Former ICPC Boss Asks Buhari To Tackle Poverty, Economic Recession

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The pioneer Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently tackle poverty and improve on the economy for the benefit of Nigerians.

At the commissioning of a library complex built by Mustapha Akanbi Foundation in Ilorin, the retired President of the Court of Appeal urged the present government to prefer better management of economy to borrowing.

“For me I do not believe in borrowing. I do not borrow money and I do not encourage my children to borrow money. I do not know how they make it.

“Even now that we are in recession, I have cut down what I give to people.

“Didn’t we even beg that they should write off our debt? I do not know the facts that determines the issue of borrowing.

“I know if you leave according to your means, you will not be in trouble.

“Even Buhari should prefer better management of economy than borrowing. Everybody should prefer better management.

“We should please ask our president, whom we voted for, to really find a way of boosting the economy of the country. A hungry man is an angry man and a bitter man. If the money they are collecting, in fact I am looking for whether I will get a telephone call to the vice-president as a lawyer that by next year, when they will start campaign for election, if people are hungry they will not be happy.

“So, we should do our best. I know he is trying. They are collecting money from those who have taken bribes and the rest. But let us see the effect in the lives of the people,” he cautioned.

Economic Diversification: NNMA Advocates Use Of Data

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The chairman, governing board of the Nigerian National Merit Award, Professor Etim Essien, has urged the federal government to employ the use of data in its planning, if it is serious about diversifying the economy.

Data collection which can be adequately generated through Information Technology according to the board, is essential to monitor the true state of the nation’s infrastructure, check all sectors and plan more efficiently.

According to Mr Essien: “no country can develop without data; and one of the problems Nigeria has been facing till date is that we don’t have data.

“How can you plan without data? – the easiest form of getting data is through IT,” he explained.

One of the areas which the NNMA believes the government can straighten out through the use of ICT is Nigeria’s population, as the challenge of the actual figure still lingers, although the estimate stands at 180 million.

ICT Education

Findings from various countries confirm the positive effect of ICT on national

growth and even currently, ICT is said to contribute about 8% to Nigeria’s GDP.

Adenike Osofisan

Some academicians such as the Director of the University of Ibadan, (School of Business), Professor Adenike Osofisan, also proposed that Information Technology should be made compulsory in every school, as a way of advancing development.

The Nigerian National Merit Award is an academic award conferred on distinguished scholars and intellectuals, who have made outstanding contributions to the academic growth and development of Nigeria.

Obiano Commits To Development Of Physically Challenged

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The Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano, has reiterated his commitment towards the overall welfare and development of the physically challenged persons in the state, through education and vocational skills.

The governor gave the assurance during the state’s celebration of students with disabilities, to mark the 2016 United Nations Universal Children’s Day.

The event took place at Basden Memorial Special Education Center, Isulo, Orumba North local government area of Anambra state.

It was hive of activities, as the government and people of Anambra state dedicated this year’s edition to celebrating students with disabilities.

Obiano promised infrastructural development in all three special education centers across the state, a project that is worth about 100 million Naira.

He also called on everybody in the state, including the private sector organizations, to contribute to making the lives of the special children better.

According to the organisers, the event was a way of showing them that they are as important as other children without any physical challenge.

The special children on the other hand, proved that their disability is not a weakness, but only a challenge.

They performed in the various activities such as singing, dancing, recitations, fashion parade, debate among others.

Before 2014, the Basden Memorial Special Education center was said to have been almost in an abandoned state, with about eighty pupils, until the wife of the governor, Ebelechukwu Obiano, adopted the school.

Through her pet project, the Caring Family Enhancement Initiative, (CAFÉ), as well as with the support of the state government, the entire school was rehabilitated.

She equally called on government at all levels to pay attention to the welfare of the physically challenged persons through education and vocational training.

“Physically challenged children should be encouraged by all governments.

“Anambra state government is already towing the step of making sure that these children are engaged in various activities, particularly going to school just like these people are in school, as well as other trades or vocation to encourage them to bring out that good thing in them,” Mrs Obiano said.

The UNESCO representative, Mr Emmanuel Ejiogu, said according to the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, that strong advocacy should always be made for children and their rights too.

“I want to say this that the United Nations Universal Day offers each of us an inspirational entry point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating them into dialogue and action that would build a better world for them.”

Asides pointing out the challenges facing the special education centers in the state, the state Commissioner For Education, Professor Kate Omenugha, commended the governor for incorporating children with special needs in the scheme of things, through the provision of basic amenities for them.

“It is actually a new event but we are doing it in line with His Excellency’s mandate in education, that no child is to be left behind.

“Your Excellency, you gave free tuition to all the physically challenged in the state. That is one thing you did. Now you have increased the subvention of this school, (Umuchu and Onitsha) and you approved that their subvention be increased from 50,000 Naira to 500,000 Naira.”

Obiano while addressing the people, expressed joy at the turn of events at the Special Education center and pledged commitment to the welfare of the children.

He restated his promise to meet all the challenges enumerated by the education commissioner, while urging all and sundry to support the children everywhere and make their lives better.

Furthermore, he expressed gratitude saying :

“I am quite happy to see the progress these children are making. When we came here two years ago, they had all kinds of challenges of which my wife had already enumerated and the commissioner for education.

