Leo Messi never stops breaking records! He gets his 400th goal for Barça

In 471 appearances, the Argentinian has an astonishing record of finding the net 0.85 times a game.

Leo Messi never stops breaking records! His goal against Valencia made him the first player ever to score 400 goals for FC Barcelona, and he only took 471 games to get there. Deep into injury time on Saturday he was one-on-one withDiego Alves and tried to chip the visiting keeper. The trick didn’t work, but Alves failed to hold onto the ball and it fell at the Argentinian’s feet, who left-footed it into the back of the net.

Incredibly, Messi has a career average of 0.85 goals a game, the kind of record very few elite players have ever come close to. Those goals include 278 in La Liga, having dwarfed the legendary tally set by Zarra that most people thought would be impossible to beat in the modern era. He is also the highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 75, and has a further 32 in the Spanish Cup. His other goals came in the Spanish Super Cup (10), European Super Cup (1) and the Club World Cup (4).

46 goals in 2014/15

Messi is enjoying yet another stellar season. He’s scored 46 goals in 46 games, 35 in the league, three in the cup and eight in the Champions League.

Hazard the best player after Ronaldo and Messi – Mourinho

Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, has claimed that Eden Hazard is among the world’s best three players.

The Belgian forward scored the only goal, as the Blues beat Manchester United 1-0 on Saturday, to edge closer to the Premier League title.

Hazard is the odds-favourite to win the PFA Player of the Year this season and Mourinho says he now ranks along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the top three.
Mourinho said: “He’s a kid, but he is also a family man and he knows he is one of the three best players in the world, responsibility comes with that and he is coping with that ­responsibility.

“If people want to be fair, he gets that award. But the award I want him to win is the Premier League.

“I’ve had lots of stars, but he’s the humble star. He’s a great kid.

“Physically, mentally he’s getting very, very strong. He understands his role. He understands his talent is fundamental for the team.
“He was there for us and almost had a second goal when he hit the post.”

Mourinho also revealed the discussion he had with the 24-year-old, before the visit of United.

“The day before the game, I told him, ‘This game we will never lose. Never.’ But we needed to win,” he said.

“He understands that clearly especially at a time where the team doesn’t have all its power, he understands when the game becomes strategic.”

Chelsea will win the title, if they beat Arsenal and Leicester City in their next two fixtures.

The fatal presidential mistakes: How Jonathan lost it all

An exhaustive probe of  the key flip-flops that led to President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat and how the President lost the goodwill that earned him victory in 2011.

ONLY unrealistic optimists were   surprised that President Goodluck Jonathan lost Nigeria’s keenly contested poll.

The pointers to what was imminent for the Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP, were so discernible in the build up, that the President in the days leading to the poll admitted the surging popularity of the opposition meant that his party would not  secure a landslide in the presidential, parliamentary and governorship contests.

Though he explicitly affirmed that he was not losing sleep over the development, the pre-election electoral map was such that rubbished every optimism he may have had.

Vague public perception

The president may have redeemed his public image with his graceful acceptance of defeat. His effort suddenly turned him into a hero in defeat.

But beyond that, when the books are written, certain issues would some aspects of the defeat are likely to be attributed to the President’s tolerance of some issues and persons that combined to suppress his onetime electoral invincibility.

Among the key issues were the :Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, crisis, Chibok girls saga, alleged missing Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, funds, mismanaged relationships, withdrawal of Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal’s aides, fallout of PDP primaries and poor presidential campaign strategy/communication.

NGF crisis

In the reckoning of the presidency, the NGF became more of a trade union with irritating activism. It was this notion that remotely birthed the leadership crisis that trailed the NGF chairmanship election.

With Governor Chibuke Amaechi, who then was regarded as an antagonist of the President, defeating Jonathan’s candidate, Governor Jonah Jang, with 19 votes to 16, observers had expected the President to beckon on Jang to drop his claims to the group’s leadership.

To the chagrin of the nation, the body language of the presidency was such that confirmed suspicions that it created the script Jang was acting upon.

The recognition of the Jang faction by the President not minding the fact that the latter lost the election, was a move that to some extent, questioned the presidency’s moral integrity.

A direct consequence of that, led to the implosion of the ruling PDP which manifested through the defection of Governors Aliyu Wammako, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Murtala Nyako, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and Amaechi.

Apart from Rivers State where the president had substantial votes, he lost in the domains of the defected governors.

Chibok girls saga

The abduction of over 200 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, further exposed the fault lines inherent in the Federal Government’s approach to the insurgency in the Northeast geo political zone.

It was a shock to a bewildered world when Governor Kassim Shettima of Borno State said the President waited until after two weeks before he spoke to him on the matter.

Trailing that was the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan’s encounter with officials of the state over the issue and turned herself into a global comic on the issue.

Mrs. Jonathan’s supposed concern further incensed many, who found the treatment meted out to the state delegation which included the principal of the school as condemnable.

Indeed, the two incidents and related developments showed a government that was out of touch with the security of the citizenry.

The President later attributed his silence to his desire not to compromise the details of security efforts to rescue the girls, his general approach largely blighted his re-election chances.

Alleged missing oil money/Lamido Sanusi

At a time when the mood of the country suggested that the war against institutionalized corruption had ebbed under Jonathan’s watch, the official response to allegations of missing oil money at the NNPC was considered unsatisfactory.

The failure of the government to investigate those accused and the suspension of the then Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi, who blew the whistle further angered many.

In the reckoning of most Nigerians, who had long desired a probe of the oil sector, the President was being protective of his appointees at the expense of public probity.

Redefinition of corruption

Whether semantics or not, the implication of the President’s statement to the effect that ‘’stealing is not corruption’’ was damaging.

Speaking on nationwide television during a media chat, he had said

‘’Over 70 percent of what are called corruption cases, even by the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies, is not corruption, but common stealing, ‘’ he stated, adding that corruption claims were ‘’politically motivated.’’

For a populace embittered by the fact that despite allegations of corruption against public officials, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, did not record any high profile conviction under Jonathan, the presidential pronouncement was seen as provoking.

Failure to call Dokubo, Clark to order

The threats of fire and brimstone should the President lose the poll by his kinsmen, notably Chief Edwin Clark, Chief Government Ekpemupolo and Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, were likened to drums of war, informing calls on the President to disassociate himself from the duo.

Interestingly, the nation was united in this call, as the Nigerian Labour Congress, clergy, traditional rulers spoke in unison.

Though the PDP asked the trio to be mindful of what they said at that period of time, President Jonathan was not known to have publicly reprimanded them.

Fallout of party primaries

The outcome of PDP primaries into various offices left nothing to be desired by aggrieved party members.

In its familiar intra-party political culture, the resentment arising from the contests across the country, were treated in a manner that threatened internal cohesion in the party.

Irked by the situation, some party chieftains with electoral values, defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, making the PDP electorally vulnerable.

In states like Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Ebonyi, Cross River, where the outcome of governorship primaries factionalized the party, a profound presidential comfort or intervention would have assuaged aggrieved members.

Another undoing was the president’s tolerance of the hijacking of the PDP party structures by the state governors, which directly led to so much impunity at the state chapters.

However, whether the President played some trouble shooting roles, is a matter of debate between his admirers and critics.

Mismanaged relationships

Another fatal error was the mismanagement of some political alliances at the expense of the President’s electoral value.

Names like Amaechi, Bukola Saraki, Olusegun Obasanjo easily come to mind in this regard, as these men variously played decisive roles at some points in Jonathan’s political trajectory.

Poor campaign strategies/communication

Even the most loyal admirers of the President had no issue conceding that he hardly brought anything new to the table during the presidential campaigns.

From the PDP flag-off in Lagos to the grand finale in Abuja, observers found his message empty and literally full of noise.

Specifically, the language was more of attacks on the APC, its presidential candidate and past leaders.

So concerned were analysts over the content of the campaign statements that some were alarmed that the President spent close to an hour delivering his speech at the PDP flag-off campaign without being able to explain what he had done in the last six years or what he would do if re-elected.

Ugboho reveals proof how Mu’azu and Alkali duped Jonathan billions of naira

The President of the National Consolidation Group (NCG), Hon. Ajon Ugboho, has called on the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, to resign over the party’s disappointing performance in the 2015 general elections.

He told Leadership Newspaper that Mu’azu had never shown commitment to the success of the party and was involved in shoddy deals with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ugboho also alleged that Mu’azu and the political adviser to the president, Prof. Rufai Alkali were the architects of the downfall of the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to Hon. Ugboho, Mu’azu didn’t carry every party stakeholder along in the activities of the party, adding that lack of internal democracy was the major cause of the party’s woeful outing in the 2015 general elections.

Hon. Ugboho also noted that three weeks after the presidential election, the national chairman, Adamu Mua’zu was yet to convene any meeting with members who contested the elections on the platform of the PDP in line with the party’s constitution, saying Mua’zu should resign forthwith.

He alleged that both Mu’azu and Alkali used the huge number of groups of supporters for President Jonathan to siphon billions of naira from him in the guise of mobilising the groups, but instead channelled same into their private pockets.

He said: “Adamu Mu’azu and Rufai Alkali connived to starve Jonathan support groups of funds up to the day of election.

“They ensured that the groups were rendered ineffective. While TAN was supported to make empty noise across the country on TV, radio and pages of newspapers, the real Jonathan support groups with strong grass-roots supporters were starved of funds. Without funds, how do you mobilise these people?

“Some of us contested the National Assembly elections and it is now three weeks after, Mu’azu is yet to call a meeting. And if he does not convene a meeting within the next one week, I, Hon. Ajon Ugboho will take him to court.

“I am the national coordinator of NCG; we were not given a dime by Alkali who is remote-controlled by Mu’azu. All the expenses that we made during the campaign and election were from our individual pockets.

“The duo just pocketed all the funds and watched Jonathan being voted out. They are lucky that President Goodluck Jonathan is meek and gentle.

“If the president does not probe or sack Mu’azu and Alkali, we will take them to court on account of strong evidence against them,” Hon. Ugboho said.

Buhari Appeals to Nigerians for Time to Deliver on Promises

The president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has appealed to Nigerians not to expect instant miracles from his government to fix all the problems facing the country, but to be patient and supportive, saying he will need enough time to address the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east and other challenges confronting the nation.

Buhari, who made this appeal in Kaduna at the weekend when he received a delegation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) members from Bauchi State led by the state governor-elect, said the change which Nigerians expect from his incoming administration would not be realised overnight.

He hinged his reason on the fact that governing Nigeria will be difficult for him because of the magnitude of the problems on ground.

The president-elect, according to Channels Television, further explained that governing Nigeria would be seriously difficult because of what he termed colossal rape of its economy and leadership deficit.

He, however, promised that the incoming  government will do its best to fix things in the right perspective and therefore appealed for support of all Nigerians to his administration.

Buhari thanked the people of Bauchi and Nigerians for voting massively  for APC during the last presidential and National Assembly elections, and urged them to be vigilant and  protect themselves from being attacked by insurgents.
On their part, the Bauchi State governor-elect, Mohammed Abubakar, other elected state and National Assembly members described Buhari as  somebody who is genuinely interested in the peace and progress of the country.

They expressed hope that Nigeria would be better under his leadership.
The  governor-elect also disclosed that he would not waste government resources to probe the outgoing  administration in the state, but will  seek better ways of ensuring that all stolen money are recovered for the development of the state.

Meanwhile, former Chairman of Lagos State chapter of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and Presiding Bishop of Elshaddai Bible Church, Bishop Olanrewaju Obembe, has urged Buhari not to allow himself to be distracted from pursuing the goal of building a virile country by praise singers and charlatans who are only interested in their selfish ends.

Obembe in a statement noted that Buhari has suddenly found a coterie of friends who mill around him giving spurious advice and insisting that he should go on vendetta mission. This, according to him, “will only drag the wheel of progress in Nigeria backward.”

He appealed to Buhari not to fall into the temptation of going after those who served in the government of President Goodluck Jonathan without recourse to due process, saying service to Nigeria should not be criminalised

He said: “I have read some unfortunate commentaries asking that people like Allison Madueke and Okonjo-Iweala should be made to face the law. While those who are making such calls have a right to do so, I think Buhari should not spend his time going after perceived enemies of the state without recourse to due process.”

He reasoned that the preoccupation of the incoming government should be how to fix Nigeria’s most urgent needs which is power and strengthening the nation’s economy.

While noting that President Jonathan has been magnanimous in conceding defeat, he said: “I believe Buhari should reciprocate this good gesture by being magnanimous in victory. He should avoid the temptation of exclusivity in power rather he should stretch forth a hand of fellowship to those in opposition.”

Obembe noted further that rather than throw away all the works of Jonathan, Buhari should look at them dispassionately and continue with the policies that are good while also retaining officials who have been outstanding in the Jonathan government if it is feasible. Personally, the Minister of Agriculture has distinguished himself in the government of Jonathan. A person like that should be encouraged by continuing with his policies in that sector of the economy.”

How Buhari Can Arrest Deziani And Okonjo-Iweala On May 29 By Illesanmi Omabomi

can afford to take the risk of concluding that the majority of Nigerians would like to see brought to justice, and swiftly so, the people who brought Nigeria to her knees through the looting of our commonwealth.

Many Nigerians are afraid that some, if not most of these looters, may flee the country after May 29, 2015, before investigations are commenced/concluded. The purpose of this article is to advocate that the President elect, Mohamadu Buhari, should start the blitzkrieg against corruption immediately after concluding his swearing-in ceremony at Eagle Square on May 29, 2015.

Based on readily available public information, there is no better way and place to start that fight than the arrest Allison Deziani Madueke and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala before the end of day on May 29, 2015. Both women are currently serving as minister for Petroleum and Finance respectively. They both represent some of the biggest fishes, yes fishes, in the pond.

These two individuals are not the most corrupt members of the now infamous Goodluck Jonathan led presidency—and it will take a very long time before the full extent of the damage done to our economy can be fully established, if at all possible! However, in the case of Deziani and Okonjo-Iweala, the information gleaned from the several House of Representatives investigations into the 10 Billion Naira NNPC plane maintenance contracts, and oil subsidy payments that were not budgeted for provide the incoming President with enough information to order their immediate arrests and have them charged with the appropriate offences the same day. The new president should demonstrate his commitment to the rule of law and the time limit requirement for charging arrested persons with offences known to law and having such persons presented before a court of law by ensuring that both women appear in the court on Monday June 1, 2015 to enter pleas and apply for bail. (May 29, 2015 being a Friday). Like many other Nigerians, I believe that both women are surely guilty of more heinous offenses than the ones mentioned above. However, arresting and charging them will send a clear and unambiguous message about the ferocity of the incoming President’s war against corruption, yield valuable information into the more  complicated investigations and encourage others to step forward and make voluntary disclosures, thereby reducing the time and resources needed for the fight against corruption.

The President-Elect can then offer leniency on the basis of voluntary disclosures, have a hiatus of a few days and wait to see if there will be takers of the offer. The majority of Nigerian politicians are cowards and trust me, seeing the powerful Deziani and Okonjo-Iweala charged before the court, they will be lining up to confess. This approach will be cheaper, point you to previously unknown and maybe otherwise never possible to find stolen resources. I believe it will also yield more of the stolen resources. This topic will be fleshed out in full in another article.

For me, calling for the arrest and trial of Okonjo-Iweala is personal anguish for me but the nation’s interest must be the over-riding consideration. It is anguish for me because at the tail end of Obasanjo’s presidency she was one of those I sincerely considered worthy of becoming the President or Vice President at the very minimum. How she allowed herself to be sucked into the bowels of Goodluck Jonathan’s rampaging corruption whale is an examination that would have commenced inside her head by now.

Let PDP supporters call me what they want and I am not a member of APC. The party I support is the one I believe has the interest of Nigeria at heart. I believe Mohamadu Buhari of APC does at this point in time. Nigerians, including me are eager to see these corrupt and arrogant politicians from all parties who bestrode our political landscape in the recent past like Colossus, feeding fat on our collective inheritance brought to justice and swiftly so. The stoppage or reduction of corruption and the recovery of our stolen resources is critical the efforts to build a sustainable society in which we all have a reasonable chance of achieving our legitimate aspirations.

