Adelani Adepegba, Abuja 

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said more time should be given to Nigerians in the diaspora to register for the bank verification number.

She made the plea in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja in response to the move by the Federal Government to seize monies in accounts without BVN.

The presidential aide in the statement by his media assistant, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, implored the Central Bank to make it possible for all Nigerians in the Diaspora to have their BVN done in their countries of abode.

It said, “Nigerians in the diaspora have been remitting billions of US dollars back to the country on yearly basis, the highest on the continent of Africa, thus contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.

“I hereby appeal to the CBN to look into the challenges the Nigerians living abroad face in getting their BVN done and extend the deadline for them to get it done.”

Dabiri-Erewa also pleaded with the commercial banks to make the procedure easier for their customers, especially those living outside the country, to be able to meet up with the new deadline.

“This is why the Attorney-General of the Federation should intervene in this matter to assist Nigerians living abroad who are disadvantaged by allowing them more time to comply with the BVN directive,” she said. 

Currently, deposits can be made into accounts without BVN but not withdrawals.

The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr Maikanti Baru, has urged members of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group to participate in the forthcoming bid round for 30 marginal oil fields.

A statement by NNPC Spokesperson, Mr Ndu Ughamadu in Abuja on Friday, said Baru made the call when he received a delegation of IPPG, led by its Chairman, Mr Ademola Adeyemi-Bero.

Baru, who said that Federal Government would soon inaugurate the bid, also urged IPPG members to take advantage of the low crude oil price regime to develop their capacity and acquire more technology.

According to him, there are lots of opportunities in the marginal fields which will soon be available.

He also urged IPPG to work closely with the Department of Petroleum Resources to meet the conditions required from the bidders.

“The marginal oil field lease renewal is an opportunity for your group.

“You will need to engage the DPR early in discussion to find out the conditions that the Federal Government is interested in.

“For example, the supply of gas to power plants and fertiliser plants and I think your group will be successful,” Baru advised.

The NNPC GMD also urged IPPG members to ramp up their collective production from 10 per cent of national production to 50 per cent in the next 10 years.

He said the development would increase the footprint of indigenous companies in the upstream sub-sector and the downstream.

The NNPC boss said that the corporation was passionate about collaborating with the indigenous producers to grow their capacity and participation in the exploration and production sub-sector.

This, he said was in line with government’s local content policy.

He said the corporation was proud of IPPG members and looking forward to a time when about 90 per cent of upstream operations in the country would be controlled by them.

Baru also commended members of the group for their productive community engagement which he noted had stemmed pipeline sabotage along the Trans Forcados Pipeline.

He, however, enjoined them to extend the similar gesture to the communities around the other crude oil lines, to help stabilise national production.

Earlier, Adeyemi-Bero said that the group was made up of 25 active indigenous producers.

He said that the members were driven by the passion to support the 12 business focus areas of the current management of NNPC and the seven big wins of the Federal Government.

Adeyemi-Bero thanked the Federal Government for initiating the Joint Venture cash call exit programme, stressing that the move would increase the activities of members of the group in the upstream sub-sector.

IPPG was formed a year ago with the mandate to promote and advance the collective interest of members in a coordinated manner.

It is also a unified advocacy platform for Federal Government policies in the upstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry.

There was pandemonium, weekend, at Ikot Effanga Mkpa, a community on the outskirt of Calabar, Cross River State, when newly wedded couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kabiru Mohammed, aged 32 years and 27 years respectively, died as a result of generator emission in their rented apartment.

The couple, according to reports, got married two months ago in Jos where they were domiciled before relocating to Cross River.

The landlady of the house situated on plot 1, Ikot Effanga Mkpa New Layout, Stella Uruaka, said that she had severally warned the couple to stop using the generator in their apartment since she observed the inclination.

Her words: “I know Kabiru as a truck mechanic from Oyo State and was based in Jos, while the wife, Omowunmi too, was in Jos before she joined him in Calabar after their wedding, two months ago.

“When they packed in newly, about eight weeks ago, they were keeping the generator outside but I do not really know what happened that made them change their mind to be keeping it inside the house.

