced to 2.6per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018. There is also a lack of fiscal buffers as the Excess Crude Account has reduced to $249 million as at February 2019 from $2.3 billion as at October 2018,” it said.

    Continuing, it said: “The capital market is the barometer for measuring the health of the economy. Since the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, Nigeria’s capital market has been constrained in fulfilling its mandate to drive the growth and development of the biggest economy in Africa. The capital market provides a good platform for addressing many of Nigeria’s economic challenges. The AIHN must take the initiative to influence the new administration’s implementation strategy of its Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) by pointing out areas where funding can be more easily accessed from the capital markets if appropriate reforms are introduced.”

    The group said for the capital market to deliver on its role as a catalyst of economic growth, market operators have to be put in the position to operate optimally. Pricing for our services has to be market driven and policies put in place that would allow operators intermediate properly in the financial markets and develop local capabilities so that Nigeria can develop its own global firms and rely less on foreign expertise to execute major projects.

  • Guard defiles girl, 12

    An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court has ordered that a 32-year-old guard, Dennis Mba, who allegedly defiled a 12-year-old girl, be remanded in prison, pending advice by Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

    Chief Magistrate Olufunke Sule-Amzat declined to take the defendants’plea and ordered that they be remanded in Kirikiri Prison.

    She directed the police to send a duplicate of the case file to the DPP.

    The magistrate adjourned till June 24.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benson Emuerhi said Mba committed the offence on March 17 at his home.

    Read also: Girl ‘raped to death’ in Enugu

    Emuerhi alleged that the defendant works as a guard in the victim’s house.

    He said the victim’s father reported the case at the Satellite Police Division from where it was transferred to the Gender Section of the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja.