BREAKING: Court Denies Sen. Kalu Bail
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday dismissed the bail request by jailed former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, pending his appeal of a 12 year sentence passed on him early December.
It’s Not A Sin To Borrow – Buhari’s Aide, Garba Shehu
President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Garba Shehu, while speaking with journalists at the weekend in Abuja, also said that it was not wrong for the federal government to borrow more money to finance infrastructure in the country.
“It is not a scandal to borrow, the bad thing about borrowing is when you deployed it to your pocket. This has happened in the past in this country, President Buhari is borrowing to do railway, to do East-West expressway, to do second Niger bridge, to do Mabilla power, to do Abuja-Kano expressway, to do Ajaokuta-Abuja gas pipeline.
“These are projects that are beneficial to the economy, these are basic infrastructure projects – railway, power – without which this country cannot achieve development.
“So, if you ask me, from my own understanding, the problem we have in this country is the revenue issue. We have a revenue problem because we are unable to generate as much money as it is needed to do more capital infrastructure and also service debt.
“Because of the low revenue earnings, people look at the size of our debt repayment and they scream. But government is doing something about this and I’m happy you have seen the change that has happened in FIRS, give them a chance, let see how they would perform. Government is optimistic that things will look upward and the revenue will improve. And once there is inflow that is sufficient to do a lot of these things, we may not even need to borrow,” Shehu said.
CBN Slashes Banks’ ATM Withdrawal Fee
The Central Bank of Nigeria on Sunday reduced the withdrawal fee charged for the use of other banks’ Automated Teller Machines from N65 to N35.
The N35 ATM fee according to the CBN should be imposed on customers after the third withdrawal within one month.
The new directive is part of the major highlights of the new Guide to Bank Charges released by the CBN on Sunday.
“If I Talk About Nigeria, Nobody Will Sleep Again” – TY Danjuma
A former Minister of Defence, retired General Theophilus Danjuma, says if he reveals what is happening in the country, Nigerians will no longer sleep. He spoke yesterday at the University of Ibadan during the launch of a book, 70 Years of Progressive Journalism: The Story of the Nigerian Tribune and the presentation of Tribune’s Platinum Awards.
“So, Chief Ayo Adebanjo’s warning and advice is very timely. If you want details, I will give it to you privately.
“We are in a big hole as nation. And people who put us in this hole have continued today. So, we’ve to wake up. Only we can save ourselves. “The fifth columnists’ activities going on among your people are not helping matters. May Almighty God continue to bless this country, but only we can save ourselves from ourselves.”
Earlier, Adebanjo, an Afenifere leader, had raised the alarm that Yorubaland was in danger, saying “We’ve been submerged.” He said only few governors in the southwest “are responsible for us. They’ve shut down. They cannot face the head of state because of their own shortcomings. “Buhari is not ruling the country. He wants to dominate us. I don’t mince words about it. There’s tyranny in the country. There’s anarchy. When the Head of State said there’s no respect for the rule of law, where are the lawyers? The moment there’s no respect for the rule of law, there’s no government again, there’s anarchy.”
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, said Boko Haram had not been technically defeated as claimed by the Federal Government. The monarch also kicked against the Hate Speech Bill before the Senate.
Nigeria Graduates Unemployable Give Me Sleepless Night – Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the universities in Nigeria to be more proactive in ensuring that their graduates are employable.
He said many Nigerian graduates were being described as unemployable by some employers of labour, saying this was worrisome to his regime.
Buhari stated this at the 31st Convocation of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, on Saturday.
According to him, the present regime considered education as the cornerstone of national development with universities as the pinnacle of education, “being the engine of knowledge generation and dissemination.”
He said, “In today’s globalised knowledge economy in which the wealth, strategic importance and ranking of any country in the comity of nations is determined largely by its knowledge economy index, my expectation is that our universities will use the instrumentality of their tripartite mandates of teaching, research and community engagement to launch Nigeria into an enviable position among nations of the world.
“In this regard, government expects Nigerian universities to produce graduates imbued with the requisite knowledge, competencies, attitudes, and skills to be active role players in our quest for socio-economic and technological development.
