Welcome to Rev4mation's world: June 2015

Sunday, June 21, 2015

The history of Biafra...

Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra (the Atlantic bay to its south).^[2] The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria. The creation of the new state that was pushing for recognition was among the causes of the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War.

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Queen of England honours four Nigerians

Queen Elizabeth II

Four Nigerians will be presented the inaugural Queen’s Young Leaders Awards, on Monday, at the United Kingdom’s Buckingham Palace.

The awards will be presented by the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II. The four Nigerians are: Isaiah Owolabi, Kelvin Ogholi, Nkechikwu Azinge and Oladipupo Ajiroba.

APC crisis: Obasanjo’s peace mission hits brick wall

Efforts by the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, to nip in the bud the crisis set off by the recent election of the principal officers of the National Assembly may have hit a brick wall.

The crisis of confidence which has pitted party leaders of the All Progressives Congress against the new principal officers of the National Assembly may take a turn for the worse this week.

Contrary to the belief in several quarters, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is widely believed to have accepted the election of the principal officers as a fait accompli, is said to be unhappy with the leadership of the National Assembly.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Court remands nine foreigners for illegal oil deal

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday ordered that nine foreigners allegedly dealing in petroleum products in Nigeria without lawful authority or appropriate licence be remanded in prison.

The nine accused persons are made up of five Filipinos and four citizens of Bangladesh.

Read more.

Aregbesola, Ben Bruce clash over unpaid salaries

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola

The Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, and the Senator representing Bayelsa-East senatorial district, Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce clashed on Thursday over Aregbesola’s inability to pay workers’ salaries.

The faceoff started after Murray-Bruce, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, said on his official Twitter handle that he would donate his wardrobe allowance of over N500,000 to the unpaid workers in Osun State and widows in his home state of Bayelsa.

Murray-Bruce, who is the Chairman of the Silverbird Group, said he would give the money to the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Osun State who would distribute the money to the unpaid workers.

He wrote, “I, Ben Murray-Bruce, will not sit down idly while my fellow citizens die because salaries have not been paid. As a first step, I am immediately donating my wardrobe allowance to unpaid workers in Osun State and widows in my constituency.

“We are starting in Osun but we will not end there. I will do as much to help workers who have not been paid in other states. I call on all my friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter to donate non-perishable food items for these our brothers in need.

“As soon as my wardrobe allowance is paid, half will be publicly given to the NLC chairman in Osun State while the other half will be given to the head of widows association in my community of Akasa.”

However, Aregbesola described Murray-Bruce’s statement as the height of hypocrisy.

The governor, in a statement by the Director. Bureau of Communication and Strategy Office, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said it was unfortunate that the senator could trivialise such a sensitive issue.

He wondered why it was Osun State – out of the over 15 states that had not paid salaries – that Murray-Bruce wanted to donate his money to.

The statement read, “My attention has been drawn to a tweet by a member of upper chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, of the PDP from Bayelsa, saying he will not reject the alleged hefty pay for members of the National Assembly but collect it and donate to Osun workers.

“It is saddening and tragic that Mr. Murray-Bruce whom many had accorded a lot of respect is too early in the day joining the fray of politicisation and trivialising the salary issue affecting more than half of the states of the federation in this ridiculous manner.

“While Nigerians are in hot debate over the alleged jumbo pay and the mood of the country, Murray-Bruce seems to have turned the plight of Nigerian workers to a thing of entertainment. Of all the states in the federation who are battling to pay salaries as a result of the precarious economic situation his party, the PDP, threw Nigeria, why is it that it is Osun he wants to take his pay to?”

I met an empty treasury, says Wike

Rivers State Governor-elect, Chief Nyesom Wike

THE Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has said that contrary to the claims by the immediate past administration that it left N7bn in the state coffers, he met an empty treasury.

Wike explained that the treasury where the monthly Federal Allocation accruing to the state was always kept had remained in debit as at May 29 when he (governor) took over the reins of governance in the state.

The governor made this remark on Thursday at the Government House in Port Harcourt during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the state government and officials of Julius Berger and a Chinese Construction firm, CCECC, for the rehabilitation of 33 kilometres of township roads in the state capital.

He stated that from the brief he received from the state Accountant General after his inauguration, only one revenue account with Sterling Bank had some funds left by the immediate past administration.

Wike said, “I want to say on good authority that we did not meet any N7bn, as being speculated. The state’s FAAC account as at May 29 (2015) was in debit. That was the briefing I received from the Accountant-General.”

Signing the MoU with the two construction giants, Wike explained that the step was to realise his administration zero potholes programme launched on May 29, 2015.

According to the governor, while Julius Berger is to handle the rehabilitation of 11 kilometres of township roads alongside street lights and traffic lights, the CCECC will handle 20 kilometres of township roads in Port Harcourt.

He explained that the state government had resolved to work with the construction giants to rebuild road infrastructure in the state capital. He added that the revival of facilities in the state capital was beyond political consideration.

Wike noted that the funds for the ‘Operation Zero Potholes’ had been set aside, hence the signing of the MoU to ensure that the companies concluded work in 120 days.

He, however, promised to personally monitor the execution of the projects by the construction giants.

Wike explained that his administration had resolved to take the N10bn loan with specific focus on key projects to be implemented, noting that the request to the state House of Assembly was accompanied by all the projects to be executed.

Woman collects money, hands 14-year-old to rapist

Faith

A 25-year-old woman, Nnena Okoro, has been arrested by the police after she reportedly lured a 14-year-old girl, Faith (pseudonym) to a hotel, where a man raped her.

Okoro lives in Sumoratu Estate, off Ojo Road, Lagos State, where the victim resides. She was said to have been Faith’s confidant.

PUNCH Metro gathered that on the noon of May 16, when the girl’s aunt, with whom she lives, was not around, Okoro approached her and requested that she accompanied her to the Barracks area to buy mangoes.

It was learnt that Okoro rejected the mangoes available in the area and went to Wowo, a nearby street, where the hotel was located.

Our correspondent was told that Okoro, who had allegedly collected an undisclosed amount from the fleeing rapist, lured Faith into a room in the hotel and shut the door.