“Each time they switch on the generator, the noise and smoke usually disturbed me because their bathroom is close to my room. I complained bitterly about the generator, but instead of taking it outside, the couple decided to keep it in their kitchen,” she disclosed.

She said that on that day, they switched on the generator as usual and surprisingly, the generator was on till about 2.00a.m in the early hours of Saturday and then went off.

Call by deceased younger brother: Her daughter, who also spoke to our reporter, said she got a call from Kabiru’s younger brother, Jide, who complained that Kabiru was not picking calls to his phone and asked her to check if he was in.

“I told him I will call him back, but he insisted that I should go and knock on their door, which I did, but no one answered. So I told him that whenever I see them, I will inform him.

“Suddenly, we saw the young boy who normally helped them to sweep the house and do some chores come around with his father and they started calling Kabiru’s phone and then opened the window and saw both of them lying down lifeless in the sitting room, I told the man that they cannot possibly be sleeping.

”So we informed the police and the door was broken and we saw their lifeless bodies in the sitting room, water was already coming out of Kabiru’s mouth, the whole place was still filled with the fume and smoke from the generator and the people, who entered the flat were coughing consistently,” she stated.

Speaking further, she said the police came and asked them to take photographs, but since the cause of death was already established, nothing else was done, their remains were taken back to Jos for burial because they were both Muslims”.

According to her, they were just too young to die in such a tragic manner, the man was 32, while the lady was 27 years old and they had no child yet.

“My mother warned them about the generator they kept inside their apartment, but they did not listen. We are still in shock, my mother is yet to recover from the incident, including the entire neighbourhood, Ikot Effanga Mkpa I community, it is a big tragedy,” she bemoaned.

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources and President Muhammau Buhari’s associate, Tam David West, has opined that President Muhammadu Buhari will shock Nigerians positively when he returns from his medical trip to London hale and hearty.

Tam-West said contrary to claims by some Nigerians, he knew that the President was alive and recuperating well.

Speaking with Sun, the former Minister also said Buhari, upon arrival, may shock Nigerians with cabinet reshuffle and a major re-thinking of method of governance.

“Many Nigerians are complaining that since President Muhammadu Buhari travelled to London on medical trip, things have not been going in the right direction, especially in the political arena. Many Nigerians seem to have been frustrated. So, what are the shockers Nigerians should expect from him when he returns to the country?

“First, when Buhari comes to the country, Nigerians will be shocked. Have you ever seen a dead man coming back alive?

Many people have been saying he has died, I don’t care for them because I have contact with him every week; and I know what is happening every week. When they said Buhari had died, I said they were talking rubbish because I have evidence that he is alive.

“All of the people that are talking stupidly, if you want to be responsible, make a statement based on facts. They have no facts. Look, I have latest evidence two days ago, the man is healthy and alive. How are they going to be shocked?

“They will be shocked because he will come back alive, which will be the first shock. They will also be shocked that he will come back hale and healthy. They will be shocked that when he comes back, he will be the same Buhari that those that know him know – he is so humorous; intellectual Buhari. They carried rumour that he had died and he’s in the mortuary. Muslims don’t put their dead ones in the mortuary.

“Then, his wife went to see him. She came back and said she saw her husband and thanked all the people that were praying for him. But sceptical Nigerians, useless and wicked Nigerians said ‘how do we know that his wife saw him?’ She said ‘ I saw my husband and you are still doubting him.

“Then, they said he could not talk again. He addressed the nation on Sallah. They also said he addressed the nation in Hausa, not in English. Before that time, they said he could not speak. Now, the latest one, the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who is the acting president presently has gone to London and said he talked with the President for over one hour.

“He said Buhari was busy cracking hilarious jokes. They will be shocked because all the evil things they wished him, will never come true. They will be shocked because when he returns, it is not likely to be as usual.

“Second, I have this strong feeling that when Buhari comes back, there will be a major re-thinking of governance method. I trust that he will do cabinet reshuffle. But cabinet reshuffle is just a little normal thing. I think that a major re-thinking of method of governance is the only way left for us to turn the table round, and get back the confidence of the people.”

Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has blamed the withdrawal of government subventions for political parties on abuse, noting that it was still inadvisable to reintroduce it.

