T.B Joshua named 2015 ‘Yoruba Man Of The Year’

The ‘Egbe Omo Oodua Parapo’, a coalition of 35 Pan-Yoruba groups drawn from across the world, Friday, named controversial Nigerian Pastor T.B. Joshua, founder of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations, SCOAN, as the 2015 ‘Yoruba Man Of The Year’.

Dr. Akinwale Adewunmi, the Chairman of the award committee, in a statement following the group’s annual conference in the US, said, “We give this award to Pastor Joshua out of over 500 nominees screened by the Planning Committee of the Association.

Adewunmi said the award was presented based on “the honour and admiration the pastor had brought to the Yoruba nation especially through his diverse philanthropic activities.

“We are proud that you are a Yoruba man with a global image in the annals of charity. Your charitable projects span 45 countries and aid ‘millions’ on a yearly basis, irrespective of their religion or ethnicity.

“Pastor Joshua started as a poor boy,” the statement added, acknowledging the cleric’s uncanny rise to prominence from a poverty-stricken home in Ondo State, Nigeria. He had no access to education neither did he enjoy any outstanding benefit from his society, yet he built himself. He educated himself and today stands out like a Professor in the greater university of life and living.

“Across the world, many ask travellers from Nigeria: ‘Oh, you are From Pastor T.B. Joshua’s country?

“We are proud that this generation has produced a Yoruba man, a Nigerian and an African that stands this tall,” the statement concluded.

Source: DAILY POST NG.

No Going Back on the "Anti-Social Media Bill" - Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Deputy Senate Leader)

Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, in this interview with SUNDAY ABORISADE of PUNCH, dismisses arguments against the ‘anti-social media bill’, insisting that the senate will go ahead with it!

What informed your decision to sponsor the Anti-Frivolity Bill, otherwise known as the anti-social media bill?

First of all, I want to tell you that the social media is an important platform for the economic, social and political development of a country. But what we hate is its negative use which has a very damaging effect on our desire to develop as a nation. I am surprised that people are calling it an anti-social media bill. The title of the bill is ‘Frivolous Petitions and other Matters Connected therewith.’ When it came out for a second reading, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, suggested that we could even change it to ‘Public Petitions Procedure Law’ so that we can prescribe procedures for the way we do things in this country. We are not too far from forgetting the fact that we just finished a ministerial screening. I have served in the Public Petitions Committee of the House of Representatives for eight years. I am now the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions. You must give me the benefit of the doubt about my background and experience to know the dangerous implications of publishing frivolous petitions. What have the proponents of the protests against the bill been able to show clearly against it? Has any of them said the contents of the proposed bill infringed on the provisions of the constitution? Certainly not. All they do is to give a vague explanation that it is going to cage or gag people from expressing their opinion on public issues.

What are the dangers that the bill is expected to protect against?

We said that in the past, we had situations where simply because someone wants to remove the chief executive of a government agency or institution or even of a private firm, he or she goes somewhere and writes a fictitious petition to put the affected official and his or her family in trouble based on allegations that are not correct. Wherein then lies the wisdom of writing petitions based on falsehood when you have the opportunity of checking information about the activities of the person in the agency, firm or institution where he or she works courtesy of the Freedom of Information law which I helped to put in place? Even at that, we said fine, you are free to write whatever you want to write but you must accompany your document with a sworn affidavit. What we are trying to do is to bring you within the old act so that if what you write has been discovered to be untrue, then you should be ready to bear the consequence. It means you have lied on oath and this is known as perjury. The writer can be subjected to trial. This is how to bring sanity to the way we are doing things.

But one of the arguments of those who are condemning the proposed bill is that there are many aspects of our existing laws that take care of all you say your bill is designed to address?

As a parliament, we have flexibility. This is one example of sunset legislation. For God’s sake, if we say we are a country of godly people as we claim, what is wrong in asking people to go and tell the truth?

There are insinuations that the proponents of the bill have something to hide …

I am Bala Ibn Na’Allah, and have never changed from being who I was. I am challenging Nigerians now that whoever has anything against me should come and say it openly. God will not cover anybody who fails to expose my bad acts if any.

You can speak for yourself, but can you also say the same thing for your colleagues?