Faith said her mouth was covered, as Nnena aided the man to rape her.

She said, “Aunty Nnena (Okoro) said I should follow her to buy mangoes in Barracks Lane. She did not like the mangoes they had there and she said we should go to Ojo Road. We went to a hotel and met a man, who she called her friend. Aunty Nnena told me to enter a room. Suddenly, both of them dragged me to the bed. Nnena held my hand and covered my mouth with a cloth. The man pulled off my trousers and raped me. He left the hotel immediately he finished doing it and said he had paid Aunty Nnena.”

“I went outside crying. It was one woman around the area that helped to clean the blood coming out from my private parts when she saw me. She later took me to the Layeni Police Station.”

In her statement to the police, Okoro, who hails from Abia State, confessed to taking the girl to the hotel. She denied coercing the victim into the act and claimed that she had never met the man prior to the incident.

She said, “Faith is my friend. On the fateful day, we both went to buy mangoes on Ojo Road. On getting to a hotel at Tolu, one man called her. They both discussed and the man paid N500 to the hotel attendant and they entered the room. I later left them inside the room to ease myself. It was when I came back that she told me that she was raped. I did not know that she was a virgin. We have never discussed anything like that before. Her pants were stained with blood. I have never seen the man before that day, but I can recognise him if I see him again.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that Okoro had been arraigned before an Apapa Magistrate’s Court on two counts bordering on the crime, while the police said they had launched a manhunt for the suspect.

The charges read, “That you, Nnena Okoro, and one other male, now at large, on May 16, 2015, at about 3.20pm, at Graziela Hotel on Wowo Street, Tolu, Ajegunle, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire to commit felony to wit; defilement, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

“That you, Nnena Okoro, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned magisterial district, did hold the hands of 14-year-old Faith to the bed and allowed one other man at large to have unlawful carnal knowledge of her, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.”

The accused pleaded not guilty.

A police prosecutor, ASP Olusoji Ojaokomo, said a medical test conducted on the girl revealed that her hymen had been ruptured.

The defendant’s counsel pleaded with the court to grant bail to his client.

The presiding m agistrate, Mr. P.A. Adekomaya, admitted her to bail in the sum of N100,000. He adjourned the case till June 22, 2015

EFCC detains Ohakim for over seven hours, quizzes Lamido

Former Imo State Governor, Ihedi Ohakim

A former Imo State governor, Ihedi Ohakim, was on Thursday arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Ohakim, who was scheduled to visit the EFCC office in Abuja on Wednesday, had shunned the anti-graft agency’s invitation to answer questions on fraud he allegedly perpetuated while he was in office.

But when he shunned theEFCC invitation, operatives of the agency invaded his residence in Asokoro, Abuja where he was arrested on Thursday morning.

He was subsequently taken to the EFCC headquarters where he was subjected to many hours of grilling over allegations of corruption and embezzlement.

Sources at the EFCC said that the former governor was specifically questioned on why he allegedly used the state funds to acquire choice property in many locations.

He was later released around 4.30pm and is expected to be summoned soon to answer more questions and provide clarifications.

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that Ohakim was arrested and quizzed in respect of an investigation into corrupt enrichment by the ex-governor who led Imo State between 2007 and 2011.

“Ohakim was released and allowed to go, we will call him whenever we need him,” Uwujaren stated.

Similarly, the commission interrogated a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, in a case of money laundering, embezzlement and funds misappropriation involving him and his children.

The commission had earlier invited the former governor, but he did not honour the summons because he was out of the country.

Uwujaren confirmed that Lamido was at the anti-graft agency’s office for interrogation in an investigation being pursued by the commission.

The EFCC had in recent weeks woke up from its lethargy and stepped up its investigations into cases of corrupt enrichment and embezzlement by former governors.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Union alleges fresh attack on Nigerians, others in South Africa

The Nigerian Union in South Africa has alleged renewal of xenophobic attack on foreign nationals, including Nigerians, in South Africa.

Many foreigners living in South Africa had, about two months ago, witnessed tremendous xenophobic attacks from South Africans who killed many of their fellow Africans and injured others.

It was learnt that the Nigerian Union in South Africa has reported the new attacks on Nigerians and sother foreigners in Sternkopf, Namakwa Municipality, Northern Cape Province of South Africa. President of the Union, Ikechukwu Anyene, said in Pretoria, South Africa, that the chairman of the Northern Cape Province chapter of the Union reported the incident to its national secretariat.

“The National Secretariat of Nigeria Union has received report of xenophobic attacks from Kennedy Osagie, the Northern Cape Province chapter chairman of the union. The report indicated that South Africans attacked Nigerians.

“Two cars belonging to Nigerians have been reportedly burnt and they have been going from house to house looting and destroying their property,’’ he said.

Anyene, who said that there were 20 Nigerians living in the affected community, added that none had been reported dead in the incident. “Six Nigerians have taken refuge with their families in nearby SpringBok community and they do not know the whereabouts of the other Nigerians.’’ He said the Union has reported the incident to the Nigerian Consulate in South Africa.

Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke, confirmed the incident, saying the mission has commenced investigations. “The Nigerian Consulate in South Africa has received report of new xenophobic attacks in Northern Cape Province of South Africa.

Nigeria pledges to end proliferation of small arms in West Africa

WORRIED by the ugly trend, the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM) has decried the proliferation of illicit arms along the borders of West African region with a vow to put an end to it.
Speaking at the opening of a two day annual meeting of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NATCOM) yesterday, the Chairman of PRESCOM Mr Emmanuel Imohe described the issue of proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) in West Africa as “a hydra headed monster that must be resolved”.
Imohe, who was represented by the Programme Manager (PRESCOM) Mr Dickson Orji, pointed out that “the Nigerian Government is sufficiently seized with this problem and is committed to ensuring that we collectively dismantle the template from which the problems of insecurity are drawing support.
He said that, Nigeria is committed to dismantling the proliferation of illicit arms trade along the borders in the West African sub-region as it “has demonstrated this commitment by signing and ratifying the relevant international, regional and sub-regional instruments and legal regimes on the subject of SALW Control.’’

