President Buhari Seeks NASS Approval On $29.960bn External Loan


President Muhammadu Buhari has presented a letter to the National Assembly, seeking approval for an external borrowing of $29.960bilion in the 2016 - 2018borrowinng plan.

According to the letter, the borrowing is meant to address the huge infrastructural deficit‎ in the country.

‎”Considering the huge infrastructure deficit currently being experienced in the Country and the enormous financial resources required to fill the gap in the face of dwindling resourced and the inability of our annual budgetary provisions to bridge the infrastructural deficit, it has become necessary to resort to prudent external borrowing to bridge the financial gap which will largely be applied to key infrastructure projects namely: power, railway and roads project among others,” he said.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara who read the President’s letter at the resumption of plenary yesterday, said the plan would be discussed on tomorrow (Thursday) when members would have studies the President’s letter.

The proposed borrowing include Projects and Programmes loan of $11.274billion, $10.686billion forSpecial National Infrastructure Projects ,$4.5billlion Euro Bonds and $3.5billion as Federal Government Budget Support.

“The total cost of the projects and programmes under the Borrowing (Rolling) Plan is $29.960bilion made up of Proposed Projects and Programmes loan of $11.274billion Special National Infrastructure Projects $10.686billion Euro Bonds of $4.5billlion and Federal Government Budget Support of $3.5billion,” he said.

The letter also stated that ‎ $575million would bbe earmarked for various projects in the North East.

“Honourable Members may also wish to know that with the current relative peace and stability in the North East, it has become extremely urgent to start reconstruction and rehabilitation of the region in order to create jobs for the people and rehabilitate the schools to get the children off the streets and into schools. The World Bank has also provided a sum of $450million to assist the FGN in this reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.‎”

“The recent outbreak of polio in the North East is a matter of concern, especially following the recent delisting of Nigeria from the list of polio endemic countries. This therefore calls for urgent and immediate action to stem the tide of the outbreak.

The World Bank has approved a loan in the sum of $125million to the FGN to procure vaccines and other ancillary to stop and eventually eliminate the outbreak.”

‎”$125 millions for Polio Eradication Support and routine immunization Project, $75million for Community and Social Development Project, $125 million for Nigeria States Health Programme Investment Project $ 100 million for State Education Programme Investment Project, another $100million for Nigeria Youth Employment and Social Support Project, and $150 for Fadama III Project.”

‎President Buhari stated further that the borrowing is key to ensuring prompt implementation of of in various sectors, selected based on technical economic evaluation.

‎”I would like to underscore the fact that the projects and programmes in the Borrowing Plan were selected based on positive technical economic evaluations as well as the contribution they would make to the socio-economic development of the country including employment generation and poverty reduction and protection of the most vulnerable and very poor segment of the Nigerian society. The projects and programmes will be implemented in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory,”the president said.

“I wish to refer to the above subject and to submit the attached draft of Federal Government 2016-2018 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan for consideration and early approval by the National Assembly to ensure prompt implementation of the project.”

“The project cut across all sectors with special emphasis on Infrastructure, Agriculture, Health, Education, Water Supply, Growth and Employment Generation, Poverty Reduction through Social Safety Net programmes and Governance and Financial Management Reforms among others. “

BIAFRA: Buhari Appointed His Sister To Try Nnamdi Kanu's Case - IPOB Raises Alarm



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The Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPO has raised alarm over what it described as plans by President Muhammadu Buhari to destroy Nnamdi Kanu by appointing Justice Binta F.M Nyako to decide his case.

Justice John Tsoho who was hearing Kanu’s case had resigned after he was accused of Bias by the lawyer of the director of Radio Biafra.

Daily Post reports that in a statement signed by Comrade Emma Powerful who is the spokesperson of the group, IPOB claimed the judge was Buhari’s sister and would therefore be bias in her judgement. READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu’s case re-assigned to a new judge

He said: “The IPOB raises alarm over the assignment of the new trial judge for Nnamdi Kanu. The appointment of Justice Hajiya Binta F.M Nyako as the trial judge for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case was masterminded by the government President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The appointment came after the harassment and the intimidation of the judges who were working tirelessly to address the country’s injustice, perpetrated by the government of the day in Nigeria.”

“Justice Hajiya Binta F.M Nyako was born on 14th day of May 1959; she is a sister to the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari; her state of origin is Katsina and her local government is Rimi. She became a judge on the 28 day of July 2000, and married to a man from Taraba state.

