Broadcast: Buhari’s speech above party sentiments, says Human rights lawyer

President Buhari

Dr Kayode Ajulo, a Human Rights lawyer, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s broadcast on the eve of 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections, was above party sentiments and personal biases.

Ajulo, in a statement on Friday in Ilorin also stated that beyond the fatherly tone of the broadcast, Buhari also doused a number of worries and raised the bars for civility, fairness, and incorruptibility.

He said that the speech also offered profound templates and scored high point above personal biases and party sentiments.

The legal practitioner who said that the President did not mince words in Friday’s broadcast, reminded Nigerians of the fundamentals that defined our democratic enterprise.

Ajulo who doubles as the National Secretary of “Forward With Buhari (FWN)” group added that Buhari’s speech was laced with pitfalls Nigerians must avoid in their collective bid to evolve the great country of their dreams.

“It is particularly profound that President Buhari eminently towers above personal biases and party sentiments by urging Nigerians to vote for candidates of their choices,” he said.

Ajulo also said that this stance alone, was patriotic and particularly instructive, adding that it was largely edifying and typically presidential.

“It is even more patriotic and leader-like reinforcing confidence of Nigerians in the ability and capacity of the electoral umpires to give Nigeria a credible outing.

“Buhari called on Nigerians to carry such patriotic messages in their minds as they carried their cards with the utmost respect for the laws and the process to elect leaders for Nigeria for another four years tenure,” he stated.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that President Buhari in a nationwide broadcast at 7am on Friday, urged Nigerians to exercise their democratic rights without fear or intimidation as they go to poll on Saturday.

Source: NAN

Presidency Reacts To The Mass Deportation Of Nigerians In Ghana

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has described the renewed harassment,mass arrest and deportation of hundreds of Nigerians from Ghana as worrisome.
Dabiri-Erewa made this known in a statement by her media aide, Abdul-Rahman Balogun, on Thursday in Abuja, she however, assured that the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Amb. Olufemi Abikoye was on top of the situation and was engaging with relevant authorities in Ghana.


“While any Nigerian who commits a crime will have to face the wrath of the law, the situation of any Nigerian being inhumanly and unjustly treated, will not be acceptable,” she said.


Mrs Dabiri-Erewa recalled the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 when shops owned by Nigerian traders were locked in Ghana, which forced some of them to relocate back home and how the issue was amicably resolved between the two presidents in the spirit of brotherhood.


Dabiri-Erewa, therefore, appealed to Nigerians living in Ghana to be good ambassadors of the country by abiding by the rules and regulations in that country.
While also appealing to the Ghanaian authorities to be brotherly in their approach in dealing with Nigerians living in Ghana by reciprocating Nigeria’s kind gestures to Ghanaians in Nigeria.


Source: Daily post

EFCC tasks banks’ compliance officers on money laundering

Ibrahim Magu

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, has charged financial institutions in the country to stop laundering illicit funds for corrupt politicians and criminals.
Magu gave the charge at the general meeting of the Association of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks in Nigeria (ACCOBIN) yesterday in Lagos.
A statement issued in Abuja by the commission’s Acting Spokesman, Tony Orilade, quoted Magu as saying that politicians, who had stolen the nation’s commonwealth, had begun to repatriate such funds to the country for the purpose of influencing the elections through votes buying and compromising electoral officers.
He also charged members of the group to join hands with the Commission to ensure that the coming election was not compromised, adding that the impact could be grievous and devastating.
Speaking, Vice President of ACCOBIN, Wumi Adeniyi, expressed gratitude to Magu for honouring the invitation to the event. Adeniyi, who is also the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) of Heritage Bank Plc, commended the EFCC boss for what he described as his “boldness in fighting corruption and other economic and financial crimes in the country.He also highlighted some of the challenges facing banks’ compliance officers and sought EFCC’s assistance to tackle them.
“We encounter a lot of legal burdens, particularly as it concerns the arrest and detention of compliance officers, among others,” he said. Meanwhile, the contractor handling the Centre of Excellence Building at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, a corporate social responsibility project of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), yesterday came under severe criticism for failure to deliver it on schedule.
While inspecting CBN’s projects in Lagos State, House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency, therefore, demanded explanations from the contractor.
The lawmakers explained that the project had Quintec as its main contractor, before Beton Bau Nigeria Limited emerged as sub-contractor to it.
Chairman of House Committee on Banking and Currency, Jones Chukwudi Onyereri, said the committee would want to understand the challenges that had delayed the project to enable the committee to make appropriate appraisal ahead of approving the apex bank’s 2019 budget.