He commended NATCOM for organising the fora, adding that, it was providing a platform for peer review, exchange of ideas and strategies and establishing common grounds and constructive/collective efforts in combatting the menace.
On her part, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security ECOWAS Commission Mrs. Salamatu Suleiman, said the proliferation of SALW posed a great challenge, especially in the Sahel region and Northern Nigeria.
Suleiman added that the porosity of the borders in the sub region allows easy accessibility of dangerous military-style weapons to non-state actors.

She said, the case of the Sahel region and Northern Nigeria in particular, revealed the deficiency in the enforcement capacity of the security forces, a situation being exploited by criminals to kill, maim and damage properties in our communities.

According to her, “this trend must be stopped by limiting state arms acquisition and continuous advocacy with the international community in order to effectively control arms transfers around the world”.

Nigerian scientists make progress in herbal therapy for cancer

Isa Marte

• Charge President on attention for science
• NAFDAC, NIPRID pledge support

UNDETERRED by the insecurity in their immediate community due to Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State, a team of seven Nigerian scientists from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Maiduguri, has made progress in a groundbreaking research into the use of local herbs for cancer therapy.
The team, led by Professor of Pharmacology at the university, Isa Marte Hussaini, is currently exploring different Nigerian plants for the cancer therapy research.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) has called on the Presidency to create the office of Chief Adviser to Government as a proactive way of promoting research and enhance science funding in the country.

President of the Academy, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, who made this assertion in an interview with The Guardian noted: “The National Conference came up with some very interesting recommendations. It is not everything that was done there that is sensible. But I was really very impressed with what they came up with in the area of science. We are all asking the government to take a look at that. This government shouldn’t throw the whole report away. Take a look at the report to see if there is anything useful in it and make use of such.”
Already, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRID) have applauded the research, promising to work with the scientists to conduct pre-clinical trials.

Prof. Hussaini, who presented the study to the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), told The Guardian yesterday that eight out of the 54 plants so far identified showed more promise than the current drugs used in the treatment of cancer.
He highlighted how three of the plants showed impressive anti-cancer activities against both breast cancer and brain tumour.

He said: “We are working to develop effective cancer therapy using Nigerian medicinal plants. We have characterised and identified some plants. We have tested them and they are very effective. Eight out of the 54 that we have are better than even the current drugs that are used in the treatment of cancer. We are trying to identify some of those active compounds that are responsible for this anti-cancer activity. Afterwards, in partnership with NAFDAC or NIPRID, we will do animal and even pre-clinical studies.

“The team is made up of medical doctors, surgeons, pharmaceutical chemists and pharmacognosists, and then medicinal herbalist – a consultant. I am a pharmacologist. We have several papers that we have published. We have some papers ready for publication.”

He tasked government to provide adequate support to Nigerian scientists to enable them compete favourably.

“Science should be number one in terms of funding, and we need lots of money, billions really. For this project, N100 million–N200 million would complete it. To go to pre-clinical and clinical trial requires money,” he noted.
Hussaini added that his team received institutionalised funding through Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and was trying to secure more funding, especially from the National Institute for Health in the United States.
“If we want Nigeria to move forward, this is the kind of cutting edge research that the present government should fund and it should be a priority,” he noted.

He spoke further: “The first task is to establish a robust database of all possible plants used in the former North Eastern State of Nigeria. We have increased our database to approximately 200 plants. The second phase is to screen these plants for their anticancer properties, using established cancer cell lines, patient cancer specimens, cancer stem cells and animal models of cancers, which will be followed by identification of active principles in the plants using

I encouraged Buhari to run for president – Adesina

Mr. Femi Adesina

In this interview with SAHARA TV monitored by ENIOLA AKINKUOTU, the newly appointed Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, who is also the immediate past Managing Director of The SUN and President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, speaks about his appointment

Are you excited about your appointment?

Well, it is a call to service and one should be thankful when called to serve one’s country.

With this appointment will you be switching sides that is, from scrutinising the government to defending the government?

Let me first of all examine what you said, that I will switch sides from scrutinising to defending the government. No. The scrutinising part will still be part of my duty. Before I can speak for the government, I must first scrutinise the decisions and the policies and then make an input before I can then defend. So, it is not a total switch. There must still be a lot of scrutinising because anything I am going to defend, I have got to be able to understand it, agree with it and see the rationale behind it before I can defend it. So, it is not a total switch.

So, what if you do not agree with a policy? How will you approach it?

If I don’t agree with a policy, I will first ask for an explanation and when I am given the explanation, I will make my input. But then, my input does not have to override what may be in the public interest or what is in the interest of the larger number of people. My opinion might not necessarily be the correct one. So, when such challenges come, you have to weigh it and say, is it in the larger interest of the people, is it in the interest of the country? Will it eventually result in a better standard of living for the people? That is the way to look at it. It doesn’t have to be something I must agree with all the time. I should be able to appraise the decisions that have been made and seek to understand them and then make my contribution as necessary.

There are reports that you know President Muhammadu Buhari very closely. What is your relationship with him?

I will say yes. The President is somebody that I have admired for a long time since he was a military ruler. When he was a military ruler, I was already in my third year in the university. So, I can say I knew him and his style and I liked it. I felt sorry when his government was overthrown. So, when he came back into partisan politics in 2003, it was something that was very exciting for me and since then, I have been supporting him. I am a journalist and I write a weekly column. I have been pointing Nigerians in his direction since 2003. And whenever I wrote anything in his (Buhari’s) support, he would call me on the phone and we would discuss and he would thank me. I remember in 2009 or thereabout when Prof. Tam David-West wrote a book on Buhari and it was to be presented at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs. I was the master of ceremony of the occasion so we got to speak and know each other better. That was the first time I would meet him (Buhari) in person. Thereafter, he ran for President in 2011 and I still wrote in my column that I thought he was the best person to rule Nigeria and bring a change. Whenever I wrote those things, he would call me and he would thank me and we would talk.