Illesanmi Omabomi

UPDATE: Why APC Rejects May 28 Handover Date

There are indications that the All Progressives Congress is uncomfortable with the May 28 handover date proposed by the out-going administration. Investigation by Saturday PUNCHrevealed that the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan and the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) are set to clash over a proposal by the Jonathan team to hand over the mantle of leadership to Buhari on May the 28th, instead of the 29th.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the Buhari team was already over what they considered as an act of ill-will laced with sinister motives.

This is sequel to an announcement by the Minister of Information, Senator Patricia Akwashiki, that President Jonathan would perform the handover ceremony at a dinner on May 28.

Akwashiki made the announcement after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting.

She told journalists, “By May 28, the President intends to have the formal handover done at a dinner so that we can reserve May 29 for the incoming government.”

However, since the return of democracy in 1999, the traditional date for the handover of power has been May 29, which is also observed as Democracy Day.

This tradition has been the vogue for the past 16 years. It also presents an opportunity for the outgoing President to formally present the instrument of authority to his successor in the full glare of members of the public, local and international media, as well as foreign dignitaries.

A top member of the All Progressives Congress, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media said, “It is simply not acceptable, we are rejecting it, it is a trap.”

He explained that from a security point of view, it could be considered a trap.

“How can anyone explain a situation where an outgoing president and his team will conveniently excuse themselves from an event where they are supposed to play a role when the President-elect and the Vice-President- elect are supposed to be present?” he queried.

According to the party chieftain, power abhors a vacuum as such, the constitution does not envisage a situation where Nigeria will be without a sitting President even for one hour.

He said, “If Jonathan hands over on the 28th, who accounts for the hours before the morning of the 29th when the Chief Justice of the Federation is to administer the oath of office and the oath of allegiance?

“What if there is even a sinister motive to this whole saga? As the President of the nation; who will still be the Chief Security officer until he hands over, there is no excuse that is strong enough to excuse him from the event.”

When contacted, a member of the Buhari campaign team, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, said while he was not privy to any meeting on the subject yet, it was only logical to ask Nigerians not to rest on their oars until total liberation was achieved.

He described the announcement by President Jonathan to hand over a day earlier than was due as a ploy to rubbish the gains made with the historic win by the opposition APC.

Fashakin said, “It (the proposed handover on the 28th) portends ill for the political destiny of this nation.

“That statement is loaded and it shows that the Nigerian people should not rest yet that there is still ominous signs which we should never take for granted. If Jonathan truly said he is handing over on the 28th it presupposes that he will be absent on the 29th.

“Number one, if he hands over on the 28th to the President-elect, does Gen. Muhammadu Buhari start to act effectively on that date? The answer is an emphatic NO.

“GMB does not start to act on that date, if you get what I mean. Handing over to GMB on that date is not only meaningless, it is stupid. It has no meaning in law, or reality. It means that for 24 hours before GMB takes over there will be a vacuum.”

He further argued that on the side of morality, Nigeria borrowed its constitution substantially from the American Constitution, and as such, it should learn a thing or two about how it operates.

He said there was never a time in recorded history where an outgoing American President, who is hale and hearty, will absent himself from the handover ceremony of his successor no matter their political differences.

Although, it is not yet clear how the Buhari team would handle “this threat,” it was learnt that the party’s legal team is being put on notice to be on the alert.

It was also gathered that the President-elect and his team have kept the issue of ministerial appointments in abeyance.

A member of the party’s National Working Committee, who pleaded for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said, “The general is a meticulous person and we all know that the main task before us now is the transition committee. The issue of who will be minister has been kept in abeyance.”

When contacted to speak on the president-elect’s views on the handover date and appointments, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said, “You will get our reaction later after due consultation.”

Attempts to speak with the Minister of Information proved abortive. She was not in the office when our correspondent visited. However, the Personal Assistant to the Minister on Media, Mr. Joseph Mutah, promised to get in touch with her and revert to our correspondent.

He had yet to do that as of the time of going to the press and when his mobile number was called, he did not pick the call.

The Information Minister had also after the FEC meeting said the President had directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to prepare their handover notes and submit them to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, on or before Monday.

According to her, it is Anyim’s responsibility to compile the notes, which will form Jonathan’s handover document to Buhari on May 28.

She had said, “You know May 29 is our Democracy Day. So, we have activities lined up all through that week, showcasing all what we have achieved and all other things we do normally on our Democracy Day except that this year is special with the inauguration of our new President that is coming up on May 29.”

The minister said the valedictory FEC meeting would hold on May 20, adding that everything that required the President’s approval must have been presented to him by May 13.

Meanwhile, two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Sebastian Hon and Joseph Nwobike, on Friday, disagreed on the appropriateness of President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to hand over on May 28 instead of May 29 when his four-year tenure will statutorily end.

The two lawyers spoke with one of our correspondents in separate telephone interviews.

Hon insisted that the best option was for the President to hand over on May 29 as past presidents had done.

But Nwobike said nothing was unconstitutional in the president’s decision as handing over is a process that would end with the inauguration of the incoming president on May 29.

Nwobike said, “Handing over is a process and not an event. So the paper work will be done on May 28 and the formalisation and the completion will occur on May 29. So there is clearly nothing unconstitutional about it.”

But Hon queried the basis for the President’s plan to hand over on May 28 as doing such on May 29 as it is usually done would not affect the nation’s democracy.

He said, “The best and the most appropriate thing to do is for President Jonathan to hand over at 12.01am of the morning of May 29, 2015.

“If he hands over before May 29, it means he is no longer the president. He should hand over by 12.01am of May 29 or do as the usual practice by 7am in the past. It will not be late if it is done by 7am on the morning of May 29.

“Remember that all former presidents took over on the morning of May 29. If he does that, nobody will query him and the transition will not be truncated.”

Mistress of former L.A clippers owner owes his wife millions

Donald Sterling’s mistress, V. Stiviano, owes Shelly Sterling $2.6 million, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Shelly Sterling sued V. Stiviano for the lavish gifts and extravagant living expenses her husband paid for and is thrilled with the court’s decision, which awarded her the title of an $1.8 million home Sterling purchased for Stiviano.

V. Stiviano is the woman behind Donald Sterling’s downfall, his personal assistant and mistress who recorded Sterling’s message packed with insensitive racial comments that led the NBA to force him to sell his L.A. Clippers franchise he had owned for 33 years, banning him from the league for life.

Pierce O’Donnell, the lawyer for Shelly Sterling, released a brief statement following the decision, saying “Shelly is thrilled with this decision. It is a victory for the Sterling family to recover millions that Donald lavished on a conniving mistress.”

In addition to the home, Stiviano owes Sterling more than $1 million in cash Donald Sterling used to shower his mistress with expensive gifts, including three luxury cars.

BREAKING: Plot To Abduct INEC Chairman Jega During Election Revealed

SaharaReporters has learned of a plot to abduct Independent National Election Commission (INEC) Chairman Attahiru Jega by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agents during the presidential election in March. The intent was to derail the vote tabulation when it was clear that the PDP could lose the election to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The plotters are said to have included former Minister of State for the Niger Delta, Godsay Orubebe, and members of Chairman Jega’s state-sponsored security detail. Chairman Jega was supposed to be abducted after Godsay Orubebe disrupted the public tabulation by Chairman Jega and Resident Election Commissioners (RECs).

It will be recalled that Mr. Orubebe subjected the Nigerian public and entire Election Commission to a lengthy diatribe, claiming that Chairman Jega was giving the APC preferential treatment and biased.

SaharaReporters is confirming details, but it is believed that Chairman Jega was going to be abducted by agents working for the PDP had he taken a recess from Mr. Orubebe’s disturbance.

SaharaReporters will provide the latest updates, once the details of the plot are confirmed.

[Music] Tee-Q – Skempele

“Tee-Q whose real name is Adeyanju Taofeeq is a 21 year old talented singer and song writer currently signed under SME (Shark Music Empire) owned by the renowned Bamidelebami.