Source: Guardian Nigeria

el-Rufai: Onnoghen No Longer Fit to Continue in Office

Mallam el Rufai

 Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has described the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, as a “shameless man who has demonstrated that he is no longer fit to continue in office.
 ddressing hundreds of protesters who stormed the Government House, Kaduna, on Friday in solidarity with President Muhammadu Buhari who suspended Onnoghen from office, over allegations of corruption, el-Rufai said the time had come for every well meaning Nigerian to support Buhari in his fight against corruption.

Quoting Othman Dan Fodio, the founder of Sokoto Caliphate, the governor said corruption in the judiciary is the worst form of corruption and no society can survive it.

The governor who mounted an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), stationed in front of the Government House, to address the protesters, commended them for their solidarity with the president and “for coming together to convey this very clear statement from the people of Kaduna State that in Kaduna we do not support corruption.”

el-Rufai said, in Kaduna State we do not support injustice, in Kaduna State we are 100 per cent behind the integrity of our President. I can assure you that the message you have given to me will be delivered to the president today”.

According to the governor, the case with Justice Onnoghen is a very sad one.

He said: “Othman Dan Fodio, the founder of the Sokoto caliphate wrote that the worst form of corruption you can find in any public servant is judicial corruption because when the president is corrupt or the governor is corrupt, it is to the judge that ordinary people can take their case to.

“When the judge himself is corrupt, it is the highest form of corruption and must never be condoned.

“The case of Justice Onnoghen is the case in which somebody who has worked in government for the past twenty years suddenly has millions of dollars in his account, he has admitted but says he has forgotten about them, which means he has more money than Aliko Dangote because I do not think Dangote will forget $1 million in his account”.

el-Rufai maintained that, “the president did the right thing by asking him to step aside pending investigation. It is the proper thing to do.”

“It is what is done in every organised and civilised society. Unfortunately, some people in Nigeria are trying to make white black and black, white. They are using technicalities to delay bringing this man to Justice.

“Mr President did not remove Onnoghen from office. He said in honour of the judiciary, he should step aside so that the charges against him can be investigated and prosecuted.

“But the man is shameless, he does not want to go. But it is time for Nigerians to come all out and tell him he must go.

“Our judiciary must be clean. Our judiciary must consist of judges who cannot be bought” the governor said

Source This Day: .

Nigerians to pay for national ID card from 2022, says NIMC

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said registration and issuance of national identity card would attract payment as from 2022.
Director-General, NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, made the disclosure at the Lunch Time Reform Seminar on “The National Digital Identity Ecosystem Strategic Road Map for the Enrolment of Nigerians and Legal Residents into the National Identity Database (NIDB)” organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR).
Aziz, who urged Nigerians to register for their identity cards within three years, said further registrations would attract an undisclosed fee.
He said that the electronic ID card can only be issued to Nigerians registered into the national identity system and resident citizens according to the constitution who have attained the age of 16 years and above.
 Aziz stated that the National Identification Number (NIN) is assignable only to Nigerians.
The NIMC boss noted that the digital functions of the new national ID card were in compliance with developing countries where citizens’ identity and data is kept in an ecosystem.
According to Aziz, “Nations all over the world and in particular, developed countries have utilized identity as a foundation to transforming governance and enhancing service delivery in the areas of healthcare, agriculture, voting, transportation, financial inclusion, access to basic service and welfare programmes.”
“As a government, we recognise the huge importance of moving towards a Digital Government. Therefore, we must embrace and harness the potentials inherent in digital identity to build and develop our country.
He used the occasion to debunk claims that anyone without the National Identity Number (NIN) would be denied services at government institutions.
Aziz said the approval of the new digital identity ecosystem to collect citizens’ data using guidelines issued by the NIMC with secured channels of communication to generate the NIN was a prudent move by the government.