Ekweremadu also said that high level consultations were in top gear to obtain the views of critical stakeholders about the ongoing constitution review.

He spoke when the Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC) visited him at the weekend on the ongoing constitution amendment.

He said: “Giving subvention to political parties was the case in the past. But, we had to amend the constitution to remove that, the reason being that it was thoroughly abused by some people.

“They register a political party and wait for election. Government gives them subvention, then they put it in their pockets and make no efforts to win. To them, political parties are platforms for making cool money from the government”.

Rather than government funding, Ekweremadu urged political parties to agitate for the introduction of proportional representation to widen political representation in the legislature, which would in turn help smaller political parties to thrive.

“When this is done, instead of first-past-the-post system where a party that pulls the highest number of votes, even by a single vote, takes the parliamentary seat, while the other parties go home empty-handed, no matter how well they performed, parties will now be allocated parliamentary seats based on the percentage of the total votes they garnered in an election.

“That way, smaller parties will be accommodated in the parliament. They will know that they will not go empty-handed if they work hard”, he added.

Meanwhile, he said the National Assembly was holding consultations with some critical stakeholders to ensure a smooth sail of the constitution amendment exercise and an outcome that will be tune with the aspirations of Nigerians.

“For instance, we have gone to the judiciary. We have gone to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders asking them to express their views.

“We got a lot of responses. So, we are going ahead, and your visit today will help to shape the final document, which we will present to the Senate”, he continued.

Ekweremadu, who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Constitution Review, said that, the current consultations would culminate in a joint retreat in a few weeks to enable members of the Senate and House Committees on Constitution Review to reach consensus on issues slated for amendment.

He said that representatives of the State Houses of Assembly would be part of the retreat to arm them with firsthand knowledge of the thrusts of the proposed amendments ahead of the transmission of the Alteration Bills to them for approval.

He explained that the current exercise drew substantially from the failed Fourth Alteration Bill, and that proposed amendments would be drafted into several Alteration Bills to avoid a situation where the rejection of one amendment could lead to the death of the entire amendments.

Earlier in his address, the National Chairman of IPAC, Hon. Mohammed Nalado, said IPAC was making efforts, with the support of the International Republican Institute (IRI), United States Aid Agency (USAID), Political Party Policy and Leadership Development Centre, among others, to faciliate electoral reforms that would guarantee free, fair, credible and transparent electoral process.

It also requested the National Assembly to consider amending the constitution to reintroduce government funding of political parties, reduction of age limit for elections, and cause persons who cross-carpet to lose their seats.

The governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has given an explanation on why the May 30th sit-at-home order given by leader of the Indeginous People of Biafra, IPOB, was successful.

According to Okorocha, the order appeared to be largely successful because most traders in the South East region were afraid that hoodlums might take advantage of the moment to destroy their properties and loot their shops. ‎

He also said that non-traders decided to take 30th May as an extension of the Democracy day holiday which took place a day before the IPOB order.

Speaking at a press conference in the state capital Owerri yesterday, Okorocha said: “Let me correct the impression that the South East supported the seat at home order by IPOB. It is not true.

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“Two factors that contributed to why it looks like there was seeming response to the seat at home order.

“One, the seat at home order by IPOB came shortly a day after democracy day and our people in their natural characteristic and behavior, would want to enjoy holidays as much as it can be extended.

“Secondly, the traders had fear all over the country of hoodlums taking advantage of the moment to destroy their goods and properties. So it is not true that the seat at home order was purposely obeyed as a mark of support for IPOB.

“Those who sat at home was not as a mark of support for IPOB. It was either for fear of being molested or also used that as an excuse to enjoy some extension of the holiday”.

No fewer than 290,000 applications hit the N-Power job portal on Friday, just three days after the portal was opened, a Presidential aide said on Friday.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation, Afolabi Imoukhuede, gave the information during an interactive session with the first batch of the scheme’s beneficiaries in Edo State at the Urhokpota Hall, Benin City.

According to Imoukhuede, 200,000 graduates are already participating in the scheme, while the next batch of 300,000 will be engaged from the new applicants.