Tee-Q is an admirable individual that is driven by social happenings around him which leads him to express himself and also deliver a message that youths are all yearning for through his music. Tee-Q‘s adventure into music started when he was eight while he sang melodiously in school choir and was easily noticed among his peers. Tee-Q is a talented afro pop singer,songwriter and performer. Tee-Q is a bundle of talents good looks and has charisma which has endeared him to the ladies but in whatever he does respect comes first and always.”

Listen & Download Tee-Q – Skempele below:-download

Rihanna step out with her braless see through top

Avril Lavigne Releasing New Single Despite Health Scare

Photo credit: Image Collect

Having gone through a serious health scare, Avril Lavigne will be releasing a new singe“Fly” in April to show support for the 2015 Special Olympics.

Lavigne has been bedridden for the past 5 months, unable to function properly, and with her mother by her side.

The 30-year-old singer went to Las Vegas with her friends last October but couldn’t live it up, unaware a diagnosis was awaiting her.

“I could barely eat, and when we went to the pool, I had to leave and go lie in bed,” Avril said of her trip. “My friends asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ I didn’t know.”

Following her Las Vegas trip, the doctors finally figured out what was wrong with the punk princess. She had Lyme disease.

Avril believes she got Lyme disease after getting bitten by a tick last spring. “I had no idea a bug bite could do this. I was bedridden for five months.”

The Canadian singer shared some details about her condition. “There were definitely times I couldn’t shower for a full week because I could barely stand. It felt like having all your life sucked out of you. ”

“I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t talk and I couldn’t move,” she says. “I thought I was dying.”

Luckily, Avril is recuperating successfully and working on new music. Hopefully she feels 100% soon.

Mischa Barton Sues Her Mother Over Earnings

The O.C. alum has sued her mother Nuala Barton for stealing all of her earnings. Mischa, who has been acting since she was 8 years old, says her “greedy stage mother” kicked her out of her own Beverly Hills home, in addition to using her name to create a handbag line and opening a store in London, without including her daughter in any of the profits.

Mischa’s lawyer Alex Weingarten told Us Weekly in a statement that, “This action arises from the tragic tale of a greedy stage mother posing as a talent manager who, instead of acting in the best interest of her daughter/client, schemed to defraud her unsuspecting victim.”

Weingarten went on to add, “From the outset, Nuala positioned herself to siphon her daughter’s hard-earned money by purportedly acting as her talent manager – a role for which Nuala had absolutely no experience or training.”

The documents pertaining to the lawsuit reveal that neither Mischa’s mother or father have held jobs in over 10 years.

Buhari to End Fuel Subsidy, Rationalise MDAs

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday  said he would end fuel subsidies and the oil and gas sector would be reformed as a matter of priority in order to attract new investments.

Unveiling his economic policies at a Lagos Business School breakfast meeting, he added that he would run a very lean government, which would involve rationalising overlapping and redundant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in line with the Steve Oronsaye presidential committee report.

Buhari, who was represented by former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, at the meeting however disclosed that there would be very little action from his administration until October, partly due to what he ascribed to the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan is the author of the 2015 budget.

He said the federal government under the All Progressives Congress (APC) would seek “to align the electoral and fiscal calendars to avoid this type of problem in future”.
He informed his audience that the cardinal agenda of the government and their over-arching themes would be security, fighting corruption and unemployment.

“We believe that corruption has a very strong negative link to both security and unemployment,” he said.

He said there would be no real action until October partly because the 2015 budget “is Jonathan’s and may be fully approved in April. A very lean government is the focus, largely in line with the Steve Oronsaye presidential committee report. This report was available to the Jonathan government, but the will to implement it was absent”.

He promised that a cabinet would be announced very quickly within one week of inauguration.
“Anyone with a whiff of corruption or any kind of taint will not be in the cabinet. Our manifesto will reflect zero tolerance for corruption,” he said.

He acknowledged that the APC “is not a conclave of cardinals, as it includes the good, the bad and the ugly,” noting that in Nigeria, the bad and the ugly could be the biggest electoral assets, though the new government “will not interfere with law enforcement agencies or the judiciary even if APC members are involved in corrupt practises”.

He added that the Vice-President-elect, Prof. Oluyemi Osinbajo, did a lot of work as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, assuring Nigerians that he would bring his experience to revamp and strengthen the judiciary to complement the anti-corruption drive and the rule of law. “He will also anchor the economic committee,” he said.

He promised that his government would continue with some of the programmes in the Jonathan administration, which were successful.
“For example, agriculture, though there would be a stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments,” he said.

He also spoke on his plan to consolidate such anti-corruption agencies as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), among others.

According to him, rather than strengthen key anti-corruption agencies like EFCC, ICPC and SFI, they are likely to be consolidated and a single entity would be made more effective.

“We believe Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is getting over-burdened by developmental finance issues at the expense of its core objectives; this will be changed,” he said.
He said the subsidy on petroleum products would certainly go and the industry would be reformed as a matter of priority in order to attract new investments.

“While power reform has been commendable and will continue, the approach will change,” Buhari said.
He explained that power transmission would be deregulated, regionalised and privatised in order “to break down centralised transmission, while the issues of gas supply to Gencos will be addressed.

“But the new government believes that Discos are the biggest bottlenecks presently. The government plans to add on 4,000 MW of power every year and expect that output will reach a minimum of 12,000 MW at the end of his tenure”.
He said the party’s groundwork showed that N3 trillion in savings could come out of plugged leakages, noting that the employment drive would be private sector led.

“The government will allow market forces to prevail, including in the foreign exchange regime,” he said.
The president-elect debunked speculations that he would use fiat to fix the  foreign exchange, adding, however, that the government would keenly seek to protect the more economically vulnerable segments of the society.

He added that there would be a tightening of the tax noose, though there would be no tax increase.
“The Federal Internal Revenue Service (FIRS) will be strengthened and the LASG IGR template will be adopted at the national level,” he stated.

Buhari acknowledged that the country’s infrastructure gap required huge capital outlay, which the government does not have, but promised to develop a master plan for infrastructure development.

Face-off with N-Assembly: Why I didn’t sign amended constitution – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, gave reasons why he refused to assent the constitution amendment bill forwarded to him by the National Assembly even as some eminent lawyers backed his decision.

Raising about 13 grounds, President Jonathan in a letter entitled: “Re: Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Fourth Alteration Act, 2015,” questioned the power the National Assembly has to arrogate to itself the power to pass any constitution amended without the assent of the President.

He also picked holes in whittling down the power of the President, allowing the National Judicial Council, NJC, to appoint the Attorney-General of the Federation, separating the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation from that of the Federal Government, and limiting the period when expenditure can be authorized in default of appropriation from six months to three months, among others.

Leading lawyers, who endorsed the president’s action were Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), Mr Festus Keyamo and Mr Kayode Ajulo.

Shocked by the President’s letter, the National Assembly Conference Committee, comprising members of the Constitution Review Committee in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, yesterday, began a two-day retreat to look into the bill and the attendant consequence of the president’s action. It will come out with a definite position on the issue next week.

Mark stops senators from debating President’s letter

The President’s letter was read on the floor of the Senate during plenary yesterday by the Senate President, David Mark. But he stopped Senators from debating the President’s refusal to assent to the amended bill, when some senators, led by Senator Sadiq Yar’Adua, APC, Katsina Central, raised a Point of Order, seeking permission to that effect.

The President, in the letter also lamented what he termed as usurpation of powers of the executive by the legislature in the fourth alteration of the constitution.

Shortly after the Senate President finished reading the letter, Senator Abubakar Yar’Adua, APC, Katsina Central, raised a Point of Order, seeking that the Senate be allowed to debate the President’s letter.

He said: “I think it is important for us to discuss that letter and see whether there is need for us to consider the letter or not. I think he has raised very serious fundamental issues, especially in terms of our conscience as lawmakers and his own position as the chief executive officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That is why I am raising this point or order.”

But the Senate President refused his request, saying he was earlier communicated by the Conference Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, that it was holding a two-day retreat between yesterday and today, to discuss and take position on the president’s letter.