“The government of Nigeria assigned the case to her to make sure she jails Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who committed no crime against anybody in Nigeria.

“We are calling on international community and other wonderful men and women across the globe to mount their watch on the new trial judge assigned to be handling the case concerning the leader of the indigenous people of Biafra, IPOB.

“Furthermore, we want to let the world understand that she has started by using the same date the ECOWAS court fixed, which is8th of November 2016.

“In line with this, the indigenous people of Biafra IPOB worldwide believe that there is no amount of blackmail, propaganda and intimidation that can stop the agitation for the Biafra, which God Almighty has ordained.”

Wednesday, October 26, 2016
We Can No Longer Create Jobs For Nigerians - Adeosun Confesses



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The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, yesterday, told the Senate that the Federal Government can no longer reasonably employ more people into the public sector and would have to strengthen the private sector for more jobs to be created.

She further said the government would sustain its over N6trillion national budget in the 2017 appropriation bill, expected to be submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari, after the consideration and subsequent approval of the pending 2017—2019 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) by the National Assembly.

Adeosun said this to members of the Senate Committee on Finance, led by its Chairman, John Owan Enoh (PDP) Cross River Central, who were on an oversight visit to her ministry.

“Even when the economy was growing, when GDP was eight and nine, we had a massive unemployment problem especially our graduates. I’m sure most of us know that graduates stayed for up to ten years without jobs and the only sector that was really creating jobs was government and government now, has now has reached its limit, that a 165billion amount, I don’t think government can reasonably employ any more people so we have to develop our private sector and to do that, we need infrastructures.

“So, this government is really set about driving infrastructures and that is what we have been trying to do. Everything we have been trying to do, whether it’s been chasing ghost workers, whether it’s efficiency, it all end on one thing-creating that head road so that we can invest in infrastructures.

“We know that if you build a road, in 40 or 50 years time, it would still be there but when you go for training and you go and come back, it’s over. So, it’s a different kind of demand but we think that it’s the foundation of getting this economy moving and creating jobs for our people. So, we have embarked on that, we have been releasing capitals for roads, for power and for so many things. But we have uncovered some challenges, some of which I think we will be coming back to speak to you as a committee.

“Some of the contractors haven’t been paid since 2012, so they just sat on the money and little can they be blamed because their problem is ‘how do I know that this money I have, I would be able to get another one for the next four years.’ So, while we expect them to go back to sites, in fact, in some cases, the bank even sat on their money, didn’t even allow them access to the money at all. The inspecting activities which everybody thought would be forthcoming has not been forthcoming, we have to solve that problem. I would be coming to talk to you on what we are proposing to do.

“We believe that most people in Nigeria, whether contractors, whether…., are owed something by the federal government and we have to sit down and sort it out. The same problem with the states, they too, are claiming that they are owed, the reason why they can’t pay is that they are owed by the federal government. So we need to have a discussion, deal with the problem so that the economy can move forward.

“There’s good news on the horizon in the sense that the prediction that the oil price will be as low as $20 proved to be false alarm and the prediction now is that the oil price will stabilize between $50 and $60, so what Nigeria now has to do is to balance her books so that if it is $50, even if it is $40, we will be able to balance.

“I want to tell you that most of the initiatives have really elicited a lot of savings. We have been able to reduce our payroll. The first payroll I saw when I came here was N165billion and I think the last one I signed was N165billion, it’s going down every month. We are removing ghost workers, we are removing dead people, we are removing those who should have never been there in the first place and that is a continuous exercise we must keep up.

“Honestly, we believe that government has to be very frugal with public money money because it’s scarce and this money belongs to everybody, so we can’t spend it any how. We have to spend it judiciously. I want to really assure you that we are committed to that because we can say that if we can complete one or two major projects, this economy can change.

“We are working very hard with the Ministry of Transportation on the rail project which will bring rail back from Lagos to Kano. That corridor will open up our agriculture, instead of carrying goods on the roads.

“We believe this will create a lot of jobs for our people. Similarly, we are working with the Ministry of Works for our new major road projects including looking at how we can maybe get some private sector money so that we can do some tar roads because we believe that when somebody spends five hours on the road, on a journey that should take one hour, he has already paid the toll, whether is not in terms of his tyre, or his petrol or his time or his health.