I don’t care about any other person. I am the one who brought the bill. I don’t want Nigerians to like me for doing the right thing; I want them to hate me for doing the right thing. The health bill of the United States of America was more controversial than this proposed bill but it was eventually passed. Are Americans not happy with President Barack Obama today? I don’t belong to the class of leaders that will tell their people lies simply because they want to be loved as leaders. I have no cause to do that. I believe in this bill and I challenge any lawyer to a national debate on it. They should come and tell me which provision of this law violates the provision of our constitution. I am interested in that.

Is it true that the Senate is considering dropping the bill because some Nigerians are protesting against it?

That is not possible. If I want people to demonstrate in support of the bill, I am capable of mobilising more than one million people to do that. But let me tell you that in this country, the era of renting a crowd, trying to swing people into doing the wrong thing has gone and it will never come back. Our investigation has shown that most of the people who write and publish frivolous petitions are criminals. Go and check what some of them write and publish on either social or traditional media; there is no single suggestion on how the country would be developed. Rather, what they have done is to recruit some boys in various places to look for civil servants who are crooks and bring up facts about their wrongdoing and publish it. Those ones would run to them and pay them money. You cannot continue to use social media to commit crimes and think that we will just be looking at you. I will not.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been quoted as saying that he was not part of the bill.

No, don’t misquote Mr. President. He, in a very clear term, said, that he would uphold the freedom of speech as contained in the constitution based on the oath of office he had taken but freedom of speech is not the only freedom that is contained in the constitution. The same responsibility he has to uphold the freedom of speech extends to his responsibility to defend the dignity of persons. While should we continue to allow a faceless person to continue to malign and bring repression on the people? In any case, Mr. President belongs to the executive arm of government and I have not seen anything wrong with what Mr. President said. In fact, we are on the same page. He even said he was not averse to any regulation that will take care of the matter provided it is done within the constitution.

But the bill was not given the desired publicity. Many Nigerians are still not aware of the details before you hurriedly passed it for first and second readings.

Don’t talk about the popularity of a bill. Whether we do something about social media today or not, this country will have cause to revisit it. Go and write it down. Wherein lies the wisdom of allowing the social media to go on rampage on their own, and then on the other hand, asking the National Broadcasting Commission to regulate the electronic media? Why don’t you remove the regulatory agencies in charge of print and electronic media so that everybody writes and publish whatever they like? That is when we will now know that we have freedom of speech and that everybody is free to say whatever they like. If there is any country that needs regulation on social media, it is Nigeria and this is because of its complexities. We have seen people going on social media putting a lot of things that are dividing the country and tearing it apart. The only reason we swore to an oath of office as leaders is because the public puts trust in us to have the ability to solve their problems. Hence, the oath of office requested us to do our duties without fear or favour, affection or ill will and then we will not allow our personal interest to affect our official conduct and decisions. On that I stand as a senator.

Why is the Senate in a hurry to pass the bill?

There is nothing like being in a hurry about this bill. The public hearing is going to take place. The bill is passing through the normal procedure. Every Nigerian has a representative in the Senate and I remember when I moved for the second reading of the bill, the Senate President asked whether any senator wished to speak against it or not. None of them spoke. Why didn’t the public speak through their representatives then? And now that everybody wants to claim credit, you think I should just sit down? Let me tell you, I am ready to give my life to doing what is good for this country. I didn’t come to the Senate because I like what I am doing. I am in the Senate for a purpose.

Some Nigerians believe that you are pushing for this bill on behalf of the Senate President who has cases in court based on petitions against him.

I am too old for the Senate President to toss around. Go and tell him I said so. Those who know me properly will tell you that I don’t have a boss. I am an independent person. There is nothing God has not done for me. For your information, I am a lawyer, pilot, senator and traditional ruler with three titles. Tell me, which of these jobs cannot give me food to eat that you think would make me to be following Saraki about? Whatever one does in this country, there are people who would want to read into it in order to discourage one. I don’t belong to the class of those leaders.

Civil society groups and owners of some online media organisations protested at the National Assembly, vowing to stop the bill through the court if you insist on going ahead with it. What do you say?