He said: “The recruitment portal opened on Wednesday and 290,000 applications have entered as at this morning.

“The next recruitment will be very competitive.

“If we do validation of data and any applicant fails at the point of recruitment, he or she has lost the chance,”

He expressed displeasure with the wave of wrong data fed into the portal by graduate applicants and said such problems were discouraging.

Imoukhuede told the volunteers that while the scheme was making efforts to assist them to validate their entries, it would not do same for the next batch of recruits.

He said: “The Federal Government is spending N6 billion on stipends to current beneficiaries every month and the amount is not a child’s play.

“It is a lifeline to lift you out of unemployment and out of poverty.

“This is a serious business to reduce unemployment and you have to maximize this chance.”

The SSA advised applicants to file their applications by themselves and ensure that the information asked for in the application is correct and verifiable.

He acknowledged the challenges encountered by volunteers in the scheme, which were largely caused by them, and called on the new applicants to ensure that they did not make same mistakes.

Imoukhuede also said that many of the applicants residing in the rural areas stood better chance of being recruited as emphasis would be on residence of the applicants to curb rural-urban migration.

He said: “We do not encourage state re-deployment because the scheme is unlike the National Youth Service Corps.

“Anyone who is not ready to do volunteer job in his state of domicile should not bother to apply.”

The Presidential aide announced that deployment of the non-graduate applicants successful from the screening of applications received in 2016 would be done in batches from July/August 2017.

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday presented certificates of registration to the five newly-registered political parties in the country.

The parties are: Action Democratic Party, All Democratic People’s Movement, Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance, New Generation Party of Nigeria and Young Progressive Party.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, while presenting the certificates to the parties in Abuja, urged them not to consider their registration as an end in itself.

Yakubu said that the registration should be seen as opportunity for the political parties to exercise their critical roles in the best interest of growing the country’s democracy.

He said: “As you are aware, political parties are at the heart of our democracy. Under the Constitution, no Nigerian can contest an election conducted by lNEC unless he/she is sponsored by a political party.

“Similarly, under the Constitution, you are registered to operate as national political parties.

“As such, you should remain committed to the politics of principles and development of the entire nation as articulated in your party constitutions and manifestos which you submitted along with your applications for registration.

“You must eschew the politics of division, bitterness, mud-slinging and hatred.

“You must also be inclusive in all your activities by giving opportunity to all citizens, especially disadvantaged groups such as women, youths and persons with disabilities.”

Yakubu assured that the new parties would enjoy equal rights and privileges of recognised political parties under the Constitution, the Electoral Act as well as INEC’s regulations and guidelines.

He assured: “At some time, the commission will continue to strictly monitor the activities of all political parties and will not hesitate to apply sanctions against any violation of the law governing the terms and conditions of your registration.

“I wish to remind all political parties that the law also provides for de-registration of parties. We shall vigorously apply this aspect of the law as the need arises.’’

The chairman said that INEC would pay special attention to the conduct of political parties during outstanding bye-elections and the three governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States.

Yakubu said: “The commission will pay special attention to the conduct of political parties as well as their candidates and supporters.

“Hate speech and other violations of the Electoral Acts attract appropriate sanctions under the law.”

He disclosed that the commission received three additional applications from associations seeking registration as political parties.

He said: “This means that the commission is currently processing 103 applications.

“Out of this number, six associations are currently undergoing the initial assessment of their logos, names, acronyms and other legal requirements for registration.

“Thirty-three associations have passed the initial assessment and advised to proceed with the necessary documentation in support of their applications.

“Ten associations have passed the initial assessment, submitted the necessary documentation and the Commission is currently verifying their submissions.

“Finally, 54 associations have failed the initial assessment due mainly to the similarity of their proposed names or logos with existing political parties or associations.”

Yakubu said that the commission would continue to give expeditious consideration to all applications in line with the requirements of the law.

On his part, Mohammad Nalado, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, commended INEC for registering the five political parties, while congratulating the new parties.

Nalado urged Nigerians willing to go into politics to study the country’s Constitution and parties’ manifestoes to see if there was any party they could work with.

He said: “What is happening now is a good development. It is also good to consider how we can make it easier for the electorate when they want to make their choice when it comes to voting.

