CBN extends deadline for BVN registration to October 31st

 

US gay marriage: Robert Mugabe asks Obama to marry him

    Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has challenged US President Barack Obama by asking his hand in marriage. His comment comes at the back of the legalization of gay marriage in the US by the Supreme Court. During Mugabe's weekly radio interview with Zimbabwe’s national radio last Saturday,

NDLEA Discovers 3 Drug Labs Worth Billions In Anambra - Photos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) has arrested an international drug peddler from Ozobulu, Anambra state. The agency discovered three clandestine laboratories used for illegal production of methamphetamine built by the dealer Chukwunwendu Sylvester Ikejiakwu , aka Blessed,.
 

Buhari reportedly orders arrest of wife's younger brother for extorting N300m from a businessman

 

According to a report by Sahara Reporters, President Buhari last Monday June 22nd ordered the arrest of one Musa Yola ( pictured above), said to be the immediate younger brother of his wife, Aisha, for extorting N300 million from an unnamed

Michael Jackson Has Made $2 billion Since His Death

  Ever since pop star Michael Jackson passed away, a fortune has reportedly been made from his name.

Same s*x Marriage Legalized In All 50 States Of America

 

The US Supreme Court on June 26th ruled that same-s*x marriages must be recognized in all 50 states of the United States of America. Texas will probably appeal.

Google To Bring Free Wi-Fi To The World!

  Google is rolling out free wifi in New York as part of a trial the company hopes will eventually span across the whole of the world.

Watch video from the bank robbery at Ikorodu yesterday

  You can watch the video by clicking this link below
 Vid 1.    https://youtu.be/6xEAnDFwlDM

Vid 2.   https://youtu.be/kR4Qf3mmJDA

Photos: Men arrested for stealing goats in Ondo state

 

Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) reportedly arrests this men pictured for stealing goats in Ondo state.

Buhari orders the dismantling of military checkpoints nationwide

 

Meet Man Who Locked His Head In A Cage To Quit Smoking During Ramadan

 

The young man, in other to participate fully in Ramadan, without any form of distraction has taken steps to quit smoking during the period.….

    Ramadan is ninth month of the Islamic

Presidency Orders Sack Of Civil Servants With 30 Years In Service And Above

  Civil servants who have served up to 30 years may have to leave the service before the end of 2015, this is to pave way for fresh bloods into the system as a way of ensuring maximal output and restructuring of the civil

Mob On Allen Avenue Lagos About To Burn A Car Thief Caught In The Act

 
   A thief was caught on the street this afternoon. He broke into a parked Toyota High

Nigeria Picks Kogi, Akwa Ibom For Nuclear Power Plants

 

Nigeria has selected two sites for the construction of its planned nuclear power plants, as Africa’s biggest economy tries to end decades of elect

MUST READ- Teenager narrates how she was gang raped by her 3 most trusted friends

   3 friends Habeeb Adisa (25), Kehinde Aderinoye (25) and Ilyas Ogundimu (27) raped one of their female neighbours, a young woman,who was a close friends. This incident happened in a neighbourhood in Iju area of Lagos.

   The victim, 19-year-old

Photo: Baby factory with 9 pregnant young girls discovered in Enugu

      A baby factory was uncovered on June 13th in Etiti, Amankwo-Ngwo Udi Local Government Area of Enugu state by men of the 9th Mile Division of Enugu Police command. The baby factory which

Bauchi state govt seize 22 vehicles from wives of immediate past governor, Isa Yuguda

   

Bauchi govt seize 22 vehicles from wives of immediate past governor, Isa Yuguda

Man Rapes And Killes His Own Mother While High On Drugs

 A 27-year-old man raped and brutally killed his own mother while drunk and

Fraudster Dupes Girl Of N14,000 Inside GTBank Lagos

    A fraudster on Wednesday duped a young lady of N14,000 at the Guaranty Trust Bank, GTB, Allen Avenue branch, Ikeja, in Lagos.

Man kills 9 at Black church in south carolina

 

   Dylann Roof, 21, entered a South Carolina church last night and massacred nine people at their weekly bible study meeting.

Senator Dino Melaye Shows Off His Wealth

Nigerian
Senator Dino Melaye shows off wealth on twitter pics below

EFCC arrests Former Imo state governor, Ikedi Ohakim

   

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has reportedly arrested former Imo state governor, Ikedi Ohakim.