Let them go to court. I am a lawyer. Do you think I am afraid of the court? I have spent the best part of my life as a lawyer and I am sure that there is virtually no part of this country where people don’t know me as a lawyer. As to whether I am a ‘jagajaga’ lawyer or not is your own opinion, but I do know that based on my little understanding of the law, I possess the capacity to defend this.

Source; http://www.punchng.com/blackmail-wont-stop-us-from-passing-bill-naallah/

JOB CREATION REMAINS ONE OF THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES OF OUR CHANGE AGENDA - BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari declared Saturday in Kaduna that job creation will remain one of the topmost priorities of his administration’s economic agenda because it was vital for the attainment of the Federal Government’s other objectives of improved security and poverty reduction.

Speaking at the 2nd Convocation ceremony of the Kaduna State University which had “Entrepreneurship for Development” as its theme, President Buhari pledged that his administration will give the fullest possible support to all efforts to create more jobs through the reorientation of Nigerian youth towards an entrepreneurial mindset.

“This administration will ensure that youths in the country are gainfully employed and youth restiveness curtailed.

“One of the focal points of this administration is job creation. Job creation will help in the achievement of other objectives of the government such as poverty reduction. Insecurity cannot be divorced from unemployment and poverty because an idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop.

“With declining internally generated revenue and over dependence on equally declining oil revenues, there is need to seek other ways of diversifying the economy so as to boost revenue.

“One of the ways we can achieve this is through the reorientation of our youths towards an entrepreneurial mindset. We must therefore promote and enhance the teaching and learning of entrepreneurial skills in all schools and tertiary institutions, thereby exposing our youth to the basics and rudiments of starting and sustaining their own businesses,” President Buhari told the gathering.

The President said that to encourage and assist Nigerian youth to move from being job seekers to job creators, his administration will sustain and improve ongoing programmes by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, the Bank of Industry, the Bank of Agriculture and other Federal agencies to grant them start-up loans at concessionary rates.

President Buhari urged the Nigerian private sector to also do more to support government’s efforts to boost youth entrepreneurship and the development of micro, small and medium scale enterprises in the country.

He thanked the University for conferring an honourary doctorate degree of letters on him.

Garba Shehu
SSA to the President
(Media & Publicity)
December 12, 2015

DASUKIGATE ($2.2bn Arms Deal): Why Dasuki paid former VP, Sambo N20m monthly – Ex-NSA account officer

Further details on the misappropriation of money meant for procurement of arms by the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki have continued to surface.

The latest coming from the former Accounts Officer II in the Office of the former National Security Adviser, ONSA, Ibrahim Idris Wambai who says the Office of the former Vice President, Namadi Sambo received a monthly stipend of N20m from the ONSA.

Wambai stated that several presidential aides, who benefited from the slush funds used five firms as a platforms to receive their share from ONSA, the Nation reports.

He disclosed that many prominent Nigerians and leaders also got huge sums from ONSA during the leadership of Dsauki.

In a Statement of Witness/Accused Person which was filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Wambai said the records of all cash payments to such individuals and organizations are still intact.

The certified statement on oath is part of the Proof of Evidence for the trial of nine suspects next week.

He said: “In December 2014, I took cash of N4million to Col. Madaki(rtd) in his residence in Wuse II Abuja. I had made many cash payments to Doyin Okupe, Ahmad Idris (PA to ex-NSA), ADC to former First Lady Patience Jonathan as payments for monthly operation allowances.

“The documents showing evidence of the payments are in the office of Yazidu Ibrahim in cash payment files. The exact amounts paid and date of payments I cannot remember but are available in the files.

“The venue for the collection of the money was my office and the money was given to me from the cash in the strong room.

“So many cash payments were made on a monthly basis to the following beneficiaries: Office of the former Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo (N20,000,000). The money was being collected by former Deputy Chief of Staff; ADC to former President, amount not known but in cash payment files; Chief Personal physician to former President Goodluck Jonathan; former coordinator on anti-terrorism, Gen. Sarkin Yaki; former Director PC4, Gen. Terba Waya, rtd, Personal Assistant, Domestic Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The amounts and frequency of payments to the beneficiaries as well as the list of other beneficiaries are in the cash payment files

“I also witnessed several payments in cash to various people. Prominent was about payment of N300million to former Chairman on Security and Intelligence, Dr. Bello Matawalle from the cash in the strong room.