“I am sure that if the list is too long it will be very difficult for the electorate to make a very good choice.’’

The People’s Republic of China on Monday donated N60 million to support the Future Assured Initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha Buhari.

The official presentation of the cheque was performed by the Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission, Lin Jing, who represented the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pinjian, at the State House in Abuja.

Mr Pinjian said the gesture was part of the Chinese commitment to assist Mrs Buhari’s efforts in addressing the challenges faced by the victims of insurgency in the North East.

He also said the Chinese government appreciated the effort of Future Assured programme in tackling malnutrition, maternal and child mortality as well as social problems facing vulnerable group in Nigeria.

The Chinese Ambassador assured the wife of the president of their continued support toward improving health and well-being of women and children in Nigeria.

Mr. Pinjian, who expressed Chinese’s appreciation to the long standing relationship between Nigeria and China, promised their continued support to Mrs. Buhari’s pet project as it affects the vulnerable in the society.

He, therefore, used the occasion to convey the goodwill message of Chinese President Mr Xi Jinping, to President Buhari and prayed that almighty God grant him good health and return to Nigeria safely.

While receiving the cheque, Mrs. Buhari expressed appreciation to the People’s Republic of China for identifying with the less privileged group in Nigeria.

Mrs. Buhari, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Hajo Sani, said since the inception of this current administration, the Future Assured Programme had made several interventions in the provision of relief materials to the IDPs in the North East.

Mrs. Buhari said the Chinese donation would go a long way in assisting the victims of insurgency in the North East and the Lake Chad region.

The wife of the President thanked the Chinese government for making such a huge humanitarian effort.

According to her, the N60 million donation made by the Chinese government was the highest ever made to the pet project by any international body.

She said that the gesture was aim at strengthening the activities of Mrs. Buhari’s Future Assured Programme.

“All the activities of Future Assured is based on humanitarian services and it is on this respect that the Peoples Republic of China decided to come on their own to make this donation,” she said.

She, therefore, encouraged well-meaning Nigerians to support the less privileged, especially those affected by the Boko Haram crisis.

Ex-BBNaija Housemate, Bally continues his work after leaving the house as reached out to people in IDP Camp in Kafanchan, in his home state, Kaduna.

Bally distributed bags of rice and other items to them.

See more photos below:

Nasarawa State Police Command has confirmed that a policeman, Sgt. Thomas Agada, has committed suicide after shooting his wife and maid.

The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday at Masaka in Karu Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s spokesman, Mr. Kennedy Idirisu, told newsmen in Lafia that late Agada served at the Police command in the FCT, but resided at Masaka, where the incident occurred.

Idirisu explained that before killing himself, the deceased had shot and injured his wife and maid at their shop around De Memories Hotel in Masaka.

He said the wife and maid were currently receiving treatment at the Asokoro General Hospital in the FCT, adding that investigation had begun to ascertain the motive behind the shooting.

“We cannot say for sure now what could have led to the dastardly act but we believe that the wife, currently being treated would be of great help to our investigation, once she stabilises,” Idirisu said.

Police on Monday arrested three Chinese nationals in Thailand after being nabbed with 474 iPhones and nearly 350,000 SIM cards which they used to manipulate product information on WeChat.

Police officer Wassapan Sirikulkamonchat said in addition to the iPhones and SIM cards, police also found 21 SIM card readers and nine computers in the raid at their apartment.

He said the three reportedly confessed that they were hired to falsify the popularity of certain WeChat pages selling products in China by boosting social media “likes’’ and page views.

WeChat is a Chinese social media app with almost a billion users.

Wassapan said that Wang Dong, 33, Niu Bang, 25 and Ni Wenjin, 31, were arrested in Sa Kaeo province, 200 km east of Bangkok, following a tip-off by locals who suspected them of working illegally in Thailand.

The three were charged with working without a permit in Thailand and smuggling electronic gadgets from China.

He said they are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

The officer said that although working without a permit in Thailand could lead to five years in prison, the three men are likely to only pay fines related to their charges and be deported back to China.