Dangote banks on refinery to buy Arsenal

 

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, who has expressed an interest in buying Arsenal, has told the BBC that he would be in a better position to buy the team as soon as the refinery he is building in Ondo State is completed and begins production.

Some Lies We Believed While Growing Up

We grew up with the following believes .....…

All soft drinks are called minerals.

 All Fathers took first position while at school.

 India beat nigeria 99-1 because the ball was turned into a Lion.

 If your wealth starts reducing, it’s your village people who are doing you.

 Rice and stew… every Sunday afternoon.

 Every commodity outside Africa is original.

 Anybody with HIV/AIDS got it via s*x.

 Every seasoning cube is called Maggi.

 You must finish the eba/amala/fufu before you touch the meat. 
 
Every toothpaste is called Macleans.

  Every insecticide is called a Fleet.

 Every detergent is called Omo.

 Any rich Hausa man is an ‘Alhaji’ .Anyone who smokes is an armed robber.

 If you find some money on the floor, pee on it before picking it up, else you turn into a tuber of Yam! Only science students are smart.

    You must buy bread when traveling.

 When you lose a tooth, throw it on the rooftop of the house and run round the house 7 times.

  Any insects that bites you at night are definitely mosquitoes. Any plane passing across the skies are going to America.
 LOLZ

 Add yours!!!

There's a limit to what I can do at 72 ---Buhari

 

 PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has expressed regrets that he did not become the president at a younger age as there is a limit to what he can do at the age of 72.
     He made the assertion on Monday while addressing members of the Nigerian community in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he also vowed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will “kill” corruption in the country. The president, who recalled his times as state governor, petroleum minister and military head of state, also explained that he repeatedly contested the presidency because of his belief in the practicability of conducting free and fair election in the country.

  He expressed confidence in the unity of the country, saying that even though there are some ‘crazy’ people who talk about the disintegration of the country, the country will never break up. Buhari stated: “How I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor, just a few years as a young man. Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.
    “But what brought me there I think mainly is because I love this country. I was in the war front for 30 months during the civil war. I lost a lot of loyal people to me, I lost relatives. A lot of Nigerians did too.
 
 “We lost about two million Nigerians just to keep Nigeria one. So, nobody should come now and tell us rubbish. We are going to remain one country. God has given us another opportunity to reorganise this country. Those who work hard, the society will pay them back.”
He said he had been told that there were 83 Nigerians in South African jails, disclosing that he would discuss the matter with President Jacob Zuma during his planned visit to Nigeria in the near future. Buhari also revealed that he would inquire from the South African president about the whereabouts of the $9.7 million the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration had transferred to South Africa for the botched arms purchase.
    The president added: “I refused to speak from this draft speech because I wanted to speak to you from the bottom of my heart. Please, keep Nigeria’s pride close to your heart, make sure you behave yourselves. If you find yourselves here, obey their laws. Where you don’t obey their laws, you will have to bear the consequences.
   
    “I’m told they are 83 Nigerians in prison, I don’t know what they have done but I spoke to the President of South Africa this afternoon. He wants to come to Nigeria. There are issues he knows to talk about, I will certainly talk to him.
 
   “I hope our ambassador will send a comprehensive report about the court cases, about those who lost properties during the disturbances and at that time, I will attempt to ask him about our $9.7 million which was not correctly transferred.”
 

Source : tribune

How Kashamu Saved Ex-president Obasanjo From Food Poisoning

 

Policemen from Zone 2 command, Onikan, Lagos, have arrested two persons who allegedly posed as daughter to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and an intelligence officer respectively, to Senator Buruji Kashamu, with a plan to poison the former President.
 
  The suspects identified as Peter Uwakala and Victoria Alaegbu, it was gathered, were arrested following a complaint by Kashamu at Zone 2, last month.
  The suspects, it was gathered, met with Kashamu at a hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, on May 8, 2015,where they allegedly called the former presidents unprintable names and offered to poison him. In response to the complaint lodged by Kashamu, the command reportedly swung into action and arrested the suspects.
   According to a police report obtained “The fact of the case was that the complainant alleged in his verbal complaint that the duo of Peter Uwakala and Victoria Alaegbu falsely represented themselves as an intelligence officer and daughter to the former President Obasanjo respectively to him under the pretence that they were going to resolve the political rift between him and Obasanjo.
 