“The worst was that even the pupils that passed primary six were forced to continuously repeat the same class not because they did not pass but because they could not go to secondary school and we quickly set up a secondary school and I am happy that we have done that.

“I have listened carefully to the demands read out by the commissioner for education that included teachers’ quarters, electricity, and of course the landscape of this place which we have started among other things.

“These things will not consume up to one hundred million, so we are going to do all of them. And it is not only that we are going to do all of them, we will start them immediately,” he assured.

In addition to the plan to improve the lives of Physically challenged, the governor has absorbed 122 physically challenged graduates into the state civil service.

This came along with an additional special salary package for teachers in the three Special Education Centers.

The event however came to an end with the inspection of a sick bay, donated by a private individual.

EFCC To Cleanse Electoral System, Arriagns 100 INEC Officials

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In efforts to cleanse the electoral system, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), has begun the arraignment of over 100 electoral officials.

According to reports, the commission is set to charge officials who had received bribes from the $115 million, allegedly disbursed by Diezani-Madueke, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, during the countdown to the 2015 general elections.

The acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu and the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, would be meeting in Abuja to finalize the charges that would be filed against the suspects.

This was revealed through a statement by the Media Coordinator, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, (CACOL), Wale Salami.

In reaction to the trial, CACOL has asserted that electoral crimes serve as precursors for corruption in governance.

Executive Chairman of the Coalition, Mr Debo Adeniran, commented on the happenings saying, “from these reports, it can be easily deduced that Nigeria’s democracy is regularly put up for auction to the highest bidder”.

He added that, “any electoral official that perpetrates political corruption, which usually leads to the throwing up of corrupt government are culpable in helping looters to the corridors of power.

“They easily put up the mandate of the people up for sale. For years, Nigerians have remained victims of bad leadership which has a strong linkage to failures and corrupt practices perpetrated by electoral officials mostly during elections.

“We commend the EFCC for not leaving any stone unturned in their investigations, while also calling for the prosecution of Diezani-Madueke, and every other electoral officials that took the bribe.

“In the same vein, we are urging the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to begin a review of the electoral commission in order to come up with ingenious protocols to forestall or eradicate any corrupt tendencies in subsequent elections.

“If we do not cleanse our government and electoral process from corrupt elements, then our government would inevitably become a den for thieves.”

He concluded by stating that: “the anti-graft agency and the electoral commission should continue to publish the names of all officials who received bribes so that Nigerians can identify them as the dishonest lot who sold the peoples’ mandate to the highest bidder.

“We call on the government to cleanse the electoral system to forestall corruption in governance,” Adeniran said.

NNPC Boss Seeks End To Pipeline Vandalism In Niger Delta

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The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, is appealing to pipeline vandals to desist from their actions.

He also asked the vandals to channel their grievances to the NNPC through established channels for them to addressed.

The NNPC Group Managing Director made the appeal on Wednesday while briefing reporters after a meeting with the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and the Oba of Benin Oba Ewuare.

Dr. Baru assured vandals that if they heed the call and come forward they would not be arrested and that their complaints would be given utmost attention.

Militancy had resurged in the Niger Delta in 2015, with series of attacks on pipelines and oil installations, forcing some oil companies to declare force majeure.

A group that calls itself the Niger Delta Avengers has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks that have affected Nigeria’s oil output and power supply, which largely depends on gas from that region.

OPEC Members Agree To Oil Output Cut

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For the first time in eight years, members of the Organisation Of Petroleum Exporting Countries, (OPEC), have agreed to a 1.2 million barrel per day output cut to 32.5 million a day.

This comes after weeks of often tense negotiations, with the group’s three biggest producers, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran, who resolved their differences over sharing the burden of cuts to rein in supply for the first time since 2008.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe kachikwu said OPEC members are “largely convergent” on a need for a production cut.

The price of Brent crude jumped more than 8% to 50 dollars 26 cents a barrel, recovering from a drop of nearly 4% on Tuesday and on course for their biggest one-day move in nine months.

The deal however promises to revive the tattered finances of countries from Venezuela to Libya and restore flagging confidence in the producer bloc that controls 40% of the world’s oil.

Buhari To Present 2017 Budget To National Assembly Next Week

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Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, will present the 2017 appropriation bill to the National Assembly next week, a government official said on Wednesday.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma, announced the plan after the Federal Executive Council meeting.

He said the exact date and time for the budget presentation would be determined by the National Assembly.

Carefully Prepared

According to him, the 2017 fiscal document, of which he gave no details, has been well prepared to avoid the pitfalls that characterised the 2016 budget.

“The document that we are presenting to the National assembly is a carefully prepared on,” Senator Udoma said.

He told reporters that over 800 billion Naira had been released so far in the 2016 budget as capital projects with all recurrent expended.

The Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Buhari lasted over five hours and Channels Television’s correspondent, Omelogo Nnadi, said it was expected to take such time, as the topic under trashing was the 2017 national budget.

Also at the press conference was the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola.

While briefing reporters, he announced the council’s approval for the construction of some hydro dams in parts of some states to boost electricity supply which had dropped significantly in recent months.

He said that the projects would further the quest for incremental energy wherever there is legitimate opportunity as well as the quest for renewable energy through clean hydro energy.