So, eventually, in August 2013, I lost my mother and we needed to do her funeral. So, I sent Buhari an invitation card. The service was in Lagos and lo and behold, before the service started, he drove in. It was a pleasant surprise. It was a Christian service and he sat through it. Those who had said that he was a religious bigot were shocked. This was a Muslim man that came for a Christian service and attended the full service and yet they were saying he was a religious bigot. So, that act cemented our relationship because after the event, I phoned him the next day and thanked him but he said he was the one that should be grateful because he had never given me a kobo and yet I always gave him all the support. He said there were people that could pay me millions of naira for such support but I had decided to pitch my tent with somebody that could not give me anything. So, that cemented our relationship.

You know, in 2011, he said he would not contest the Presidency again but in the run up to the 2015 election, I felt he should still run and I wrote that the fact that he said in 2011 that he would not run again could not be carved in concrete and he could change his mind if he wanted and the rest, they say, is history. He changed his mind, he ran and he won. Significantly, on the night that he was declared the winner, my phone rang around midnight and one of our leaders in the media called and said, ‘Please hold on for Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’. I was shocked and when he spoke to me, he said he appreciated my support throughout the campaigns and now that victory had come his way, he just wanted to say thank you. So, that was how it played out.

How did you get the appointment? Did he call you or were you interviewed?

After he had been declared winner and after he had called me on the telephone, I deliberately stayed away from him for two reasons. The first was because I knew he would be under a lot of pressure. A lot of people would be calling to congratulate him and probably seeking one thing or the other. So, I think from that night, which was March 31, I deliberately stayed away from him because I did not want to add to the pressure that would be on him and secondly, I didn’t want it to be that I was seeking a position in his government. I am a born again Christian and I want anything that happens or comes my way to be what God has ordained. I don’t push anything; I don’t lobby for anything so I kept my distance from him. But then, people around him kept talking to me and kept telling me that they believed I was the best person to be the spokesman for the incoming President. However, I did not give any commitment for two reasons. The first, as I said earlier, was that I didn’t want to lobby and secondly, I have a job that I enjoy doing: Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of one of the leading newspapers in the country, The Sun, and then I was also the President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors. Those are high calibre jobs and responsibilities. So, I wasn’t looking for a job but then people around me kept talking to me till eventually, there was some sort of interview but I would not say it was a direct interview but people singled me out to say, ‘Well, if you are invited to serve in government, will you serve?’. My conviction had always been that I would never serve in a government except one headed by Muhammadu Buhari. So, when they singled me out, I told them I didn’t think I wanted to serve in the government but since it is Muhammadu Buhari, I will consider it. But I also reminded them that I also have a job and I have to consult with my publisher (Orji Uzor Kalu) and I have to seek his blessings. Reluctantly too, my publisher gave his blessings. He told me that they would not know the sacrifice he had made by letting me go but since it is a service to the country, I have his blessings. So, I got back to them and told them yes, that I had sought my publisher’s blessing and the next I heard was the announcement that I had been appointed Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.

You will be going into the job in a changing media landscape. You will grapple with the social media and the traditional media. How do you hope to navigate these two worlds?

I would rather refer to the social media as digital media because the social media is just a variant of the digital media. Nobody can do anything successfully in the media today without factoring in the digital media. The social media, the digital media and every other thing will be used together. You would have seen the role they played in the campaigns. You could feel the pulse of the electorate and could already discern the direction the election would follow by merely following the digital media, particularly the social aspect of that digital media. It played a major role in the campaigns and there is no way you are going to ignore it. The traditional media has its place because there are people who are still glued to it. But the younger generation uses the digital media so you then need to use all the avenues to reach the people.

So far, what do the media headlines regarding Buhari’s administration say to you about what you are going to be dealing with on the job?

I will tell you it is no tea party. It is going to be a hectic work but then it is going to be me working for somebody that I believe in. So, I guess I will have to throw my all into it. I am under no illusion that the job is going to be easy or a picnic. It will not be. But I will throw my all into it and as long as my principal remains who he is: straight, accountable, focused and someone who wants to effect a change in the country, I guess we will get it done. When you have a good product, the marketing is easier.

Have you spoken with previous government spokesmen like Mr. Reuben Abati and Mr. Segun Adeniyi?

I have spoken with Segun Adeniyi (the late President Umaru Yar’adua’s spokesman); I have spoken with Ima Niboro who was former President Goodluck Jonathan’s first spokesman; but I have not spoken to Reuben Abati.

What advice did they give you?

They gave me an insight into how to do the job successfully. I have spoken with Segun more than once but I have spoken with Ima Niboro just once. I will meet with Segun again and we will talk.

APC crisis: State chairmen back Buhari, Odigie-Oyegun

National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun on Wednesday met behind closed-doors with the chairmen of the 36 state chapters of the party.

The meeting which lasted for a little over four hours is the first of its kind since the party won the Presidential election on March 28.

After the meeting, the Chairmen of the state chapters of the party expressed support for the position taken by President Muhammadu Buhari and Odigie-Oyegun with respect to the emergence of the new leadership of the National Assembly.

The meeting was convened by the Forum of APC State Chairmen to review the challenges that bedevilled the party before, during and after the 2015 general elections.

The forum declared support for the decision of President Buhari to accept the outcome of the leadership election in the National Assembly even though he would have preferred that the party’s candidates emerged.

President Buhari and Odigie-Oyegun had accepted the new National Assembly leadership, describing it as a constitutional reality.

In a communique issued and signed by the chairman of the Kano State APC, and the acting Chairman of the Forum, Umar Haruna Mohammed, at the end of their meeting in Abuja, the chairmen said, “We totally aligned ourselves with the President’s position regarding the leadership of the National Assembly.”

They urged the party leadership to ensure that funds were made available to state chapters without delay in order to help them defray their liabilities in line with the resolutions of the National Executive Council.

“Chairman sir, we acknowledge the enormity of the responsibilities placed on the office of the chairman and as such we urge you to be alive to the challenges so as to move the party forward.

“You should always see us as partners in progress and your own foot soldiers as we pray for more success in future, “ they said.

One of the chairmen from a state in the North-West explained that he and his colleagues also considered it necessary to meet with the chairman to among other things, express their displeasure at the way they were being left out of the scheme of things.

He said, “As chairmen of the party at the level of states, we worked for the party and we deserve to be carried along now that the victory has been won.