Mark said: “Obviously, this letter is not like any other normal letter. We can’t discuss the letter unless you have a copy of it. So, the first reaction is for me to make copies available to everybody. And you go and study it. And if you notice, there is an announcement also by the Constitution Review Committee that they are going to meet. So, that will straight away go to them. I agree with you that weighty issues have been raised. It’s a peculiar case, so everybody will be involved.”

Where lawmakers erred —Jonathan

In the letter, Jonathan said that the two chambers of the National Assembly failed to meet requirements for altering Section 9 (3) of the 1999 Constitution.

“Section 4 of the Fourth Alteration Act, 2015 seeks to alter Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution by the insertion of a new subsection 3A, which dispenses with the assent of the President in the process of constitution amendment. However, this alteration can only be valid if the proposal was supported by votes of not less than four-fifths majority of all the members of each House of the National Assembly and approved by a resolution of the Houses of Assembly of not less than two-thirds of all the states as provided by Section 9 (3) of the 1999 Constitution.

“This is a fundamental requirement of the constitution and in the absence of credible evidence that this requirement of the constitution was met in the votes and proceedings of the National Assembly, it will be unconstitutional for me to assent to this Bill,” he explained.

Besides, the President said there were a number of provisions in the Act that altogether constitute flagrant violations of the doctrine of separation of powers enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and unjustifiably whittle down the executive powers of the federation vested in the president by virtue of Section 5 (1) of the 1999 Constitution.

Jonathan observed that the power vested in the President to withhold his assent to bills passed by the National Assembly was part of checks and balances contained in the constitution.

He said Sub-section 5a of Section 58, which provides that the bill becomes law after the expiration of 30 days in the event that the president fails to signify the withholding of his assent, may be inappropriate.

“The provision appears not to have taken cognizance of the afore-mentioned variables, the vagaries inherent in the legislative process and the wisdom in requiring two-thirds majority to override the President’s veto.

“In the light of the above, I am of the view that the failure to signify assent by the President within the prescribed period of 30 days should rather be treated as dissent, which would require two-thirds majority to override.”

Jonathan faults NASS over alteration

Jonathan also faulted the National Assembly over its alteration, seeking to limit the period when expenditure can be authorized in default of appropriation from the six months provided in the constitution to three months, saying: “I am of the view that this provision has the potential of occasioning financial hardships and unintended shut-down of government business, particularly where for unforeseen reasons and other exigencies in the polity, the National Assembly is unable to pass the Appropriation Act timeously.

“Our recent experiences with the process of passing the Appropriation Act do not justify the reduction of six-month time limit in the constitution,” he insisted.

The President also faulted Section 84a that created the new Office of Accountant General of the Federation distinct from the Accountant General of the Federal Government, saying it did not address the funding requirements for establishment of the office.

“It is necessary to clarify, for instance, who staffs and funds the office of Accountant- General of the Federation and from whose budget he will be paid since he serves the three tiers of government,“he stressed.

He also said it was important to state who will exercise oversight powers over the office, noting that the National Economic Council, which was mainly an advisory body, was now charged with the responsibility of recommending those to be appointed to the office of the Accountant-General.

The President equally faulted the National Assembly in separating the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation from the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General from the Commissioner for Justice in the respective states of the federation and also the provision for independence of the Office of Attorney General by guaranteeing tenure and funding.

He said as desirable as the alterations were, there were some provisions that violate the doctrine of separation of powers and also negate what he called “the age-long independence and absolute discretion that the office has enjoyed for centuries since its creation in the middle ages.”

He said the first setback was that the alteration was silent on who was the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, noting: “This is a serious lacuna, which may create implementation challenges.”

President has minor justification—Sagay

On the controversy, Professor Itse Sagay, SAN, said though the President has a minor justification in refusing to endorse the amendment in the 1999 Constitution, some of the

sections he rejected would have been good for the country.

Sagay said: “There is the main issue of whether the President is really entitled to sign the constitution, that is the constitution could have been changed without him, that issue is not yet resolved and probably won’t be resolved until it gets to the Supreme Court because every constitutional change goes through a process of two thirds vote in the National Assembly and approval by state Houses of Assembly.

“So, it raises the question of after going through that process, is it still necessary to present it to the President for his signature. That issue is there but the way the people behave this time is as if they needed the President to vote.”

Speaking further, the legal icon said: “If you look at his reasons for refusing to endorse the amendment, his main reasons are that the executive powers are being depleted to the advantage of the National Assembly and the National Judicial Council.

“For example, he said the office of the Accountant-General was split into two. One for the federation and the other for the Federal Government. That is a very good thing. I do not know why he should be against that because the present Accountant-General of the Federation operates more as the Accountant-General of the Federal Government. It is usually unfair to other parts of the federation, that is why that position was made, it was a sensible provision.

“As for the National Judicial Council appointing the Attorney-General, I do not think it is a good idea. It is going too far because the Attorney-General exercises executive powers in the sense that he can decide to institute a criminal case and he can decide to end a criminal case. I think that should remain with the executive and not with the judiciary.

“As for meeting the provision of Section 9 (3), I do not know what he expects them (National Assembly) to meet. They have met the Two Thirds requirements. The only provision of the constitution which requires three quarter votes are those that affect human rights. These ones do not affect human rights as far as I know. I don’t see why he is complaining about Section 9(3).

All told, he has some minor justification but the bulk of what has been rejected would have been positive for the federation.”

President did the right thing —Ngige

On his part, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, said the president’s action was in order. He said: “My view is that I whole-heartedly support the President’s action by not signing the bill. It is only a fool that will append his signature to something that would make him look foolish. I am surprised that the National Assembly wanted the President to sign off his powers in the constitution amendment process.

“The President did the right thing and it is now left to be seen whether the legislators would override the President’s action. I am, however, in doubt that they will get the required number needed to do that as things stand now in the country. My advice is that they suspend the constitution amendment process until the next dispensation.”

Jonathan is correct —Keyamo

In like manner, Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, backed the President on rejecting the constitution amendment bill. According to him, the National Assembly failed in attaching the votes and proceedings on the sitting that approved the clause to change the mode for constitution alteration.

He also sided with the President in rejecting the proposal to give the National Judicial Council the responsibility of appointing the attorney general, asserting that it breaches the doctrine of separation of powers.

He said: “I think the President is correct and he divided his objection into two. In the first one, he gave reasons he could not sign the issues dealing with healthcare, education and all that.

“In the second one, dealing with four-fifths requirement needed to alter the mode for constitution amendment is a special provision in the constitution and if you need to change the provision by which the constitution should be amended, you need a higher number than the normal two-thirds and the President said that they did not attach the votes and proceedings to show that that number was met. That was very fair by him. There is no evidence that you have met the requirements before sending it to me. So he is correct on that one.

“On the requirement for free education and all that, what the President is saying is that you cannot impose free healthcare on private hospitals and private schools; you should restrict it to government schools. So do you want people to start taking private schools to court? It should be restricted to government hospitals because you would otherwise destroy the spirit of free enterprise in the country.’’

On separation of Attorney General and Minister of Justice

“What the President said was that they would be infringing on the principle of separation of powers. For example, it would mean giving the judiciary the power to appoint the attorney general who is an executive member and don’t forget that the attorney general sits in the exco.

“You are now saying that the judiciary should appoint him or recommend him to the President for appointment subject to the approval of the Senate, so that appointment is coming from the judiciary whereas in the past the NJC only recommended judges.

“Now, the danger is that when a government fails in its anti-corruption war, you blame the president; meanwhile the person who is responsible for anchoring the anti-corruption war of the government is the attorney general who is not appointed by the government but may actually be destroying the anti-corruption war and yet the government cannot touch him.

“So it is a two-edged sword, but the government gets the consequence. So you could have a case where the attorney general can destroy the government’s anti corruption battle but the government cannot sack him.”

It’s constitutionalism in action—Ajulo

On his part, Mr Kayode Ajulo commended the president for using his discretion, saying this is constitutionalism in action.

“When you look at it very well, the president has the discretion to either sign the amendments or not. What the President has done is the right thing because this is constitutionalism in action. It is well inscribed in the law and if the President exercises his discretion, so be it. Either rightly or wrongly, it now lies with the Supreme Court to do the required.”