Source: Guardian Nigeria

Onnoghen Explains Sources Of Foreign Deposits In His Accounts

Walter Onnoghen

Walter Onnoghen, the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), has explained the sources of the foreign currencies deposited in his domiciliary accounts.
Onnoghen was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari on a directive by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), before whom Onnoghen is standing trial over allegations of the fraudulent declaration of assets.
According to Sun newspaper, in a ‘Cautionary Statement Form’ filed at the Department of Intelligence Investigation and Monitoring, Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), in Abuja, Onnoghen said the deposits in his dollar account were from trading in foreign exchange (forex), AGRICODE, while other investment returns were from proceeds of his investments. 
This was contained in a voluntary statement he made at CCB.
In the statement, he specifically explained that “the deposits made in my US Dollar account No. 87000106250 with STD. Chartered Bank of $10,000 at different intervals of June 28, 2011 were sourced partly from my reserve and saving from my estacodes, including medical expenses. 
“The same applies to my deposit of July 28, 2011, of $10,000 twice. It is important to state that prior to my opening the US dollar account, I had foreign currency, which I kept at home, due to the fact that there existed a government that proscribed the operation of foreign currency account by public officers including judicial officers. 
“It was when I got to know that the policy had changed that I had to open the said account. Upon opening the account, I was made to understand that I cannot pay in more than $10,000 at a time and per payment slip. I  cannot remember the total amount I had on reserve at the time, but it spread from my practice days as a private legal practitioner from 1979 to 1989.
“Some of the deposits are a result of forex trading, AGRICODE, and other investment returns were from proceeds of my investments into them. The withdrawals in the account are partly to pay children’s fees, upkeep abroad and further investments. My British pound and euro accounts with Chartered Standard Bank are savings accounts.
“In the January 1, 2019 document, the suspended jurist, who wrote his statement on January 11, 2019, between 12:30pm to 1: 45pm added: 'I, Walter S. N. Onnoghen, of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, hereby, voluntarily depose to the statement averred herein, knowing that whatever I write or state may be tendered against  me as evidence in court'.
“I also volunteer to state that the statement was not taken in evidence from me under duress but after the administering officer had explained and made known the details of the allegations against me.”
In his response to allegations of non-declaration of his assets, Justice Onnoghen added: “My asset declaration for numbers. SCN000014 and SCN.0000 5 were declared on the same day, December 14, 2016, because I forgot to make a declaration of May 2005 of my assets after the expiration of my 2005 declaration in 2009.
“Following my appointment as acting Chief Justice of Nigeria in November 2016, the need to declare my assets anew made me realise the mistake and then did the declarations to cover the period in default.
“I did not include my Standard Chartered Bank Account in SCN. 000014 because I believed they were not opened during the period covered by the declaration.
“I did not make a fresh declaration of asset after my substantive appointment as CJN because I was under the impression that my SCN. 000015 was to cover the period of four years; which includes my leave as CJN.” 
Meanwhile, the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) will resume sitting on the matter on February 4, 2019.

Source: Sahara Reporters 

Public schools shut, heavy traffic as Atiku campaigns in Enugu

Public primary and secondary schools in Enugu were abruptly shut on Friday following campaign rally of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that students of various public secondary schools were seen going home as early as 10 am.
A student from Day Secondary School, Independence Layout who spoke to NAN anonymously said that their teachers told them to go home because of the visit of Atiku.

It was the same situation in other public schools including O’Connor Primary School, Queen’s School, Urban Girls Secondary School and Government Training College in Enugu town.
The student, however, said they were not mandated to attend the campaign rally holding in Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.
Meanwhile, some parents in the state have expressed mixed feelings on the decision to send students home over a political campaign rally.
Mr Francis Ogbu said it was wrong to have suspended academic activities due to an individual’s political aspiration.
Ogbu said that underaged students needed not to be dragged into politics.
Mrs Uzoamaka Onukwuburi wondered what may have informed the closure of public schools before the usual time.
Onukwuburi said that she could not understand why politics had degenerated to the level of suspending academic activities due to a campaign rally.
Another parent, Mrs Chinwe Eke commended the decision adding that it was for the safety of the children in case of an outbreak of violence during the rally.
Eke, however, said that government should have announced the directive early so that the children would stay at home rather than moving up and down.
When contacted for reaction, the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze declined comments.
Meanwhile, major roads leading to Nnamdi Azikiwe venue for the rally were cordoned off while traffic was diverted to alternative routes in the coal city.
Business activities in the stadium were shut to allow free movement.

Source: The Guardian Nigeria

Ohanaeze NEC suspends secretary-general over alleged anti-organisation activities

The controversy trailing the endorsement of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party by Igbo highest decision-making body, Imeobi Ohanaeze Ndigbo, took another dimension, Thursday, as the National Executive Committee has suspended the Secretary-General, Uche Okwukwu over alleged anti-organisation activities.

He was suspended by Ohanaeze NEC over his alignment with the All Progressives Congress to factionalize the body which is in violation of the constitution of the pan Igbo socio-cultural organization.

But this did not go down well with Okwukwu, who immediately after his suspension was announced was said to have step outside, made some calls and in less than five minutes, over 30 policemen with five Hilux vans stormed the meeting holding at the national secretariat, GRA Enugu to disperse the meeting.

It was gathered that parts of the allegations levelled against the suspended Secretary-General, Okwukwu was hinged on misconduct which includes; “That he organized a press conference in Nnewi, Anambra state, to contravene the position of Ohanaeze on the endorsement of Atiku, when he was part of the endorsement; making some spurious allegations against the leadership of the body, going to Aba, Abia State to endorse President Buhari in the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and joining APC leadership to factionalize the Igbo apex body.”

Ohanaeze stated that the action of Chief Okwukwu smacks of betrayal of his people, noting that he was actually in the meeting at the Nike Lake Restore, where the debate on the endorsement took place and he did not raise objection, only for him to go and aligned with desperate politicians in APC, who had vowed to mortgage the future of Igbo nation for their personal gains.