“So, if you ask that person to pay N200 and do that journey in 50 minutes, I don’t think Nigerians would have a problem. What we want is infrastructures.

“We have gotten together another public private initiative – the Family Homes Fund, which is private sector driven and the aim of that fund is to find a finances solution to housing development for low cost housing. Most of the houses are around N700 million or less and people will be able to put down just ten percent and park in and then pay the rest over up to 20 years under mortgage system.

“I want to tell you that I remain very confident about our economy. By this time next year, this economy will become a different economy. Just think within, don’t lose heart, we are going to be able to turn around the economy because now, the oil price is stable, we have stabilized our finances, a lot of the waste has stopped. A lot of the stealing has also stopped so it’s only for us now to start completing some projects.”

Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Bribery Scandal: Agbaje, Agbakoba Call For Amaechi's Resignation



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Senior lawyers are divided on whether or not the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, should step aside, following allegations that he tried to influence the outcome of some election petition cases.

Two justices of the Supreme Court, Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta had accused the minister of offering them bribe to help influence the apex court’s decisions in some election cases.

In separate letters to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, the two accused Amaechi of instigating their ordeal because they refused to deliver judgement in his favour.

The two justices were among the seven judges arrested recently by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS.

Speaking with news men on whether the minister should relinquish his post pending investigation of the bribery allegations made against, a former President, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, said that although the bribery allegation has not been proved, international best practice demands that he should step down pending investigation of the matter.

According to Agbakoba the way the matter is handled will depend on how the President wants people to perceive his fight against corruption.

He said: “International best practice suggest that whenever such allegations are made and you occupy a very serious position, then it is in your interest to take a leave of absence.

“It happened when the minister for defense in Canada was accused of giving a contract to his friend, he stepped aside pending when the matter was investigated.”

Agbakoba wondered why three weeks after the DSS operatives raided the homes of the judges; the Federal Government was yet to file charges against them.

Also speaking on the issue, human rights lawyer, Fred Agbaje, said Amaechi should be suspended from office pending when the allegation is resolved.

He said: “It is a mere allegation until proven against him. He will still have to remain in office. But what government can do for now is that he can be suspended from work until the allegations leveled against him are proven.”

Professor Fidelis Oditah, SAN, wondered why the judges waited until now before raising the bribery allegation.

“Why didn’t they (judges) complain when he told them to miscarry justice? Why did they wait until they were arrested before saying such childish things? Whether it is true or not is now irrelevant,” he said.

Also speaking, Chief Gani Adetola-Kaseem, SAN, said the onus is on the judges to prove the bribery allegation.

He said: “It is an allegation which Amaechi has denied. So, the onus is on the judges to establish the truth. There are consequences for all these because attempted bribery is a crime.

“So, it depends on the evidence they have against him. Right now it’s the judges’ words against Amaechi’s words.”

Similarly, Norrison Quakers, SAN, stated that there was no need for Amaechi to step down as a minister, since Nigeria operates constitutional democracy that says an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“It is a mere allegation that has not been proven; it has not been established. Our law is clear that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“Yes, his name has been mentioned in a bribery scandal. It has not been subjected to any form of investigation, therefore it will be improper for us to draw concussions until the issue is established.

“It is not one that will require his exiting from the government of the day because what the judges said are mere allegations and has to be substantiated and has to be proven.
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“It is when the allegation has been proven and Amaechi is confronted with facts that it will become necessary for such a political officer holder to give up his office.

“You and I know that here in Nigeria; until somebody kicks the person out, nobody will leave government office on account of mere allegation,” he said.

All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State had earlier defended the minister, saying he cannot offer bribe to to buy justice.

The party which claimed that the minister has fear of God, dismissed the allegations that Amaechi had met the two justices to seek favour for APC governorship candidates.

Already, the NBA had asked judges affected to step aside pending the investigation of the matter in order to give the process a level playing field.

In another development, Enugu State House of Assembly yesterday ratified the compulsory retirement of the former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Innocent Umezulike, as recommended by the National Judicial Council, NJC.

This followed a letter brought before the assembly by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for the ratification of the recommendation.

Speaking during the debate, Mr. Sunday Udeokoye (PDP-Awgu North) described the compulsory retirement of Umezuike as ‘painful’ to his constituency.

“Umezulike is from my constituency and he is a sound judge and made an impact as a chief judge.