“I expect universities to pay serious attention to the less than complimentary assessment of the graduates of our universities by employers of labour. Definitely, we can not be comfortable when products of our citadels of learning are being described as ‘unemployable’, exhibiting lack of job-readiness and so on.”
President Buhari noted that issues of graduate employability and skills are pertinent issues gaining tractions nationally and internationally and are prominent on the front burners of discourse on higher education and the future of work.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Joseph Fuwape, urged the graduating students to remain focused and diligent in order to occupy the prime positions of leadership in the country.
Buhari inaugurates police data centre and electronic surveillance vehicles
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, inaugurated the National Command and Control Centre as well as the first phase of the Nigeria Police Crime and Incident Database Centre at the force headquarters, Abuja.
He also launched electronic surveillance vehicles and civil disorder management trucks acquired by the police to strengthen their crime-fighting capacity.
Buhari commended the force for investing in technologies to combat crimes and promised to support the organisation to procure additional assets.
Senate, Reps May Adjourn Plenary Till Friday Over Senator Ben Uwajumogu’s Death
Following the demise of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu on Wednesday morning, the House of Representatives and indeed, the senate may adjourn plenary till Friday.
Uwajumogu is a serving senator from Imo North Senatorial District.
Reports said he slumped and died while taking his bath.
The essence of the adjournment is to honour the deceased.
It is a tradition to adjourn plenary for one day in the honour of any serving member that loses his life.
The House had planned to proceed for Christmas and New year holidays after tomorrow’s (Thursday) sitting before the news of the senator’s death filtered in.
The two chambers don’t usually hold plenaries on Mondays and Fridays.
The sad occurrence on the eve of adjournment is however seen as a coincidence which may necessitate both chambers to hold sessions at least for closing formalities for the year.
Speaker of the House of Representatives is expected to brief correspondents any moment from now but it is not readily known whether the briefing will dwell on the adjournment.
(Vanguard)
Buhari Swears-in 9 Permanent Secretaries
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday administered oaths of office on nine Federal Permanent Secretaries at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
ABN TV learnt that the Permanent Secretaries were sworn-in in two batches of five and four before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The nine permanent secretaries are: Musa Hassan from Borno State, Ahmed Aliyu (Niger State), Olushola Idowu (Ogun), Andrew Adejoh (North – Central Zone) and Umar Tijjani, North – East Zone.
Others are Dr Nasir Gwarzo (North – West Zone); Nebeolisa victor Anakali (South – East Zone); Fashedemi Temitope Peter (South-West zone) and Dr Evelyn Ngige representing the South – South Zone.
NAN reports that immediately after the swearing-in of the permanent secretaries, the President and cabinet ministers commenced the last FEC meeting for the year.
The Ministries of Petroleum Resources, Internal Affairs, Transportation as well as NAFDAC, NIMASA, NPA, Nigerian Correctional Service and EFCC are among the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) expected to make presentations at the meeting.
(NAN)
BREAKING: Supreme Court Upholds Gov. Udom Emmanuel’s Victory
The Supreme Court in Abuja has uphold the election of Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state.
The apex court in a judgment delivered on Wednesday Dec. 18th, said the case filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacked merit.
The APC candidate Obong Nsima Ekere, in the March 9 governorship election had challenged the victory of Emmanuel, who was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC).
In a judgement delivered by Justice Mary Odili, the court says Ekere’s “appeal lacks merit and its accordingly dismissed.”
BREAKING: Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu Is Dead
Tragedy struck Nigeria’s National assembly this midweek with the death of a serving senator, it has since left the chamber in a sober mood as it is just days before the 2019 Christmas celebration.
Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, Ben Uwajumogu was said to have slumped in the toilet while taking his bath and rushed to a private hospital in Apo, Abuja where he was confirmed dead.
Uwajumogu according to reports was 51 and some sources of also claimed he was initially treated in the United Arab Emirates for a protracted illness and only recently returned after recuperating.
It is expected that the Senate will make a formal announcement on the sad event which has definitely thrown his family into mourning, but a senior aide to the President of the Senate Ahmed Lawan has confirmed the sad event.
Senator Uwajumogu was a member of the ruling All progressives Congress