How Mark, Suswam’s Errors Cost PDP Benue State

This is the first time the agrarian Benue State will experience a sweeping change. The much reverend political gladiators like Governor Gabriel Suswam and Senate President David Mark that drive the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, at least for the past 16 years, have dropped like a fallen tree. SOLOMON AYADO dissects the issues that propelled an overwhelming victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC)

In what can best be described as an end of terror and release of the people from bondage, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue state has finally been crushed by the leading All Progressives Congress (APC) after the PDP ruled the agrarian state with severe impunity for about 16 years.

Apart from the fact that those bigwigs that formed the APC in the state today are offspring of the PDP and or founding members, and defected because of alleged injustice and obvious misrule that greeted the party, there are several other reasons why the PDP should have collapsed easily, like an high-rise building that is built on a swampy ground.

Although it is obvious that the change in which the APC sailed its victory in both the presidential and governorship elections held in the food basket state, can be adduced to the expression of the people’s liberation, nobody can contest the fact that the people can be sick and tired with a party that has ruled them for decades, without meeting the yearnings of the people.

It all started like a joke because the PDP in the state, headed by Governor Gabriel Suswam has had no premonition that a merger party like the APC would afford to clinch the status of controlling the political drive of the state and the country.

The founding members of the party were hastily defecting to the APC but it had never at any instance occurred to the PDP that the massive decamping may dig a deep pit where the PDP will fall and finally be buried. Governor Suswam and his deputy, Chief Steven Lawani as well as senate president David Mark could not take any obvious measure to enhance reconciliation and pull back the defectors into their political fold.

While the then opposition APC, now the ruling party, was busy making underground efforts to work around a stable affiliation and evolve strategies that would coast it to victory, the PDP however, underrated the show and failed to quickly institute serious defensive measures to resist the intrigues that were being employed to defeat it.

The PDP met a woeful defeat during the presidential election that failed to deliver its candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan. The party also lost two senatorial seats to the APC in the state. Even Senate President David Mark that won a return ticket escaped the defeating lash by the whiskers when a former president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Daniel Onjeh, pulled a near win in the senatorial election.

In the case of the governorship election, there was a crack in the PDP long before the party conducted its primaries and nominated Terhemen Tarzoor, a former speaker of the Benue state House of Assembly who became the flag bearer. The issues were that the most preferred candidates including the former registrar of Council For the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Felix Atume and a retired permanent secretary, Mr. Hingah Biem and Chief Samuel Ortom were denied the ticket due to certain political calculations. This and other several reasons saw to the defeat of the PDP in the state.



Deception and Political Maneuverings

In order to concede defeat after they were not variedly picked as gubernatorial candidate of the PDP, more than 10 aspirants in the race including the former minister and attorney general of the federation, Mike Aondoakaa (SAN) and former minster of aviation, Samuel Ortom could not pretend about the way and manner the structures of the party were executed.

The other aggrieved candidates under the auspices of MINDA aspirants headed by Prof. David Ker, at the primary election promised to back Tarzoor who is one of their own, to get the ticket. But many of the aspirants alleged that the PDP and Governor Suswam deceived them to contest the election and squander their hard earned resources without finally actualizing their aims.

All the PDP candidates, about 30 who did not win the ticket felt deceived shortly after the primaries and started working for the APC, with underground arrangements. This is what caused the defection of Samuel Ortom to the APC. Furthermore, the PDP failed to reconcile the aggrieved parties till the elections came, a situation that handsomely resulted to the woeful defeat of the party.



Unpaid Salaries

At the time of the general elections, the Benue state Government had still not paid the salaries of workers for several months. The state judiciary and all tertiary institutions, as well as primary school teachers went on strike to press home their demands. This became the campaign message of the APC, which filtered convincingly to the nooks and crannies of the state.

Few days to the general elections, civil servants in Benue State protested the non- payment of their outstanding salaries, even as they threatened to shut offices if the state government could not clear the salary arrears.

The workers, under the auspices of Benue Aggrieved Workers protested in Makurdi and had also accused the state leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), purportedly led by the chairman, Simon Anchaver that it has compromised standard to press the demands of workers.

The leader of the protesting group, Barrister Uhundu A. Emmanuel stated “workers salaries are our rights and not favours and so to this end we demand that salaries be paid and paid at the agreed 18% minimum wage to all Benue workers irrespective of cadre.”



Diversion of Campaign Funds

This is another serious factor that enhanced the defeat of the PDP in the state. Some members of the Goodluck/Sambo and Tarzoor/Ngbede campaign organizations alleged that money was being entrusted into hands of people that could not deliver. They said the funds were diverted and it became difficult to run the campaign.

Supporters of the ruling PDP in the Benue North West senatorial zone had during a town hall meeting in Makurdi, before the presidential election, unanimously gave a stern condition that would guarantee their total support for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan and other candidates of the PDP, saying they would not vote for the ruling party if they were not properly funded.

Speaking on behalf of the Jemgbagh extraction, a former member of House of Representatives, Arc. Terngu Tsegba noted that “the people of the area are seriously angry because they have not been properly reached with both electoral materials and logistics.”

Also, a PDP bigwig, Elder Agber Humbe stated unequivocally that “it seems the PDP and Jonathan will lose if money is not released for campaign because we have not been properly mobilized. Government in power does not go broke, people are angry because we are not being funded and it is appearing as if the Jonathan/Sambo campaign organization wants to fail so they can establish that we supporters have failed PDP. Many people are saying they would vote for the other party for presidential election if they are not funded.”



How Buhari’s Victory, Suswam’s Defeat Weakened PDP

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari defeated the presidential candidate of the PDP, President Goodluck Jonathan, in a landslide victory. Buhari polled a total votes of 373, 961 to defeat President Jonathan who scored 303, 737 with a wide margin of 70, 224 in the election which held in an agrarian state that is ruled by the PDP.

Also, Suswam lost the senate seat of the Benue North East Senatorial district to incumbent Senator Barnabas Gemade. Gemade scored the highest votes of 140, 715 to defeat Suswam who polled a total votes of 118, 603 with a wide margin of 22, 112. The election was conducted in 7 LGAs out of which, Gemade won in 5 LGAs.

The senate minority leader, Senator George Akume said that the victory of Buhari is a clear expression of the feelings of the people who are liberated. He said “the victory of General Buhari is the expression of the people’s feelings because the people were aggrieved and they made a choice which was well respected by INEC.”



Ortom Defeats Tarzoor

The governor-elect, Chief Samuel Ortom of the APC polled a total votes of 422, 932 to defeat Terhemen Tarzoor of the opposition PDP who scored 313, 878 with a wide margin of 109, 054.Out of the 23 local government areas where the elections were conducted, the APC won in 14 LGAs while PDP got victory in 9 local government areas, respectively.

Surprisingly, before the results would be finally collated and announced, Suswam had called Ortom by telephone at about 10.56 am on the day of collation of results, because he saw the glaring victory of Ortom. Similarly, Tarzoor also congratulated Ortom over the victory. The Director General of Tarzoor/Ngbede campaign organization, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher stated this in a press statement.



Need For Reconciliation

Political analysts in Benue state have insisted that there must be reconciliation of aggrieved members of the PDP. They are also of the view that both the APC and PDP members must also come together to enhance unity and development for the state.

Beyond expectation, Chief Samuel Ortom, barely six hours after he was declared winner, visited Suswam at the Government House in Makurdi. They all agreed to throw behind their disagreements. If this situation can chart a way forward for the state to enhance peace, unity and progress, only time shall tell.

How we will stop Boko Haram, by Muhammadu Buhari

When Boko Haram attacked a school in the town of Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria, kidnapping more than 200 girls, on the night of April 14, 2014, the people of my country were aghast. Across the world, millions of people joined them in asking: How was it possible for this terrorist group to act with such impunity? It took nearly two weeks before the government even commented on the crime. This lack of reaction was symptomatic of why the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was swept aside last month – the first time an incumbent president has been successfully voted out of office in the history of our nation. For too long they ruled, not governed, and in doing so had become so focused on their own self-interest and embroiled in corruption that the duty to react to the anguish suffered by their citizens had become alien to them.
My administration, which will take office on May 29, will act differently – indeed it is the very reason we have been elected. This must begin with honesty as to whether the Chibok girls can be rescued. Currently their whereabouts remain unknown. We do not know the state of their health or welfare, or whether they are even still together or alive. As much as I wish to, I cannot promise that we can find them: to do so would be to offer unfounded hope, only to compound the grief if, later, we find we cannot match such expectation. But I say to every parent, family member and friend of the children that my government will do everything in its power to bring them home.