    “He stressed that the duo met with him at a hotel, where the latter who had collected N500,000 from his younger brother, made some uncomplimentary and derogatory remarks about the former president, while the former introduced herself as Yetunde Obsandjo to him. He added that he had to report to the police upon his suspicion of foul play by the suspects. “Investigation conducted revealed that the duo were impersonators. From the foregoing, it was established that both Peter Uwakala and Victoria Alaegbu actually committed the offences alleged by the complainant and have been charged accordingly in line with the prescription of the law.
   
  “The suspects were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo at the Igbosere Magistrate Court, Lagos on June 5, 2015 and were remanded at Kirikiri Prisons. The matter was adjourned to July 31, 2015.” It was gathered that Kashamu’s gesture of reporting the matter to the police in spite of their political differences made Obasanjo to say he had forgiven Kashamu of any grudge he had against him.
     It was gathered that the rapprochement led to Kashamu withdrawing the N20billion libel suit against Obasanjo.
 

Two US bishops resign over links to child abuser priest

 

Pope Francis on Monday accepted the resignation of two US bishops on Monday, 10 days after a Minnesota prosecutor filed criminal charges against their diocese for failing to protect children from a sexually abusive priests.

Archbishop John Nienstedt of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and one of his deputies, auxiliary Bishop Lee Piche, resigned over their links to Curtis Wehmeyer.

 Wehmeyer, who has been dismissed from the priesthood, is serving a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2012 to criminal sexual conduct with two minors and possessing child pornography.

 The pontiff accepted the resignations the week after approving an unprecedented Vatican tribunal intended to judge bishops for covering up or failing to report sexual abuse, which has caused worldwide scandal for more than a decade. 

Minnesota prosecutor John Choi brought the charges against the archdiocese on June 5. Hundreds of civil cases have already been filed against it for allegedly failing to supervise priests or ignoring sexual abuse by the clergy.

Source : Christiantoday.com

Adamawa state Governor Bindow Cuts Salary By 50%

   

  Governor of Adamawa State, Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow yesterday pledged to cut his salary by 50 per cent adding that he would also appeal to members of the state House of Assembly to do same as their sacrifice for the state to move forward.
 
  Bindow made the pledge during the flag-off of some township roads in the state capital adding that he will also work with minimal number of commissioners to minimise expenditure.
  “I will work with less than 10 commissioners in my cabinet to minimize cost of governance,” he said.
 
  Bindow added that he will extend road construction to the rural areas so that the people in rural communities will also feel the impact of government.
           He reiterated that his government met nearly an empty treasury from Nggilari’s administration but was left with a debt burden to the tune of N44 billion and blamed it for the late payment of May salaries in the state. He noted that Nggilari left behind only N900 million from the federal allocation but was not able to pay May salaries amounting to N2.1billion adding that he had to source for loan to pay the workers their salary.
 
 Bindow said that all the road projects would be completed before the end of the year and called on the people to reciprocate the gesture by giving his government the necessary cooperation and support.

National Assembly members to get N8.64bn as wardrobe allowance next week

 
       The newly inaugurated members of the National Assembly are to receive N8.64 billion as Wardrobe allowance next week. According to  Thisday , N8.64 billion wardrobe allowance translates to N17.5 million for each of the 360 members of the House of Representatives and N21.5 million for each of the 109 senators. This is asides the other allowances they are entitled to which includes furniture, housing and vehicle.  

  While the wardrobe allowance will cover the entire four-year tenure that they will be in office, their housing allowances are to be paid on a yearly basis. Based on the approval of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the housing allowance for political office holders is usually 200 per cent of their annual salaries, the furniture allowance is 300 per cent of annual salaries, while a motor vehicle loan is pegged at 400 per cent of their annual salaries.

    

     Going by this policy, each of the 107 senators besides the Senate President and his deputy, will be paid N4,052,800 as housing allowance. This will be paid to them every year, translating to N433,649,600 as housing allowance to be paid to the Senate annually, while the Senate President and the Deputy Senate President will be provided accommodation by the federal government.