“We are however not happy that we are being kept in the dark about happenings within the party and we told him so.

“We raised this issue because the states are being neglected and since we do not support disunity within our party, we decided to meet with the chairman to work out ways of improving the situation in the interest of the party.

“On his part, the national chairman told us he has been looking for an opportunity to meet with us to share ideas but that the campaigns and the limited time the party had to organise itself before the election made it difficult.”

In a related development, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Segun Oni, also held a separate meeting with the leadership and selected members of the party from Delta State.

The governorship candidate of the party in the last elections, O’tega Emerhor, however, told newsmen after the meeting that there were no factions within the party in Delta State.

He said, “There are only a few of our brothers who are aggrieved but the issues are being sorted out.”

PDP govs condemn relocation of Rivers, A’Ibom election tribunals

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike

The Peoples Democratic Party governors have expressed displeasure over the relocation of the Taraba, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states’ election petitions tribunals to Abuja.

The governors said this at the meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum, which held in Abuja on Tuesday night.

At the meeting, which ended in the early hours of Wednesday, the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, was also elected as the chairman of the forum.

Mimiko succeeds ex-Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, who is now a senator.

Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting that started at 9:30pm on Tuesday, Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, said his colleagues were not happy about the relocation of the tribunals.

“We condemn in very strong terms the relocation of election tribunals in Rivers State, Taraba State and Akwa Ibom State to Abuja,” Ikpeazu said.

He also announced that “the PDP governors’ forum unanimously elected Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State as chairman of the forum.”

The governors said they were delighted at the way former President Goodluck Jonathan accepted the outcome of the April 11 election and congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his election.

Ikpeazu said, “We congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari on his election as the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“We also commend and salute our former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for his display of peaceful disposition in the 2015 general elections, which has stabilised our political landscape.

“We equally congratulate Senator Bukola Saraki, Yakubu Dogara and Suleiman Lasun on their emergence as the senate president, the speaker, House of Representatives and the deputy speaker respectively.

“We specially congratulate our own Senator Ike Ekweremadu on his emergence as the deputy senate president.”

The PDP governors’ new chairman, Mimiko, who also spoke to journalists, said, “We will do everything that we can do to engage the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress in a very constructive manner. We have also agreed to create formal and informal mechanisms of peer review, all for the development of our nation.”

The governors in attendance at the meeting were, Mimiko, Ikpeazu, Idris Wada (Kogi), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Darius Ishaku (Taraba).

The deputy governor of Bayelsa State, John Jonah, represented his state at the meeting.

The other PDP governors that neither attended nor sent representation were Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State; Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti; Nyesome Wike, Rivers; Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta and Ben Ayade, Cross River.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Nigerian appointed secretary of CTO

Shola Taylor, appointed secretary of Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

A Nigerian Shola Taylor has been appointed secretary-general of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), an international organisation headquartered in London. Taylor is expected to start in this new role on 17 September this year.

Taylor is the chief executive officer of Kemilinks International, a global ICT consultancy firm based in Lagos. A telecommunications engineer by training, he brings to the CTO over 35 years of global experience in ICTs with government and the private sector.

Previous positions held include regional director for Africa at Inmarsat (1994 – 1999), space technology coordinator for developing countries at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU, 1993 – 1994) and project director, also at the ITU (1987 – 1993).

Taylor had been twice elected as a member of the ITU’s Radio Regulations Board (vice-chair in 2004, and chair in 2005).He has a rich inside knowledge of international organisations. Early in his career, he worked in telecommunication engineering, including as senior engineer at Nigerian Telecommunications (1981 – 1985) and spectrum engineer at Intelsat (1985 – 1987).

“I am both excited and honoured at being appointed as secretary-general of the CTO, a community of diverse membership, and one that has accrued tremendous strengths over a hundred years. Given the impact of ICTs in our lives and the enormous opportunities for the socio-economic development of nations, I have accepted this challenge to make a positive contribution towards improved access to ICTs for all.

“I look forward to working closely with the CTO’s members, the Secretariat staff and other stakeholders, to ensure that the CTO remains the preferred partner for sustainable ICT development for all its members.” Taylor said following the announcement of his appointment earlier today.

Secretaries-general of the Organisation are appointed for four-year terms. Previous heads of the prestigious organisation include outgoing secretary-general Professor Tim Unwin (UK), preceded by then chief executive officers Ekwow Spio-Garbrah (Ghana) and Dr David Souter (UK).

Taylor holds a BSc in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of East London (UK, 1979) and an MSc in telecommunication systems from the University of Essex (UK, 1981).

He is married and has three children.

Nestle cuts 15% of its Africa workforce

Cornel Krummenacher

June 16 (Reuters) – Swiss food and drinks company Nestle SA is cutting 15 percent of its workforce in 21 African countries because it says it overestimated the rise of the middle class, the Financial Times reported.

“We thought this would be the next Asia, but we have realised the middle class here in the region is extremely small and it is not really growing,” Cornel Krummenacher, chief executive for Nestlé’s equatorial Africa region, told the Financial Times in an interview. (goo.gl/a55Wy8)

He also said Nestle would be lucky to reach annual 10 percent growth in Africa in future years, and with the cuts, the company hoped to break even next year.

Nestle Nigeria reported a 51 percent fall in pretax profit to 3.48 billion naira ($17.51 million) in the first quarter.

Kidnappers Of Winners Pastor Demand N60m

•Pastor Adekunle

Kidnappers of the Senior Resident Pastor of the Living Faith Church, a.k.a. Winners Chapel situated along IBB Way, opposite the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, southern Nigeria, Mr. Seyi Adekunle, have demanded a ransom of N60 million for his release.

According to reports, the kidnappers have contacted the church and demanded for the N60 million.

Adekunle was on Saturday kidnapped by five unidentified gunmen who stormed the church premises at about 7:30pm during prayers.

The Cross River State chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, had on Monday warned that those who abducted Adekunle would incur the wrath of God if they failed to release him.

The warning came through a statement issued by the state Chairman of PFN, Pastor Lawrence Ekwok, and the Secretary, Apostle Frank Umo.