What I can pledge, with absolute certainty, is that from the first day of my administration, Boko Haram will know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas. Until now, Nigeria has been wanting in its response to their threat: With our neighbours fighting hard to push the terrorists south and out of their countries, our military was not sufficiently supported or equipped to push north. As a consequence, the outgoing government’s lack of determination was an accidental enabler of the group, allowing them to operate with impunity in Nigerian territory.

That is why the answer to defeating Boko Haram begins and ends with Nigeria. That is not to say that allies cannot help us. My administration would welcome the resumption of a military training agreement with the United States, which was halted during the previous administration. We must, of course, have better coordination with the military campaigns our African allies, like Chad and Niger, are waging in the struggle against Boko Haram. But, in the end, the answer to this threat must come from within Nigeria.

We must start by deploying more troops to the front and away from civilian areas in central and southern Nigeria where for too long they have been used by successive governments to quell dissent. We must work closer with our neighbors in coordinating our military efforts so an offensive by one army does not see their country’s lands rid of Boko Haram only to push it across the border onto their neighbors’ territory.

But as our military pushes Boko Haram back, as it will, we must be ready to focus on what else must be done to counter the terrorists. We must address why it is that young people join Boko Haram. There are many reasons why vulnerable young people join militant groups, but among them are poverty and ignorance. Indeed Boko Haram – which translates in English, roughly, as “Western Education Is Sinful” – preys on the perverted belief that the opportunities that education brings are sinful.

Promise of food

If you are starving and young, and in search of answers as to why your life is so difficult, fundamentalism can be alluring. We know this for a fact because former members of Boko Haram have admitted it: They offer impressionable young people money and the promise of food, while the group’s mentors twist their minds with fanaticism. So we must be ready to offer the parts of our country affected by this group an alternative.

Boosting education will be a direct counterbalance to Boko Haram’s appeal. In particular we must educate more young girls, ensuring they will grow up to be empowered through learning to play their full part as citizens of Nigeria and pull themselves up and out of poverty. Indeed, we owe it to the schoolgirls of Chibok to provide as best an education as possible for their fellow young citizens.

Boko Haram feeds off despair. It feeds off a lack of hope that things can improve. By attacking a site of learning, and kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls, it sought to strike at the very place where hope for the future is nurtured, and the promise of a better Nigeria. It is our intention to show Boko Haram that it will not succeed. My government will first act to defeat it militarily and then ensure that we provide the very education it despises to help our people help themselves. Boko Haram will soon learn that, as Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Being an opinion article by President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, as published in yesterday’s edition of New York Times.

Tinubu is my role model, says Kashamu

SENATOR-ELECT and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Chief Buruji Kashamu, has described the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, as his role model.

Kashamu, who is the chairman of the Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the PDP in the South-West, paid a rare tribute to the former Lagos State governor in an open letter, describing Tinubu as a true hero to be emulated by every Nigerian.

Kashamu is the senator-elect of Ogun-East senatorial district and one of the most vocal opponents of the APC before the party won the presidential election of March 28.

He said that it was important to honour those deserving of honour now that elections are over.

In the open letter addressed to Tinubu, Kashamu said, “Truth be told, men like you are made up of sterner stuff and are rare to come by in every generation. Little wonder you are called the Asiwaju and Jagaban of Borgu. I doff my hat.

“I hope that in spite of our membership of different political platforms, we would be able to collaborate for the upliftment of Yorubaland in particular and Nigeria as a whole.

“My sincere prayer is for the Almighty Allah to keep you and give you good health and long life to be able to see the Nigeria of your dream. For me, I join other Nigerians in wishing you the best, even as we aspire and pray Almighty Allah to make us – the younger ones – be like you, the Jagaban of Borgu.”

Kashamu described Tinubu as the architect of modern Nigeria, who, he said, made history by leading an opposition party for 16 years and then grabbing power at the centre.

He noted that without Tinubu, the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, would not have won the March 28 election.

He said, “Although I now belong to the opposition, your achievements transcend political divides and I am not ashamed to publicly acknowledge them. There is no denying the fact that your place in the history of the Yoruba race in particular, and, in Nigeria in general, is well etched.

“The fanatical support that the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, enjoys in his homestead was matched with your commanding influence in the politics of the South-West and indeed the Yoruba race to produce the results we witnessed during the elections.

“By your sheer wit and unwavering commitment to democratic ethos, true federalism and economic prosperity, you led the Alliance for Democracy from a one-state party to a regional party and now a national party that is about to form the government at the centre.”

Buruji, who sued former President Olusegun Obasanjo last December over a controversial book authored by the ex-President, also congratulated Obasanjo and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun.

He promised Amosun that he would ensure that the nine PDP senators in the Ogun State House of Assembly give him maximum cooperation.

Four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi has admitted that he struggled to overcome injuries in Barcelona’s first trophyless campaign for six years last season.

As well as the disappointment at club level, Messi suffered the devastation of losing the World Cup final with Argentina and saw Cristiano Ronaldo oust him to win the World Player of the Year for a second consecutive year.

“Last season, I had an inconsistent season. I was out for a long time with injuries and I missed a lot of games,” Messi told Barcelona’s website.

“When I returned to playing I didn’t feel good. It was a year I have tried to forget quickly to get back to my best with the effort, work and joy with which I have always had and thankfully now I feel very good.”

Messi has stormed back to form since this season with 45 goals in 44 games to put Barca in position for just the second treble in the club’s history.

Luis Enrique’s men lead Real Madrid in La Liga by two points with seven games to play, face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final and travel to Paris Saint-Germain for the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.

“We went through times that we won everything, every year we would win a title and sometimes the fans and us didn’t value what we were doing,” Messi added.

“We had a bad year when we didn’t win anything and now, when the success comes, we give it the importance it deserves and we enjoy it more because we know how difficult it is to achieve.”

The one area of Messi’s game that has let him down in recent months has been from the penalty spot as the 27-year-old has missed five of his last 11 spot-kicks, including against Manchester City in the last 16 of the Champions League.

“It angers me. Both with Barca and the Argentine national team I am the penalty taker and the goalkeepers study you and know you better every time.

“It is true that a well-taken penalty is very difficult to save, but at the moment it is more difficult for me when I’m taking penalties.

“These things happen in football, but I do get very annoyed when I miss, like against Manchester City when the goal would have given us a much bigger advantage.”

BREAKING: Supreme Court affirms Fayose’s victory

The Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed Ayodele Fayose as the duly elected governor of Ekiti State in the June 21, 2014 election.

‎In a unanimous decision by the seven-man panel led by Justice John Fabiyi, the apex court upheld the earlier decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Ekiti State Governorship Election Tribunal, which had both earlier ruled that the petition challenging Fayose’s victory lacked merit.

In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, the apex court dismissed all the grounds of appeal filed by the petitioner – the All Progressives Congress – and resolved all four issues arising from the appeal against the party.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared that Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party polled 203,090 votes to defeat the then incumbent governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives Congress who polled 120,433 votes‎ in the election.

Dissatisfied by the results declared by the INEC, the APC had filed a petition, urging the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which sat in Abuja to nullify the election.

The petitioner had anchored its case on the grounds of alleged irregularities, intimidation of its leaders by the military, ineligibility of Fayose to stand for the election and allegation that the PDP candidate forged his Higher National Diploma certificate presented to INEC.

The Justice Siraju-Mohammed-led tribunal had, in its verdict delivered on December 19, 2014, ‎dismissed the petition for lacking merit.
‎
The Justice Abdul Aboki-led five-man panel on April 15, 2015 affirmed the decision of the tribunal.

But the APC further appealed to the Supreme having been dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision.