Those who were not born before June 12, 1993, may not know what is all about. For record purposes, June 12, 1993, was the day Nigerians from the East, West, North and rose voice, in amity, in unity, in concord and tandem to elect Chief M.K.O as the president of Nigeria. But on 21st June 1993 the former military president, retired General Ibrahim Babangida annulled the historic election and set Nigeria on the path of crisis, leading to many deaths including the winner and the wife , Kudrirat Abiola.

In my book, Heroes of Democracy (1999) the struggle for the revalidation of that mandate and the consequences was documented for posterity and generations yet unborn. Today I want to talk about the historical importance of that election, the pains, the sacrifices, the losses and the lessons.

Recall that the consummate winner of that historic election, a Yoruba first class leader, a Chartered Accountant of note, an international scholar, and a very successful businessman was hounded and incarcerated for five years and was eventually poisoned on July 7, 1998.

The wife, Kudirat Abiola was shot in Lagos on June 4, 1996. It was a calculated attempt and carefully planned work to provoke the Yoruba to war in order to destroy the economy Lagos but did Yorubas play into their hands? NO! A lot of high profile Yoruba leaders including the late Chief Abraham Adesanya, the late Chief Bola Ige, Ayo Adebanjo, late Olaniwun Ajayi, Ayo Opadokun and others were incarcerated, some like Suliat Adedeji, Admiral Omotosho , Admiral Elegbede, Toyin Onagoruwa etc were killed. Former president OBASANJO was sent to jail for an alleged phantom coup.

Great minds like Professor Wole Soyinka, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kayode Fayemi and many others were chased into exile .Yoruba leaders were abused, humiliated and ridiculed but did they resort to self-determination, abuse, hatred and ethnic bigotry? No! with pen and paper, and with common sense, sound education and civilization they faced those who planned to decimate them.

No wonder the presidency was zoned to them in 1999 even though they did not allow them to use their choice, Chief Olu Falae. The powers that be chose Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. That singular mistake almost made Nigeria to lose almost everything in 16 years of PDP. Obasanjo was not prepared for leadership. He just came out from prison with no agenda, no plans, no strategy.

Then came the late Umaru Yar Adua who died in office and then Jonathan and in those 16 years Nigeria, many including this writer still talk about it as the years of the locusts. Now the questions people like us have been asking is whether Nigeria would have been where it is today had Chief Abiola been allowed to rule Nigeria at least for 8 years? Abiola would have brought to bear his cognate and very deep experience in the business world to transform Nigeria.

Chief Abiola would have set the template for a prosperous Nigeria, he would have brought the hope he promised Nigerians, he would utilized our oil revenue to transform Nigeria as a Chartered Accountant and he would have changed for the better Nigeria’s course of history.

Denying Chief Abiola his mandate caused Nigeria a great and monumental setback in 18 years .Today 24 years after, the annulment of that mandate is still haunting Nigeria.

What happened from June 12, 1993, to July 7, 1998, provoked the Yoruba nation to hate other Nigerians especially the Hausa- Fulani and Igbo for decimating a free mandate given to their illustrious son and killing him thereafter. But did the Yoruba go to war? Today southwest is the richest zone in Nigeria. In fact, the IGR of Ogun state is bigger than that of the entire South East States. Lagos IGR is bigger than that of 33 states in Nigeria put together.

If Yoruba had gone to war where would they have been today? What would have happened if Igbo or Hausa-Fulani had suffered what Yoruba went through? I have no doubt in my mind that they would have gone to war but see what tact, common sense, education, intelligence, civilization and power of critical thinking can do in the life of a wise people.

The same Yoruba was later to form an alliance with Hausa – Fulani in 2014 to box Igbo and their collaborators in the South South to a corner in 2015 general elections.

Now, what are the lessons? There are no permanent foes or friends in politics. If you can wait and not tired of waiting the world and everything in it belong to you. Chief Abiola would have given up his mandate and still be alive but he chose the path of human dignity to liberate his people.

Chief Abiola’s supreme sacrifice gave rise to May 29 we now celebrate as Democracy Day. I do not know any Nigerian multi-billionaire today who will do what Chief Abiola did yet other people think Yorubas are cowards. Perish the thought. They are the toughest and most advanced Nigerians I know today.