Insisting that Pastor Adekunle be released immediately and unconditionally, the PFN said: “The wrath of God is upon you for that act, this is more so as the pastor was kidnapped at the time he and others were praying and seeking the face of God for the good of the people of the state and country at large.”

PFN prayed that security agencies would intensify efforts at securing the release and safe return of Adekunle.

The Cross River State Police Command has already launched a manhunt for the five gunmen who allegedly abducted Pastor Adekunle.

According to the police, the pastor was abducted inside the church at about 7.30 p.m. during a prayer session. The gunmen, it was gathered, fired into the air to scare everyone around before entering the church.

The pastor was allegedly pushed into the car brought by the men and taken to an unknown destination.

P.M.NEWS gathered that Pastor Adekunle is the head pastor of Province Two of the church. Works have been ongoing in the church since 2014 when the pastor joined the branch of the church.

A member of the church who declined to identify himself for fear of police harassment disclosed that the pastor was holding a prayer sesson with members of the congregation when the gunmen burst in and started demanding for money.

When told that there was no money in the church, the suspects got angry and took the pastor away.

A police source revealed that the suspects got information that the pastor was keeping a huge amount of money meant for the construction of the church and decided to abduct him to get the money as ransom for his release.

Investigations revealed further that the church held its last Sunday service with Pastor Adekunle’s assistant in charge. There was tight security provided by policemen around the premises during the service.

Spokesman of the Cross River State Police Command, Mr. Hogan Bassey, confirmed the incident.

Ramadan Begings............

Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries have announced that the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan would start on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, announced on Wednesday that it would be the final day of the lunar month of Sha’aban.

Similar official announcements were made by religious authorities in Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen and Palestine.

Report says the beginning and end of Ramadan depends on the sighting of the new moon.

“During Ramadan, devout Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to sunset.

“Ramadan this year coincides with the summer heat in the Middle East where the fast could reach 15 hours a day.

“Fasting is one of Islam’s five pillars, alongside declaration of faith, prayer five times a day, alms-giving, and the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia,’’ it said.

Lagos CJ Frees 21 Kirikiri Prison Inmates

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade on Wednesday freed 21 inmates of the Kirikiri Medium Prisons, Lagos, western Nigeria.

The release was in exercise of the powers conferred on her under Section 1 (1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2007.

Most of the inmates released were those who have spent more time than they would have if convicted of the crimes for which they are facing trial.

Justice Oluwafumilayo Atilade

Admonishing the lucky inmates, Justice Atilade urged them to keep away from crime and henceforth be of good behaviour.
She retated her commitment to an effective justice system delivery where the courts work efficiently and the prisons are not congested.

Atilade said her visit to the prison to release inmates would be a continuous exercise.

“Those of you released should henceforth be of good behaviour. The state government is committed to a crime free Lagos and anyone found committing crime will be arrested and prosecuted,” she said.

The CJ also appealed to non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders working with the prisons authority to ensure that those released are properly re-integrated into the society.

There are 2452 inmates currently in the prison. Out of these, 92 have been convicted, 2349 are awaiting trial, 32 are detainees, while 21 are lodgers. The prison has a 1700 capacity.

Friday, June 05, 2015

ICPC quizzes Okiro over alleged N275m scam

Former Inspector-General of Police and Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Mike Okiro

A former Inspector-General of Police and Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Mike Okiro, was on Thursday in Abuja quizzed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission over an alleged N275m fraud.

The PUNCH learnt that the ex-IGP arrived the ICPC at 9:51am, accompanied by three other officers of the PSC and went straight into the investigation department of the commission.

When one of our correspondents contacted Okiro on the telephone, he did not respond to calls. He also did not reply a text message that was sent to his telephone.

In the SMS sent to him, he was asked to respond to the report that the ICPC quizzed him on Thursday over an alleged N275m fraud.

When he got to the ICPC, the former IGP was dressed in ash coloured Niger Delta attire with a cap to match.

He came in a convoy of a black Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep, with registration No: T98 01 FG (PSC) and black Toyota Camry, marked T98 12 FG (PSC). Okiro was accompanied by three PSC officers.

His interrogation was sequel to a petition by a member of staff of the PSC, Aaron Kaase, to the ICPC, claiming that Okiro allegedly siphoned N275m out of the N350m that was obtained by the commission from the Office of the National Security Adviser to train PSC staff.

PSC staff were scheduled to partake in the monitoring of the conduct of men and officers of the Nigeria Police in the last general elections.

In his petition, Kaase alleged that Okiro had made bogus claims to train highly inflated number of his commission’s staff in Lagos, Abuja and Kano.

According to him, the trainings were roughly carried out to a few staff in Mararaba, a satellite community of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

He also alleged that Okiro and others claimed some millions of naira for separate overseas trainings, which they never attended.

The petitioner had said that Okiro and others allegedly siphoned the said amount, claiming they would train 500 staff in Abuja; 200 in Lagos and another 200 in Kano, when the combined staff strength of the commission nationwide was not more than 400.

Kaase also stated that in Kano where 200 members of staff were said to be trained, the staff strength was merely 10.

President Muhammadu Buhari: One week after

Fola Ojo

He was crowned as the set-man in charge of all of Nigeria in a fanfare just one week ago. The lives and destinies of Nigerians home and abroad are now under the presidential control of one man, Muhammadu Buhari, for the next four years. Although piercing thorns may not necessarily be the adornments of his presidential crown, his route for the next four years will be laced with botheration.

The Nigerian economy we all know is as not as peachy and perky. Unfortunately, it is the pivot which will determine how far Buhari can launch out to effect the CHANGE he has promised. But how has President Buhari fared in his first week in office? It depends on who you ask.

Pain is pervasive and at an all-time high. There is no major city spared of agony in Nigeria and we see it daily on the street. Citizens are crying endlessly, businesses are sighing heavily, and some state governors who can’t pay workers’ salaries are still wailing; times are just too harrowing for them and their agenda for the people. But I am still very hopeful that Buhari will alleviate our pains and sufferings to the best of his efforts.