    On the other hand, each member of the House of Representatives will be paid N3,970,425 as housing allowance. This implies that the each of the 358 House of representatives members aside the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, will collect a total of N1,421,412,150 as housing allowance.

   

    Like that of the Senate, the speaker and deputy speaker will be given accommodation by the federal government. Following the monetisation of entitlements of public officials undertaken by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, the lawmakers lost the right to occupy houses built and maintained by the government. Hence, the federal government sold the houses previously occupied by the lawmakers to them.

    Since the principal officers of the Sixth National Assembly benefited from the sale of the houses, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is currently building new ones for the four presiding officers of both chambers. On the furniture allowance, each of the senators will be paid N6,079,200 while the furniture for both the Senate president and his deputy will be provided by the government. The total sum to be paid to the 107 senators as furniture allowance will be N650,474,400.

     In the House of Representatives, each member will be paid N5,955,637.50 as furniture allowance. This means that the 358 members will collect a total of N2,132,118,225 for furniture.

  

  

    On the vehicle loan, each of the senators is entitled to N8,105,600, while each House member is entitled to N7,940,850.50, meaning that the 107 senators will collectively take N867,299,200 as vehicle loans while the 358 House members will get N2,842,824,479 for their vehicles.

     

   

SO SAD!!! 400 Level LAUTECH Accounting Student Crushed To Death By Trailer

A Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) student was on Friday sent to her early grave after a trailer hit the commercial motorbike she was boarding to school. Korede a 400L student of accounting died on the spot.
     This will be the second death LAUTECH will be recording under a week as another student last week while playing football slumped and died.
      He was also in his 4th year but an Engineering student. May their souls rest in peace.

Woman cuts boy with blade for eating at a party

    On the day of the incident Abdullahi said he went to the house opposite theirs at Pipeline Street in Oke-Odo area of Lagos to serve food and also to eat since there was no food in their house.
 
    This got his aunt, who he calls mummy, angry "Yes, it was my mummy who inflicted blade cuts on my hands because I went to a party opposite our house to eat. There was no food at home. I was hungry, so I assisted the people holding the party to carry chairs. I knew that if I assisted them, they would give me food. They gave me food. My sister went to report to my mummy. We went for evening prayer. After the prayer, my mummy called me and started cutting my hands with a blade.
 
    She went out to buy the blade. The cut was deep. She poured pepper into the wounds. She then gave me a hot pot of beans to carry to the kitchen with the bloodied hands. One of our neighbors, a woman, saw me and took the pot from me. She went and told everyone in the compound.People saw my hands and started crying. It’s not every time my mummy gives me food. She uses a piece of wood to beat me, but uses canes on her kids.”
   

     Neighbors who saw him with the injury alerted the police at the Oko-Oba police station who immediately arrested the aunt. When interrogated, she said Abdullahi was a stubborn child who never listens to her.
    I’m a struggling widow. I have three kids. One is 15, the second is 12 and the third is 10. I’m a trader. I leave home in the morning and come back at night. Whenever I return, neighbours usually complain about Abdullahi; how he usually goes to different places to eat. Sometimes, he would go with his friends to a place called Agbele-Kale to swim. He’s just stubborn and doesn’t listen! He’s my brother’s son. I’ve been taking care of him since he was a baby.
     He behaves like someone without home training. He usually goes to parties to eat. He was behaving like someone who doesn’t have parents or like someone who has no home training. When I returned on Saturday, neighbours said I should warn him. On Sunday, he went out again. Food was ready, but he was nowhere to be seen. I was angry. I used the blade on his two hands. I never knew it would be that bad!” Asked why she used a blade instead of a cane on the boy, Olayinka said: "Anytime I want to beat him, he would run away, forcing me to chase him. But what happened that day was the work of the devil. Yes, I poured pepper on the wounds. I only wanted to make him to be a good boy.” Abdullahi said it was not the first time his Aunt had physically assaulted him.

 
 

Family loses 3 children to fire outbreak in lagos

    Three children of the same parents died in an inferno that destroyed their three-room-self-contain apartment in Egbeda-Akowonjo area of Lagos state, on Saturday night. The incident caused by a candle-lit occurred around 10 pm at 20, Fakoya street Vulcaniser bus stop, Egbeda Akowonjo.