“To get details of cash payments in Naira and individuals and organizations summary and vouchers from January 2011 to July 2015, the documents are kept in Yazidu Ibrahim’s former office. These should be collected from the Director of Finance and Administration, Col. Jafaru Mohammed. I and Yazidu Ibrahim can supply the files and the summary.”

Wambai further listed the names of the five firms allegedly used for transfer of funds from the ONSA.

According to Wambai,“The amounts for the five companies are ACACIA Holdings Limited(N600,000,000) via account no. 1017330319 with UBA and N650million via account no. 0122012650 with ECOBANK Nigeria Limited; Reliance Referral Hospital Limited(N750m) via account no.2022394057 with First Bank Nigeria Plc; Jabbama Global Nigeria Limited(N400m) via account no. 1013898095 with Zenith Bank; Continental Development etc.”

Also read: I delivered $47m in 11 suitcases to Dasuki!! http://bit.ly/1J0VN3s

I delivered $47m in 11 suitcases to Dasuki!!

MORE shocking revelations have come on how huge cash estimated at $2billion meant for arms purchase was allegedly diverted by key government officials and politicians during the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan Presidency.

A former Director of Finance in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Mr. Shuaibu Salisu, said $47million was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 11 suit cases.

He said he suspected that the cash might have been given to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He, however, said as a civil servant, he was innocent because he only carried out instructions from the ex-National Security Adviser, Mr. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki.

The Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Ishaq Bello, yesterday ordered that Salisu  be either arraigned in a competent court of law if there is any basis for so doing or be released on administrative bail on terms to be settled by the applicant.

It was also discovered that N10billion was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)  for gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly elections.

The payment of the N10billion was authenticated by former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has said she transferred $322 million from the Abacha loot to Dasuki, following instruction from Dr. Jonathan.

Salisu opened up in a Statement of Witness/Accused  he wrote under oath in the presence of investigators of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The statement was attached to the charges preferred against Salisu and filed  in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in preparation for his arraignment by the EFCC today before Justice H.Y. Baba and Justice P.O. Affen.

Salisu, who said he did not benefit from all the slush funds from the CBN, said: “I could remember on the 20/11/2014 , I was directed by the NSA, M.S. Dasuki to go to the CBN and collect the sum of $47m in cash and the balance in Euro and the directive was obeyed and the monies were delivered to the NSA in about 11 suit cases.

“I acknowledged the receipt of the money from the CBN which was handed over to M.S. Dasuki.

“I think the monies were meant for PDP. After delivery, I left, I did not see or know when the money was distributed.

“I did not benefit even one cent. The request for the funds was tag(sic) Special Services signed by the NSA, M.S. Dasuki, addressed to the Governor of CBN.

“I did not know the source of the money into our CBN Account. The foreign currencies  that I collected from the CBN were delivered to the NSA in his house, No. 13, John Kadiya Street, Asokoro.”

The Nation last night  obtained memos of some  of the curious withdrawals.

In a  November 26, 2014 memo to the Central Bank Governor(NSA /366/S), the former NSA instructed as follows: “Further to our discussion, you are pleased requested to provide the sum of $47m cash out of the N10 billion and the balance in Euro to this office for special services.

“Mr. S.A Salisu, Director of Finance and Administration, is hereby authorised to sign and collect the amount. Please accept, Your Excellency , the assurances of my highest esteem.

In another April 10, 2015 letter, BPSD/CRC/ GEN/FMF/01/36 by the Banking and Payment System Department, the CBN authenticated payment mandate of N10billion to the ONSA for preparation for gubernatorial and State Assembly elections.

The letter, signed by CBN Director, Banking and Payments System Department, reads: “In accordance with your letters, Ref. No. HMF/FMF/082.F15276.7 and F.15276 respectively on the above subject, we forward herewith the following mandate for authentication. Mandate Ref. FD/LP(9/4/2015)-N5,000,000,000 to National Security Adviser Account No. 0029172241019, CBN; another N5,000,000,000 to National Security Adviser Account No. 1014199287, Zenith Bank, K-City Plaza, WUSE II Abuja.

“Purpose of payment: “Being amount released to the Office of National Security Adviser(ONSA) from the Signatory Bonus Account in preparation for the forthcoming Gubernatorial / State Assembly elections as approved by AGF.