The President by now must have caught a close glimpse of where Nigeria is across the board. A bulk of the information and some misinformation have already been tossed in the public domain for our perusal. One sitting governor told me one-on-one on Monday that Nigeria needed a lot of prayers because, according to him, “the economy is very weak, and the road ahead of us is rough. Among other things that will have to be done, oil subsidy has to be removed…” for the Nigerian economy to be far removed from turbulence. Based on facts available, prudent decisions will be made in coming days.

The business of leadership is not designed to satisfy a clique and class but to guarantee relief and opportunities for ordinary people to get ahead. During his inauguration, the President made a statement that immediately roared into a buzz all over the world. “I belong to everybody, and I belong to nobody”. It was a sonorous and mellifluous music that many ears had been itching to hear. Handclaps which went slam-bang and ear-splitting were more for the last part of the line: “… I belong to nobody.”

The monster that has messed up Nigeria to date is the cabal called “NOBODY” whose modus operandi of doing business is always sinister and anti-people. Some of the “NOBODY” we probably know; and many of them are faceless. But what does it mean to “belong to nobody”? It only means that President Buhari is audaciously announcing that he will not be controlled, pushed and shoved around by special and cabalistic interests domestic or foreign. “NOBODY” is ANYBODY who may be trying to control EVERYBODY including Buhari. They are lawless, evil agenda-driven and unscrupulous elements special interests.

They are those who specialise in frauds, frivolities and deliberate acts of disorderliness. They are those who will lobby and pressure to put square pegs in round holes; driving to make unqualified people hold lofty positions; and with outstretched arms aggressively press for returns on their “investments”. “NOBODY” steals EVERYBODY’S money and makes EVERYBODY’s life become miserable.

It was the band of “NOBODY” that crashed our economy, crashed our refineries, crashed NEPA, crashed Nigeria Airways and crashed the railways; and loves to crash some more as long as he is not affected.

“NOBODY” drains our foreign reserves, and depletes our domestic savings. “NOBODY” is an arch-enemy of Nigeria’s progress, and Buhari’s statement was a warning shot to them. Whether they are family members or friends who donated to his campaign, “NOBODY” should not expect any special treatment from this President. He’s made it clear enough that he belongs to everybody, but owned by NOBODY. This statement for me is a sign of good things to come.

When some overzealous security operatives at some of our airports harassed some vacationing members of Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Buhari immediately pulled back the leash on the dogs hunting in their own self-designed games.

Even if anyone of those fellas travelling out was the “NOBODY” Buhari was talking about, due process of the law will have to be pursued to compel them to answer some questions; not just a reengineering of some arbitrary, jungle-justice shenanigans that violate people’s rights and freedom. Buhari’s subtle message was that this is not a season for revenge, but for rebuilding of a nation with big cracks in its walls. For me and many Nigerians, this is another sign of good things to come.

When the Presidency announced Femi Adesina and Shehu Garba as its spokesmen, some voices including those of some avowed and unapologetic Buharists pilloried the move calling it wasteful and unnecessary duplication of duty.

My friends who don’t appreciate the move must understand that the world has changed immensely, and the office of the President cannot be manned by just two people. Media arts have gone beyond issuing press releases, organising sporadic press conferences where men speak endlessly in bombastic postures, or tottering around in unbridled Facebook journalism. Public and media relations, from my 30 years experience, is a lot of work that helps in building the public perception of a government. Any administration that loses the perception war will lose all wars. Media and communication guru and ex-chief of The SUN newspapers, Mike Awoyinfa, told me in Lagos that the appointments of Adesina and Shehu are very intelligent moves.

“These are not appointments made as favours for political supporters; these are sensible moves. This President needs an army of internet and media support and whatever is done in developed countries of the world should be replicated here to help President Buhari. Adesina and Shehu are very trusted hands who will do a good job”, Awoyinfa told me.

I don’t know what the vision of Buhari’s media team is; I suspect that the social media will be a sizeable gulp of new internet-savvy hands because of its vastness and temerity. Any government can be built up and pulled down through the social media. Barack Obama’s White House a few years ago had about 19 people running the social media arm alone. Internet-savvy aides were drafted to produce a series of videos, digital op-ed, Facebook and Twitter posts to capture a larger audience than the mainstream media’s shrinking number of viewers and readers. These appointments, for me, are signs of good things to come.

During the electioneering, Buhari had promised that he alongside his deputy would decl0are their assets publicly. But when the declaration came in a one-liner press statement, I was unhappy. That was not what many of us had expected. The Code of Conduct Bureau tried to cool down the heat a bit when it said that even though the constitution makes it clear that the agency should make available to the citizens the assets declared by public officials, the same law vested the National Assembly with the power to decide the terms and conditions for making such materials public.

I trust Buhari and Osinbajo that they have nothing to hide now, or trying to shield some information in the future. The President and the deputy should go one step further by making their assets truly public; and it will only reinforce a lifestyle of transparency for which Buhari is known. This should also qualify as a sign of good things to come, but the signs are too fuzzy and hazy. In this area, I score the Presidency just an ordinary pass. Buhari and Osinbajo will lose nothing by letting all his assets hang out for all to see.

Mark, Ekweremadu left N’Assembly without convoy

President of the Senate, David Mark

The outgoing Senate President, David Mark, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, did not drive back to their homes with the usual convoy of exotic vehicles after the valedictory session on Thursday.

The vehicles were parked at the parking spaces allocated to the offices of the principal officers as of 7.05pm while Mark and Ekweremadu were driven away in their personal vehicles without siren.

There are five vehicles each in the convoy of the two principal officers. They included two principal vehicles, two security vehicles, two pilot pick up vans and two power motorbikes each.

A clerk attached to a senate committee, told our correspondent on condition of anonymity, that the it was normal for the principal officers to drop the fleet of vehicles and power motorcycles in their possession since their tenure had ended with the valedictory session held on Thursday.

He said, “The vehicles are property of the National Assembly and the Clerk of the National Assembly, being the chief accounting officer, would account for all the vehicles, hence the man waited after the session to take possession of the vehicles.”

CBN slightly adjusts naira-dollar foreign exchange rate

The Naira and dollar

The Central Bank of Nigeria on Thursday made a slight adjustment to its naira-dollar exchange rate peg, data on its website showed.