     It left the three kids identified as: Ifeoma, 9; Emeka, 7; and Udeoma, 3 dead. Razak Fadipe, director of Lagos state fire service, confirmed this to NAN in Lagos today Sunday June 14th. Fadipe said that the fire broke after the father of the children had gone to check his wife, the mother of the children, in the hospital, where she had just given birth to their fourth child. He said that the fire service was not called to the scene on time, and advised people to stop the use of candle to lit their house.
 
   “We got a distress call and when we got there, we discovered that, it was a building that was on fire,” he said. “The building is located at No 20, Fakoya street, Vulcaniser bus stop, Egbeda Akowonjo, a suburb of Lagos. “The fire was caused by a candle, which was lit by their father, while he went to see his wife and the family’s new baby in the hospital.”
     Fadipe said that the charred body of the dead children had been removed to a mortuary by the police from Shasha division. The fire service boss appealed to people in Lagos to desist from using candle in their homes, as it could be very dangerous.

 Source : NAN

EFCC charges former Bayelsa Gov. Sylva with 50 money laundering charges

    Disappointed by the dismissal of the money laundering charges it charged against former Bayelsa governor, Timipre Sylva, by Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Abuja Federal High Court, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, released 50 fresh charges against him.

Source :Vanguard

       The charges were increased from the initial 42 to 50 by the anti-graft agency and this has already been filed and will probably be assigned to a new judge. The charges, according to a document were prepared and filed in court by the Director of Legal of the EFCC, Mr. Chile Okoroma.
   
   In the new charges, EFCC listed acts of looting allegedly carried out by Sylva when he was the governor of the state. He is also alleged to have connived with three companies to commit the offences charged against him between 2007 and 2011.

     The filing of fresh charges against Sylva came barely a week after Justice A.R. Mohammed dismissed the 42-count charge against the former governor on account of abuse of court processes.
      However, the commission immediately faulted the action of the judge for dismissing the case without it being heard.
   
   It noted that the dismissal of the charge by Justice Mohammed following the application of the commission to consolidate the charges against the former governor and his accomplices, did not amount to  a  discharge or an acquittal, and it did  not preclude the power of the agency to bring fresh charges against the defendants.

ADATECH GROUP: FG To Pay Unemployed, Poor Nigerians Monthly.

ADATECH GROUP: FG To Pay Unemployed, Poor Nigerians Monthly.

FG To Pay Unemployed, Poor Nigerians Monthly.

     The federal government is on the verge of fulfilling one of its campaign promises as the president Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is set to pay the poorest citizens across the country.Making this disclosure during the 10th year anniversary lecture of Crescent University, Abeokuta was Nigeria’s vice president, professor Yemi Osinbajo, who hinted that the unemployed as well as the poor Nigerians would pocket N5,000 monthly.
     According to Leadership reports, the number two citizen of Nigeria stated that government is currently evaluating the best ways to collapse existing cash transfer and social welfare schemes to ensure consistency and alignment.“Once this is completed, we will implement the first phase of this program, using recognized identification platforms and transparent payment solutions.
     We cannot talk about the economy of the futurewithout addressing how we move people out of poverty. One of the most striking promises we made during the campaign was the payment of Five Thousand Naira to the poorest Nigerians across the country.“About 112 million (66% of Nigerians) are deemed extremely poor, measured by World Bank parameter of those living on less than US$1.25 per day,” Osinbajo explained.

Dead students ‘write’ exams at Okopoly

There is confusion at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, following a startling revelation that certain dead students of the institution were gradedand awarded marks in recent semester examinations.
   A rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law openedthecan of worms in a petition to the school authorities recentlyThe petition entitled: “Complaints Against Wrongful Allocation of Results to Deceased Students’: A call for Investigation and Redress, alleged that “one of the deceased students awarded marks in exams henever participated was Late Ezeh Uchenna with registration number FPO/SLT/ND/R1/012/038.The petition was signed by the Chairman of the group’s Board of Trustees, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi.
  According to the group, “The said Uchenna was given upper credit (3.05) and awarded 67 in Cell Biology, 81 in Organic Chemistry, 60 in Physical Chemistry, 49 in Electricity and Magnetism, 44 in Optics and Waves, 66 in Analytical Chemistry, 70 in General Lab Techniques, 69 in Computer Packages and so on.It also alleged that some students who had long leftthe polytechnic were captured in the last semester examination records of the school,InterSociety said the purpose of its petition was to ensure that the right things were done, noting that some students who complained about the irregularities and recklessness were being victimised by the school authorities.“Just two days ago, they were called and invited by the school security authorities to come and defend the letter InterSociety wrote to the school and defend their involvement over same.“