Today, is South West not better than those who seek to humiliate and destroy them? Those who seek to destroy and decimate others suffer more than their victims. June 12 lives on. Chief M.K.O Abiola lives on

Solomon Dalung, Minister of Youth and Sports on Monday redeployed some sports federation secretaries to ensure a smooth electoral process. Dalung said that the redeployment was transitional aimed at ensuring a hitch free election. He made the announcement while inaugurating the electoral committee for the 2017 National Sports Federations election billed for Tuesday in Abuja.…

Abuja: Barely a few hours after receiving the nod from President Muhammadu Buhari, the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has signed the 2017 appropriation bill into law.

Prof Osinbajo signed the budget at about 4:40 p.m. on Monday inside his conference room in the presence of the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari; Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Ministers and other top government officials with the final figure of N 7.44 trillion presented by the National Assembly.

The acting president, who described the budget signing as a milestone in the implementation of the economic and growth plan programme put in place by Mr. Buhari in April, also noted that it had fewer errors than that of last year.

“There were far few cases of acrimony unlike in the past. There is no doubt at all that our democracy is maturing very well,” Osinbajo noted.

Earlier today, the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has confirmed that his principal had asked Osinbajo to assent to the budget.

Shehu, in a statement in Abuja, said that the president conveyed his position to Prof. Osinbajo in a letter dated June 10, 2017, which he personally signed.

The statement reads, “Following the receipt of a full brief on the 2017 Appropriation Bill as passed by the National Assembly, and to buttress the unity at the highest level of government, President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated that it is in the interest of the nation’s economy for the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to sign the Appropriation Bill into law.

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“In a letter dated June 10, 2017, which he personally signed and addressed to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, the President also said he was ‘pleased by the joint resolution that the Executive would submit next year’s budget proposals by October 2017 and the National Assembly will conclude the Appropriation process by December 2017, so that the country can return to a normal fiscal period from next year onwards.’”

The development confirms Vanguard exclusive story on Friday, in which the paper reported that all the issues that led to the delay in signing the budget by the Presidency had been resolved between it and the National Assembly.

The report said, “After three days of stormy deliberations over the belated 2017 budget, the Presidency and the National Assembly have resolved all the grey areas that prevented the President from assenting to the appropriation bill passed into law by the legislature last month.”

The paper quoted a top presidency source, who confirmed that the major areas of disagreement had been resolved by the two sides, paving the way for the President to assent to the bill.

“As a result of the deal struck by both parties, there were indications that the President would assent to the bill before the end of this week, although the presidential source simply said, ‘we will sign it soon’, declining to specify the date and time.

The meetings by the Presidency and the leadership of the NASS took place on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday last week before the areas of conflict were resolved, according to competent sources close to the deal.

Vanguard learnt that as part of the understanding between the two sides, the lawmakers would not insist on the full implementation of the ‘over 400 strange projects’ which the lawmakers brought into the budget and would also not accuse the Executive of not complying with the implementation of the law.

“It is true that all the contentious issues that delayed the President’s assent had been resolved. Hopefully, it the president will assent to the budget soon,” the official confirmed to Vanguard on Thursday night.

It was learnt that the lawmakers had also accepted that money taken away from major infrastructure projects by the lawmakers and added to other obscure projects, be returned to those projects as outlined by President Muhammadu Buhari in the budget sent to the NASS even though the president would sign the bill as transmitted to him by the NASS.

The Presidency had frowned at the insertion of strange projects mostly roads, health centres, recreational centres, water and electricity schemes which are under state and local governments that were never evaluated, designed or included in the federal government.

The executive was also upset that while NASS slashed the votes for other vital projects and MDAS, it jerked its own votes from N115 billion to N125 billion even with the hard times.

Beyond that NASS also increased the budget by N143 billion without explaining where the additional cash would be derived from, a development that made the executive to distance itself from the fiscal document, contending that the ‘distortions’ would adversely affect the implementation of the budget.

It will be recalled that the Executive proposed a budget of N7.3 trillion in December 2016 but the NASS jerked it to N7.44 trillion.