“It is painful that he had to leave when he still had two years before this unfortunate incident.

“Since it has been backed by law, what happened to Umezulike can happen to anybody and for that we all take the condition in good faith,” he said.

Also speaking, Dr Emeka Ogbuabo (PDP-Isiuzo) said Umezulike was appointed a judge in 1993, but regretted that he did not retire with a national honour.

Umezulike was sanctioned on Septemebr 29 after investigations of abuse of office and corruption by NJC.

The state governor has already appointed Justice Ngozika Emehelu as the Acting Chief Judge.

Ugwuanyi sent the message to the assembly seeking its stand on the compulsory retirement in pursuant to the constitution as amended.

The assembly unanimously agreed on the ground that the constitution backed such punishment for misconduct.

Meanwhile, the Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Ishaq Bello yesterday reiterated his support for the ongoing anti graft war, but added that it should be done in line with laid down rules and procedures.

In an address to mark the commencement of the court’s 2016/2017 legal year in Abuja, Justice Bello solicited the support of relevant agencies in eradicating corruption within the judiciary, adding however that it should be within legal limits and in line with the laid down rules and procedures.

While admitting that the judiciary is going through trying times, Justice Bello said: “I am bold to say that the judiciary is determined to eradicate corruption within its fold and seek support of relevant security agencies.

“However, this should be within the legal limits and in line with the laid down rules and procedures.”

He expressed dissatisfaction with the low utilisation of Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR, by lawyers and litigants and urged lawyers and other court users to embrace the system in order to enjoy the many advantages it offers and to also decongest the court.

He noted that out of the 22,634 cases the court contended with in the 2015/2016 legal year, 9,895 were completely dealt with.

WOW! TRUMP Cleveland Rally Has 1.7 MILLION Views – Hillary Cleveland Rally has 3,825 Views
Posted on October 24, 2016 by DC Watchdog in Featured, News with 0 Comments
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Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton held rallies in Cleveland this past weekend.

Hillary Clinton had a few hundred people show up.

Donald Trump filled a stadium.
trump-cleveland-rally

Now this…
Donald Trump’s Cleveland speech on Facebook has 1.7 million views.

Here are reasons why you need fermented foods like OGIRI, IRU, DAWADAWA, UGBA, YOGHURT etc.
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Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma added 10 new photos.
34 mins ·

And It Came To Pass

I return all the Glory to God for all the wonderful things that happened to us at Innoson Group for the past two days. We were privileged to play host to our Foreign Strategic Partners comprising various Chinese Investment Group which includes;

i. Shangdong Broadcasting Group Ltd
ii. Shangdong Cable Interactive Services Ltd
iii. Inspur Group Ltd

These Consortium of Chinese investors was led by Liu Baoju, a Deputy Minister of Communist Party of China in Shandong Province who is equally the Chairman of Shandong Broadcasting Group and Shandong Cable Interactive Service Ltd, the world’s biggest TV operators and Huang Gang, Senior Vice President of Inspur Group and President of its Oversea Headquarters.

Inspur Group is China’s foremost leader in cloud computer solution supplier and cloud service provider involving all IT applications.

We were privileged to meet the Vice President on Monday Oct 24th 2016 where he received us warmly and assured of the Federal Government for the Investment Projects I and my strategic foreign partners intend to do in Nigeria within the next 12 months.

These projects includes;

Establishing within the next one year, the latest technology and biggest DTH (Direct-To-Home) Digital BING Television Station across all states of Nigeria. BING TV is a new Pay TV to be introduced by Innoson Group.

It must be noted that the only available Direct-To-Home (DTH) service currently operating DTH service in Nigeria is owned by a South-African company and is not affordable to the average Nigerian. With the entrance of BING TV an average Nigerian will now have access and watch their popular programs in high definition picture quality with CD quality sound effects.

Also we shall set up the Innoson Digital Set-Top-Box manufacturing complex, the biggest of its kind in the whole of Africa. This will go a long way to assist Nigeria switchover completely from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting.

With your prayers and support these projects shall come to pass because it shall generate over 10,000 jobs for Nigerians. Let’s keep believing in Nigeria so that we all can put hand to move Nigeria forward.

To God alone be all the Glory
Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma's photo.
Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma's photo.
Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma's photo.
Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma's photo.
Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma's photo.

https://youtu.be/xyIT9Hx7UFw

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