   The students also informed InterSociety that their names have been forwarded to the School’s Anti-Cult Brigade to be treated as common criminals and cultists.“As a matter of fact, they have gone into hiding; operating amorphously to avoid being physically assaulted and held captive. Their state of mind is also psychologically battered leading to mental torture,”InterSociety said.InterSociety said, “We regard these approaches as very uncalled for, reprehensible, despicable and condemnable.“The school must not be an outlaw and dangle with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 particularly its Section 35 (personal liberty), 36 (fair hearing) and 39 (freedom of expression).“Your school must also understand that the engine room of the corporate social responsibilities, which it is a party to; is founded on human rights. Students who complain of certain anomalies through duly constituted processes are not only sticklers of due process, but also entitled to fair hearing and free speech or expression.“It saddens our heart that till date no reasonable investigation over the students’ complaints has been commenced and concluded by the school authorities.It further submitted that “As for the referenced Headof Department, who was newly elevated to the academic rank of Deanship, we demand that she should be called to order and compelled to revisit the issue. As we have earlier demanded, no student of the referenced department should be punished ormaltreated over the issue.It noted that“The students’ assertion that the lecturers that handled the referenced courses and exams should be compelled to tender their raw result score sheets for the purpose of verification should be commended and heeded.In his reaction, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Godwin Onu, said he had constituted a committee to investigate the matter, adding it was the work of bad people working to paint the polytechnic black in the eyes of the public.

President Buhari, El -Rufai slash salaries, allowances

According to Punch, there are strong indications that in fulfilment of his campaign promise to reduce the cost of governance, President Muhammadu Buhari may have concluded plans to slash his salary and reduce his personal emoluments.
  It was learnt that the President expected the Vice-President and other political appointees to take a similar decision.
    Saturday PUNCH gathered in Abuja on Friday that the President would have made his decision public but chose to consult with his close a$$ociates on how best to approach the issue without being seen as dictatorial.
   According to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, President Buhari will earn a monthly salary of N3, 514, 705. He is also entitled to a regular hardship allowance and 50 per cent of the basic salary, which is N1,757,350.50. There is however no information yet as to what percentage of Buhari’s salary and emoluments will be slashed. But it was reliably learnt that the President would also reduce State House budget. Other areas being considered by the President included appointment of aides and the possibility of implementing the report of the Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies.
 Buhari, had on Tuesday sought the approval of the National a$$embly to appoint 15 special advisers, unlike former President Goodluck Jonathan, who had 23 special advisers and scores of special a$$istants. It was gathered that the President, who in his inaugural speech, said the Nigerian economy was in deep trouble, might not increase the number of special advisers from 15 as part of the measures to cut down cost of governance. It was also learnt that the President might look into the report of the Oronsaye committee and the White Paper on it.
   The committee had said that out of the existing 541 MDAs in the country, only 163 deserved to exist. A top member of the APC, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said that the President had also concluded plans to submit some bills to the National a$$embly for the implementation of some of these cost-saving measures.
    But President Buhari had, at various fora, faulted the budgetary process adopted by successive Peoples Democratic Party-led administrations over the past 16 years.
 A close confidant of the President, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, had in his inaugural address to the people of the state, announced a fifty per cent cut in his salary and that of the deputy governor.
 