“The Honourable Minister may wish to authenticate this mandate to enable the CBN remit the fund.”

In a short note to approve the request Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala simply said: “Authenticated” and signed.

There were indications last night that the EFCC may invite Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala “for clarifications”. She has openly admitted that she released $322million to ex-NSA Dasuki from the Abacha loot recovered.

“ We have to find out from her whether or not due process was followed. She also needs to tell the anti-graft agency whether such a release was appropriated or not,” a source told The Nation, pleading not to be named because he is not authorised to speak on the matter.

Justice Ishaq Bello yesterday ordered that Salisu  be either arraigned in a competent court of law if there is any basis for so doing or be released on administrative bail on terms to be settled by the applicant.

This followed an application for the enforcement of Salisu’s fundamental human rights by his counsel, A.U Mustapha.

Mustapha had sought for a declaration that the “ arrest and continuous detention of Salisu by the EFCC from November 20, 2015 constitutes a gross volation of the applicant’s rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement respectively guaranteed under sections 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.

“A declaration that the arrest and continuous detention of the applicant in custody without any charge since November 20 with a view to denying him freedom of movement as guaranteed by 1999 Constitution and .article 10(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights( Ratification and Enfircement) Act Cap A9 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria is accordingly unlawful, unconstitutional and illegal.

“An order directing the the EFCC to release the applicant forthwith without any condition.

“An order as the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of the application.”



Source: The Nation

Police arraign six Osun pupils for attacking teachers

By - Femi Makinde, Osogbo.

The Police in Osun State have arraigned six pupils for allegedly disrupting the peace at St. Mark’s Anglican High School, Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

According to a charge sheet obtained by our correspondent in Osogbo on Friday, the students were arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court presided over by Mrs. Adejumoke Olowolagba.

The accused persons who police prosecutor said  were all 18 years of age are: Adewunmi Olusegun, T.  Ajibola, Sodiq Ganiyu , Femi Adegbite , Atoyebi Nurudeen Atoyebi  and Yusuf Adepoju.

Police prosecutor, Mr. Taiwo Adeboke, told the court that the accused persons and others at large disturbed the peace of the school on December 7 and used  cutlasses and sticks.

The prosecutor told the court that  the pupils committed an offence  punishable under Section 517(d) and 249(d) of the Criminal Code Cap 34, Vol. II, Law of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.

The charge  sheet read, ” That you Adewunmi Olusegun, age 18; Toheb Ajibola, 18; Sodiq Ganiyu 18;  Femi Adegbite 18;  Nurudeen Atoyebi 18  and Yusuf Adepoju 18 and others now at large on 7th day of December, 2015 at St. Marks Anglican High School, Osogbo in the Osogbo Magisterial District did conspire together to commit misdemeanour to wit conduct likely to cause breach of the peace by disturbing the school activities.

Also Read - Pupils attack teachers with guns in Osun - http://bit.ly/1RcVJoW

“That you and  others now at large at the same date, time and place aforementioned did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace by disturbing the school activities with sticks and cutlasses.”

The accused person pleaded not guilty and the magistrate granted then bail  in sum of N200,000 with two sureties each.

 She adjourned the case to February 15th for mention.

It will be recalled that the Osun State Ministry of Education had closed down the school following the disturbance by some students who were said to be cultists.

Some of the students were reported to have chased some teachers with locally made guns and injured a cadet deployed in the school.

Source: Punch

Court Of Appeal In Abuja Sacks All PDP Senators from Rivers!

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has ordered a rerun of Rivers East Senatorial election.

It was the unanimous judgement delivered by a panel of three justices.

The case was filed by Senator Magnus Abe of APC against PDP’s Senator Olaka Wogu who was declared the winner of the election into the Senatorial district by INEC.

The court has also nullified the election of Senator Osinaka Ideuzo of PDP. In the unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Abdullahi, the court ordered a rerun of the election in 90 days.

Yesterday, the same court nullified the election of Senator George Sekibo, meaning that all the PDP senators have been sacked in the state.

Source: http://saharareporters.com/2015/12/11/court-appeal-abuja-sacks-all-pdp-senators-rivers