The bank adjusted the rate at which it sold the United States dollar from N197 to N196.95, Reuters reports.

Prior to Thursday’s action, the rate had been oscillating between N197 and N199 for a few months.

Economic and financial analysts said the action might indicate that the CBN was beginning to think about how to loosen its currency regime.

They noted that the change was too small to be called a revaluation, particularly in the face of dwindling foreign reserves.

The naira had traded on thin volumes at 198.95 to the dollar on the interbank market on Thursday, before two large sales totalling $36.4m were done at N196.95 towards the close of the forex market, foreign exchange dealers said.

The dealers attributed the sale to the central bank. The naira is trading between 215 and 218 against the dollar at the parallel market.

An economist said the move might suggest that the bank was testing out the market to see whether it was ready for a looser currency regime.

“Small changes in the rate could possibly allow the central bank to gauge the changes in demand and supply dynamics, which will inform decisions on when and how best to start lifting forex restrictions,” an analyst at South Africa’s NKC Independent Economists, Cobus de Hart, said.

The CBN, however, described Thursday’s rate movement as a simple reflection of the state of dollar supply in the market.

“We are not fixing rates. The present rate is a reflection of the level of dollar supply in the market,” the CBN spokesman, Ibrahim Muazu, told Reuters.

Head, Investment and Research, Afrinvest West Africa Limited, an investment research and advisory firm, Mr. Ayodeji Ebo, said the CBN’s action might be linked to the relatively reduced pressure on the external reserves.

“It is a rate adjustment but it is too small to be called a revaluation. The adjustment is too small to cause any pressure on the naira. The CBN feels the action will not affect its defence of the naira,” he said.

A currency strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the adjustment was too small to cause any change in the market.

“It is just about five kobo difference. That is not much. Nothing has changed in the market really,” the analyst said.

Another economist, however, said the move would hurt the country’s precarious forex reserves position.

“By lowering the central bank rate offered to banks albeit very moderately, the central bank is adding to pressures on forex reserves …equivalent to around 4.9 months of imports,” the Head of Research at Ecobank, Angus Downie, said.

The nation’s external reserves had fallen to $29.4bn as of June 2, down 20.1 per cent from a year ago as the central bank burns cash to defend the local currency.

The naira has lost 8.5 per cent of its value since the start of the year after sharp falls in the price of oil. That forced the central bank into a de facto devaluation and fixing of the exchange rate in February in order to protect its dwindling foreign reserves.

The regulator also banned commercial lenders from re-selling central bank dollars among themselves, which was an attempt to curb speculation on the naira.

No N3.2bn severance pay for Jonathan, others till 2016

Former President Goodluck Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan; his deputy, Namadi Sambo; immediate past ministers and presidential aides as well as non-returning federal lawmakers will wait till next year before collecting their severance allowances, investigation by The PUNCH has shown.

Their severance allowances as contained in the remuneration package put together by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is valued at about N3.24bn.

Sources at the Ministry of Finance in Abuja confided in our correspondent on Thursday that the allowances of the political office holder, who left office last Friday, were not captured in this year’s budget.

The 2015 budget, which was passed by the National Assembly and signed by Jonathan on April 28, makes a provision of N2.3bn for “entitlements of former Presidents/Heads of state and Vice Presidents/Chiefs of General Staff.”

Explaining the reason why the severance pay was not captured in this year’s budget, the official said as of last year when the 2015 budget was being prepared, the outcome of the April 2015 elections could not be ascertained.

He said since the outcome of the elections could not be predicted, there was no way the Budget Office could have determined the number of political office holders that would not be re-elected.

The official added, “You will recall that the 2015 budget was prepared sometime last year and during the budget preparation, the elections had not been held.

“So it would be wrong to include the severance package of political office holders in the budget because as of the time the budget was prepared, these people were still holding political offices.

“Secondly, including their severance package before the elections were conducted would mean that we were pre-empting the outcome of a political process.

“So what we do is to wait for the outcome of elections and on the strength of this, we can know the number of people that have left office and those re-elected.

“As for those political office holders that are leaving office this year, their severance package would be included in the 2016 budget, which will be prepared later in the year.”

Under the severance package put together by RMAFC, Jonathan is entitled to 300 per cent of his annual basic salary.

The President’s annual basic salary is put at N3, 514,705 and therefore his severance allowance will be N10, 544,115 after May 29.

The severance allowance is without prejudice to his other constitutional entitlements as a former head of government.

Similarly, Vice-President Sambo, who left office the same day as Jonathan, is entitled to 300 per cent of his annual basic salary put at N3, 031,572.50. This means that his severance allowance after May 29 is N9, 094,717.50.

For having held the office of vice-president, Sambo also has some constitutional entitlements and perks.

About 76 senators are not returning to the National Assembly either because they did not stand for election or because they lost their bids to return. They are however entitled to N462,019,200 at the expiration of their tenure on June 5.

Like Jonathan and Sambo, they are entitled to 300 per cent of their annual basic salaries as severance allowances. This amounts to N6, 079,200 per senator.

In the House of Representatives, about 290 members are not returning to the 8th National Assembly to be proclaimed into existence by Buhari on June 5.

Each of the members is entitled to N5,955,637.50 as severance allowance. This means that the 290 members will be paid N1,727,134,875.

The former ministers, on the other hand, will collect a total of N253,967,212.5. There were 42 ministers in Jonathan’s cabinet. Thirty one of them were senior ministers and 11 ministers of state.

Each of the former senior ministers is entitled to N6,079,200 as severance allowance while each of the ministers of state will receive N5,872,740.

This means that collectively, the senior ministers will get N188,455,200 while collectively, the erstwhile ministers of state will receive N65,512,012.5 .

The aides to the former President, comprising special advisers, senior special assistants and special assistants, will get N775,207,125.

They were 23 of them that worked with the president as special advisers. Apart from this number, however, there were several others estimated at 110, who worked with the vice-president, the wife of the former President and special advisers that were designated either as senior special assistants or special assistants to the President.

This means that there were about 133 aides to the president and each of them is entitled to 300 per cent of their annual basic salary which amounts to N5,828,625 each.