Since the endorsement was announced, there have been reactions from so many quarters depending on their political leaning.

Some have described the endorsement as suicidal while some said it was for the overall interest of Ndigbo and Igbo direction in the February 6, election.

Reacting the Secretary-General dismissed his suspension claiming that it was mere political rascality which can be obtained only in Student Union politics.

He said the meeting was not convened in line with the Ohanaeze’s constitution and therefore his suspension a nullity.

Okwukwu also disclosed that a body of Igbo leaders and concerned personalities have suspended the President-General Nnia Nwodo for his rascality and Prince Richard Ozobu has been appointed the President-General and chairman, disciplinary committee.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress, Enugu State Council, has declared their support for the Nwodo-led leadership of Ohanaeze, while condemning the statements by Governor Willie Obiano against Ohanaeze leadership describing it as unfortunate coming from an Igbo governor who should know better

NLC in a statement issued by its political committee, signed by Comr. Ikechukwu Ekere and Dr. Pat Eze, chairman and secretary respectively, said “Ndigbo especially the younger generation should learn how to respect our elders which is in tune with the tradition, culture, norms and values of an average Igbo man.

“We vehemently pledge our loyalty and unalloyed support for the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,” it said.

Source: Punch Newspaper

2019: Tuface, MI, Chidinma release song ‘Not For Sale’

Ace Nigerian singers Tuface Idibia, MI Abaga and Chidinma Ekile have lent their voices against vote-buying during the 2019 general elections, as they jointly released a single hit ‘Not For Sale’.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Teni D, Waje, Umar Shareef and Cobhams Asuguo also featured in the advocacy collaboration.
The song was directed by Bobby Hai, shot and edited by Paul Gambit and produced by Cobhams Asuquo.
‘Not for Sale’ lyrics entreat Nigerians not to sell their votes “because the power to change the nation for the better is in everyone of us.”
It also encourages a non-violent electoral process by all stakeholders, especially the electorate as they come out to exercise their franchise.
NAN reports that Tuface, the ‘African Queen’ crooner, has over the years championed advocacy for better society through his songs.
In 2015, he campaigned extensively for a free, fair and peaceful poll with a song ‘Vote Not Fight’.
He had also released songs such as ‘For Instance’, and ‘E be like say’, all advocating for good political leadership and better society.

Source: The Nation 

Zamfara: APC Accuses INEC of Double Standard

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of not treating it fairly on the issue of fielding of candidates for the 2019 elections in Zamfara State.

The party also reacted to statements made on Wednesday by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and his running-mate, Peter Obi at a Town Hall meeting in Abuja, describing it as mere falsehood and a show of unrepentant attitude over past misdeeds.

Addressing a press conference at the National headquarters of the APC, the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu, said contrary to insinuations by the PDP that INEC is biased in favour of the APC, the commission has done more harm to the interest of the ruling party than that of the opposition.

Onilu who was reacting to INEC’s insistence on non-inclusion of APC’s candidates for the election in Zamfara State over failure to conduct proper party primaries, said the commission did not take the same stand on the PDP’s candidates in Kano State.

“It also shows for people who are discerning to ask that question, this is supposed to be the APC that INEC is or ought to be working for? And this is what we are going through in the hands of INEC that PDP has repeatedly claimed is put in place to rig elections for APC.

“But let me add that in Kano State, PDP did not do primaries. PDP did not take any of these options and yet today, INEC is not saying anything regarding PDP and all the candidates submitted for PDP in Kano were accepted,” he said.

He said that INEC has relied on the fact that courts of equal jurisdiction have given conflicting judgments and still insisted on holding to its position regarding non-inclusion of APC’s candidates in the elections.

“We can understand that. What it thus means is that it is not over and then we will continue to take steps. We are very certain, we did the right thing. The primaries held; INEC was not satisfied with that but it is our right to field candidates and we would follow up all the legal means to ensure that our candidates stand for elections in this 2019 general elections in Zamfara. Same situation for Rivers,” he said.

When asked to compare Atiku’s outing at the Town Hall session as against President Buhari’s performance, Onilu said that the president came across as one with a clean mind and determination to fix Nigeria, while Atiku has only been able to restate his “penchant for unquenchable interest for manipulating the system for personal gains and one who is bold to ask Nigerians to return him to power to continue to do same.’’

The APC spokesman said Atiku and Obi made a shocking confession that their administration will grant amnesty to looters.

He also accused the PDP presidential candidate of making spirited attempt “to get foreign validation for his floundering presidential bid which is not to serve Nigerians but to pander to the wishes of his friends, and some shadowy foreign concerns and interests.

Source: This Day