This is to inform the general public that applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for admission into 100 and 200 levels undergraduate degree programmes of the Edo University Iyamho on Full -Time basis for the 2017/18 academic session. Edo University’s Undergraduate Programmes  Faculty of Arts, Management and Social Sciences Accounting Banking and Finance Business 

The Federal Government has told Nigerians without meters to stop paying for electricity consumed.

It said this followed the expiration of the ultimatum given to the Distribution Companies to meter their customers.

The directive, which was handed down by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, also has it that no DISCO should disconnect any customer for not paying for estimated bills.

In the statement dated June 7, 2017 on the website of the NERC, channels of reporting any DISCO on the issue was also provided, including telephone numbers.

The statement reads in full: “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (“NERC” or the “Commission”) was established by section 31 of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) as the regulator of the Nigerian Electric Supply Industry (NESI).

“The Commission is mandated by section 32(b) of EPSRA to maximise access to electricity services by promoting and facilitating consumer connection to electricity distribution networks in both rural and urban areas. The Regulation on Connection and Disconnection Procedures for Electricity Services, 2007 provides for the connection of customers to electricity distribution networks by distribution companies.

“Maximum Demand (MD) meters are used by commercial and industrial customers who consume high levels of electricity and contribute substantially to the revenues of distribution companies. The consumption threshold for MD customers is 45KVA.

“A directive was issued to distribution companies by the Commission in June 2016 for all MD customers to be metered by 30 November 2016.

“The Commission received appeals on compliance deadline from distribution companies prior to the expiration of the 30 November 2016 deadline. The deadline was extended to 1 March 2017 after consideration of appeals received from distribution companies.

“Upon due consideration of facts above and the expiration of the compliance deadline granted to distribution companies on the metering of MD customers; the Commission hereby directs as follows –

1. Any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 shall not pay any electricity bill presented by a distribution company on the basis of estimated billing methodology and these customers are advised to report this to the Commission.

2. No distribution company shall disconnect any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 on the basis of the customer’s refusal to pay a bill issued after the compliance deadline on the basis of estimated billing methodology.

3. Any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 should notify the Commission directly –

Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission

Adamawa Plaza

Plot 1099 First Avenue

Off Shehu Shagari Way

Central Business District

Abuja

info@nerc.gov.ng

complaints@nerc.gov.ng

234 9 462 1424

234 9 462 1414.

Three gunmen believed to be armed robbers have invaded the Owerri residence of the media aide to Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, representing Imo North, Emeka Ahaneku.

The attack came a few days after he returned to the state capital from Abuja to see his family.

Speaking on Friday, the lawmaker’s aide said that the gunmen gained access into his apartment after breaking through one of the windows in the early hours of Friday.

According to him, the gunmen, who he said were not masked, having gained access to his house ordered him, his wife and children to lie on their stomachs, while they ransacked his rooms, and carted away valuables.

He said that his properties, his work gadgets, including his phones and computers were made away with by the thieves.

However, Ahaneku said that himself and members of his family were not harmed, but decried the number of documents the robbers took away.

Asked if the robbery had political undertone, the All Progressives Congress member said that he could not speak on that, saying he had no political scores to settle with anybody.

Human Right lawyer Femi Falana says June 12 should not be seen as a Yoruba struggle but a national movement that gave birth to the 18 years of uninterrupted democratic in Nigeria.

Falana made this known at a public lecture to mark the 24th anniversary of the June 12 presidential election tagged: ‘Hope ’93: Dream Deferred’ on Monday in Akure.

The event was organised by the Ondo State Government on the presidential election presumed to be won by the late Moshood Abiola, which was annulled.

He described June 12 as a national movement, saying, “it is wrong for any Nigerian to tag it a Yoruba struggle”.

Falana was quick to advocate for proper restructuring of Nigeria, which he described as not negotiable.

He said that political restructuring without economic restructuring was not the solution to the under-development of the country.

Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, said that June 12 struggle remained a special day in the nation’s political history.

Akeredolu said that many believed that the June 12 phenomenon transcended the individuality of Moshood Abiola and should not be forgotten.

He announced the renaming of the Democracy Park in Akure as the MKO Abiola Democracy Park, saying that the meeting was not a political gathering.