 One of the President’s acolytes, and South East Zonal Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress, Osita Okechukwu told Saturday PUNCH that, left to him alone, President Buhari would not bat an eyelid before taking such a decision. He, however said: “But you see, the circumstances now are different, he has to do a lot of consultations because the composition of the National a$$embly means he has to consult across party lines.  From the little I know of him, his desire like he said during the campaigns and afterwards, is to reduce the cost of governance across board and this cannot be done without consultations. We can’t have a situation where he will be seen as trying to make other party members look bad by taking a salary cut while others are not carried along.  He is committed to cutting cost across board and I see him reducing the pecks of that office to an acceptable level and this becomes even more compelling because of the economic mess we have found ourselves in.” Another a$$ociate, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, also told
 Saturday PUNCH that another area likely to take a hit is the Presidential Air fleet which is reported to have about 10 aircraft. He explained that the cost of maintaining this number of aircraft is one area that is likely to attract the President’s attention. According to him, the President who has experienced governance at the highest level is not one to do things in a hurry without consultation and thinking them through. Fashakin noted that critics may accuse the President of not acting fast enough without putting things in perspective. He said, for example, “The President has not taken any definite action. Ordinarily, people will not even expect the service chiefs to still be operating now, but because of the exposure and maturity that we are having in government; with a person of President Muhammadu Buhari’s stature, he studies a situation before taking action. He won’t just appoint ministers to fulfil all righteousness, he will do a thorough job and this is a democracy which he has subscribed to.  He promised to cut the cost of governance to an acceptable level and this is even more so when the economy like every other aspect of our national life is in tatters.” Attempts to get a reaction on issues raised from the Senior Special a$$istant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, were unsuccessful. Calls to his mobile phone did not connect while a text message sent to him was yet to be delivered as of the time of filing this report (8:11pm). It may be recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration had made a provision of N348, 342,741 as its proposal for honorarium and sitting allowance for the State House in the 2015 budget. The breakdown of the expenditure on travel and transport showed that the president will be spending N1, 306,834,350 on local travels and transport and the sum of N621, 067,913 on international travel and transport. The travel bill of the president for 2014 was higher than the provision for 2014. The 2014 budget made a provision of N2, 378,862,017 for the office of the president for local and international travels. For food stuff/catering materials supplies, a provision of N142, 472,537 was made for the office of the president. The 2015 budget proposal included a provision of N131, 911,315 for fuel and lubricants for the State House. The breakdown showed that plant/generator fuel will consume N35, 344,855; motor vehicle fuel will consume N85, 843,802 while cooking gas/fuel will consume N10, 102,858. For 2014, the State House received lesser provision of N122, 855,267 for fuel and lubricants. This was broken down into motor vehicle fuel, N79, 950,407; plants and generators, N33, 476,963 and cooking gas/fuel cost, N9, 427,898. A provision of N60, 847,647 was made for the office of the president for advertisement and publicity. For the State House, N287,514,283 provision was made for welfare packages; N174,537,975 for refreshment and meals; N215, 635,715 for food stuff and catering services; N31,582,475 for medical expenses; and N35,495,233 for publicity and advertisement. These provisions are likely to be reviewed downwards.

Suicide bomber kills 50 after shouting Sai Buhari

   Another bomb blast rocked the troubled Borno State capital of Maiduguri   late on Tuesday morning , leaving many dead and others wounded. Prior to the explosion at the popular Kasuwan Shanu (meat market), residents were rudely woken up at 12:45am on Monday by gunshots that boomed in parts of the city till 2pm.
   No official reason was given by the military authorities for the gunshots which many of the residents feared were fired by advancing Boko Haram insurgents.
   But when business and other activities were peaking in the city , a bomb went off in the meat market, sending cattle rustlers,   butchers, their customers and passersby scampering to safety.  
     Although the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the state Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Opadokun, as saying that five people died in the blast, Reuters reported 50. Opadokun said the suspect, “who was shouting “Sai Buhari,’’ danced close to an abattoir in the market, before detonating the bomb strapped to his body when people had gathered around him.
  ‘Five people, including himself, died, while eight others sustained injuries,’’ he said, adding that   policemen were mobilised to the scene to evacuate the corpses and convey the injured to the hospital. But Reuters quoted a witness as claiming that   “as many as 50 people were killed.’’ It added that   Lawal Kawu, a paramedic, said 31 charred bodies were taken to a teaching hospital in Maiduguri. Abubakar Mohammed, a college student, also   told the news agency that he had to run away after the blast shook their school building. A member of the youth vigilante group, who spoke on condition of anonymity with one of our correspondents, however said that the suspect dropped a bag under a table in a stall   with an excuse that he wanted to   pick up something somewhere. He added shortly after he left, the bomb he hid in the bag went off. The spokesman for   the National Emergency Management Agency, North-East, AbdulKadir Ibrahim, put   the death toll at 17 while his Red Cross counterpart in Borno State, Umar Sadiq, said 13. “Our men working to evacuate the dead corpses have revealed that no fewer than 17 persons were killed by the explosion, But I cannot give the number of those injured, “ Ibrahim said. He explained that officials of   NEMA and     humanitarian agencies were “still   taking the injured to Umaru Shehu General Hospital, Maiduguri.” But Sadiq said   24 were   injured. The spokesman for the youth vigilante group, Jubrin Gunda,who shed light on the Monday night gunshots, said, “just like a few days back, the insurgents tried to invade the town via the same spot, Ajilari Cross, but they were repelled by the military. “The insurgents who seem determined to invade Maiduguri were driven back by the battle-ready soldiers.” He added,”As far as I am concerned,   there was no casualty   as the militants were successfully repelled. There was exchange of gunfire too but the insurgents quickly fled back when they saw that the military were on the alert.” There were two bomb attacks on the city at the weekend that killed at least 30 people. Meanwhile, the nation’s service chiefs will in a few days work out the modalties for the relocation of military’s   Command Centre to Maiduguri as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari in his inaugural speech on Friday. The Chief of Naval Staff,   Vice- Admiral Usman Jibrin, disclosed this after the first meeting the military chiefs held with Buhari at the Defence House, Abuja on Tuesday. “On the relocation of the command centre, we are the ones to go back and work on it. Soon it will be carried out, it is a presidential directive, it must be carried out, and we must do that as quickly as possible,” he told journalists who wanted to know the details of the meeting held behind closed doors. Usman said they used the opportunity of the meeting to give Buhari security briefing of the country. He said they succeeded in giving the President insight into the security situation in the country. The CNS explained that   it was the desire of the service chiefs to maintain the tempo with a view to sustaining the successes so far recorded until   insurgents were completely routed. He however appealed to all Nigerians to continue to support the military by providing operatives with the needed intelligence. The information, he said, should include suspicious movements around them. “You know as we continue to put pressure on them in the Sambisa area, they will try to run away from there and then create further problems, using improvised explosive devices,” he said. Reminded that the terrorists were becoming more daring, he said,”Like I told you, we are sustaining the tempo and the successes we have recorded so far. We want to continue to maintain that and if there are any suggested solutions that require amendments or alteration of what we’re doing, why not? Most especially the more they give us the intelligence, the better.” Others who attended the meeting were the   Chief of Defence Staff,   Alex Badeh; the Chief of Army Staff,   Kenneth Minimah; the Chief of Air Staff,   Adesola Amosun; and the Inspector-General of Police,   Solomon Arase. In Motokun,   Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, a clash between the residents and Fulani herdsmen   led to the death of   five people.
   A source   told journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday that some people were also wounded   during the incident which was confirmed by the LGA   Chairman,   Uthman Ndako. Ndako added that with the intervention of security operatives normalcy had returned to the troubled community.
     According to him the council as well as the Patigi Emirate Council led by Etsu Patigi, Ibrahim Umar, had peace meetings with leaders of the Fulani herdsmen and elders of the community to forestall further hostilities. He said, “We have on standby, riot policemen now in Patigi. Our council is peaceful now. Presently Patigi is calm; the neighbouring village is also calm.”
    The state Police Public Relations Officer,     Okasanmi Ajayi,   “I cannot tell you the actual number of people that died.   People were also injured. “But the place is now calm and people are going about their normal businesses. “We are investigating to know the immediate and remote causes of the
violence and how to prevent future clashes.”
   Source punchng

CBN-EFCC arrests top bankers over 'mega scam'

  Nigeria's anti-corruption agency has arrested six senior central bank officials over an alleged $30m (£20m) currency fraud. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also held 16 private bank workers for the "mega scam".
  The suspects stole "tonnes of defaced naira notes", which were meant to be destroyed, it said on its website. Newly-installed Nigerian President Muhammudu Buhari has pledged to make tackling corruption a priority.
  The suspects allegedly filled boxes supposed to contain damaged currency with bits of newspaper cut into the shape of naira notes, before sending them to branches of the Central Bank of Nigeria for destruction, according to the EFCC.
   The actual banknotes were held back so that they could be reused, it adds. The EFCC said the fraud had contributed to the failure of the government's policy of reducing inflation in recent years.