The Supreme Court, in its judgment on Tuesday, held that none of the grounds of appeal was proved by the appellant‎.

It held that while impeachment was not a ground of disqualification ‎from contesting as governor under section 182 of Nigeria’s constitution, the panel which recommended Fayose for impeachment on October 16, 2006, was illegally and unconstitutionally constituted.

It also held that the allegation of certificate forgery had been caught by the principle of “issue estoppel” as it had been laid to rest since 2004 by the Court of Appeal’s judgment‎ in the case of Alliance for Democracy.

According to the apex court, the Court of Appeal had, in the said judgment, held that the HND certificate was genuinely earned by and awarded to Fayose.

On the issue of militarisation and harassment of leaders of the APC, the Supreme Court held that the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police, joined as 4th and 5th defendants in the case were not necessary parties.

The apex court held that ‎the actions of the men and officers of the two defendants that allegedly harassed the APC leaders during the election and whose names were not mentioned could also not be answerable for by the INEC as stipulated by the Electoral Act.

Jonathan rejects amended constitution

President Goodluck Jonathan has rejected the amendments made to the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly.

A top government official who pleaded anonymity said that Jonathan vetoed the amendment on Monday.

The official said the decision of the President not to sign the document was because the amendment did not meet the provisions of Section 9 (3) of the 1999 Constitution.

The source explained that with the return of the document by the President, the letter accompanying it might be read on the floors of the two chambers of the National Assembly any time from Wednesday (today).

He said, “The President has vetoed the constitution amendment and he has sent it back to the National Assembly.

“The amendment did not meet the provision of Section 9 (3) of the constitution which talks about the need for four fifth of the National Assembly to agree with the amendment.”

Section 9 (3) of the Constitution reads:

“An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of altering the provisions of this section, section 8 or Chapter IV of this Constitution shall not be passed by either House of the National Assembly unless the proposal is approved by the votes of not less than four-fifths majority of all the members of each House, and also approved by resolution of the House of Assembly of not less than two-third of all states.”

The rejected amended constitution granted approval for the separation of the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation from that of Minister/Commissioner of Justice.

Okonjo-Iweala Is To Blame For Nigeria’s Financial Situation – Buhari

The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, says those seeking political appointments in his administration will be forced to declare their assets before taking office and before leaving. Buhari said this during an interview with Sahara TV on Sunday.

He said this would encourage accountability and reduce corruption.

He said, “All those that were governors, ministers, permanent secretaries, head of foreign staff and all those with political appointments will have to declare their assets on the assumption of their appointment and definitely with the courts. And once they leave they have to re-declare their assets.”

Buhari, who insisted that last-minute defectors would not be given appointments in his government, promised not to interfere with the judiciary in the fight against corruption but would strengthen the nation’s justice system.

He stated that his administration would not “become embroiled in investigation of every ministry, and then the government will not have time to move forward.”

The President-elect slammed the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for the depletion of the Excess Crude Account.

Okonjo-Iweala had said a significant portion of the billions of dollars drained from ECA over the past two years was distributed to governors instead of being saved for a rainy day

However, Buhari said the finance minister’s excuse was not acceptable.

“I’m afraid the finance minister has no cause to complain because the governors cannot force the central government to act outside the constitution,” he said.

On the contentious issue of oil block ownership and an equitable distribution of the country’s wealth, he suggested that partisan politics in Nigeria was the cause of the uneven distribution in the oil sector.

Buhari said that he wanted to formalise the oil sector in the country.

Pastor Tunde Bakare Set To Bag His First Political Appointment

Those on the know has revealed that Nigeria’s President-Elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has reportedly appointed the General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare as a member of those to screen nominees into transition committee.

The News went viral after it was announced by a member of the All Progressives Congress, Kayode Ogundamisi, who revealed this on his social media accounts.

The transitional committee is expected to work with incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in handing over notes and taking care of administrative activities prior to the official handing over of government to Buhari.

Bakare was a one time running mate of Buhari during the presidential elections of 2011.

Faction in OPC asks Adams to present bank account statements

A group plotting the removal of the National Coordinator of the outlawed Oodua Peoples Congress, Otunba Gani Adams has challenged him to present the statements of bank account ‎of the congress from 1999 to date.

The call was made by the National Coordinating Council of the Oodua Peoples Congress(OPC), through its spokesperson, Mr. Adesina Akinpelu in Ibadan Monday.

According to the group, other members have lost confidence in the leadership of Adams and that the most honourable thing for him to do was to resign from his position as the national coordinator of the congress.

‎While speaking with newsmen in Ibadan yesterday, the spokesman of the council, Akinpelu, pleaded with Yoruba monarchs and governors in the South West to prevail on Adams not to cause another orgy of violence within the OPC.

Recalling how lives were lost in the previous internal crises allegedly ignited by the OPC’s National Coordinator in Lagos and Ibadan in the past.

He said, “It is on record that lives of many indigenes of Oyo state and Lagosians were lost in the battles between Otunba Gani Adams and Dr. Fasheun in Lagos and between him(Adams) and Alaka in Ibadan in the past. We will not allow him to shed any blood in Ibadan or Lagos again. Any attempt by him to cause another internal war within the OPC, the battle will be taken to Arigidi-Akoko, his hometown.

“We now know the antics of Gani Adams, and we will never allow him to have his way to start another internal war within the OPC. Just as OPC in Ekiti state has been libereted from the shackles of Gani Adams, other state chapters will be liberated. Oyo OPC has equally been liberated. No ammount of threat and intimidation from Gani Adams and his cohorts will stop me and other members of the council opposed to his tyrannical rule from upholding the truth we stand for”.

“We have discovered that Gani Adams is only after his own interests and not the interests of OPC members. He has over the years used the organization to better the lots of his own family”, he alleged.

UPDATE: Chibok girls seen ‘alive’ in Gwoza

The schoolgirls abducted from Chibok community by Boko Haram insurgents were reportedly seen alive, according to a report by BBC.

More than 50 of the girls abducted by militant Islamists in Nigeria last year were seen alive three weeks ago, a woman has told the BBC.
She saw the girls in the north-eastern Gwoza town before the Boko Haram militants were driven out of there by regional forces.

Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from their school in the remote town of Chibok, in Borno state, northeastern Nigeria, on the evening of April 14 last year.

Fifty-seven managed to escape soon afterwards but the remainder have not been seen since an appearance in a Boko Haram video in May last year.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has claimed they have all converted to Islam and been “married off”.

Cynthia Morgan – “Freestyle” (Prod. By Popito)

Jude Okoye’s Northside Inc. act, Cynthia Morgan who’s been really making waves jumps on this Popito crafted tune.

The 1 min 57 sec’s “Freestyle” would get you bumping all the way as you await the full version.
download

Famous – “Igboro (Remix)” ft. Reminisce & Lopo

Fresh new single from Ting Tong Musik as Famous releases the remix to his hit single ”Igboro“. The monster hit features Alaga Ibile himself Reminisce and young talented artiste Lopo. Igboro is a dance track for the street and it’s definitely a party starter. Produced by 2TBoiz and mixed by Indomix.

download

Madonna in awkward kiss with Drake

Drake found himself in the most awkward position when queen of pop, Madonna, 56 pulled the 28-year-old singer back to kiss him on his lips, for about three seconds at the Coachella event.

Right after the kiss, Drake looked horrified quickly wiping his mouth.

Many wonder if Madonna might have done that in order to entertain the younger crowd which Coachella attracts riled. Wearing black a tank top that said Big As Madonna, hot pants with stockings that showed off her toned legs, and a pair of kinky boot heels, she sauntered over to Drake, who was sitting in a chair.

She pulled back his head after caressing his cheek in and made the shocking move.

When Madonna finished her French Kiss, she walked off oblivious to the Truffle Butter singer’s reaction.

The age difference may be a problem – he is 28 and she is 56 making them 28 years apart. She is exactly twice his age.
Many also consider Coachella an odd place for Madonna to perform as it is known for attracting a younger crowd such as Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid.  Madonna has desperately been selling her new album Rebel Heart.

Also on stage was Christina Aguilera.

Guber Elections: PDP Blames INEC, Security Agencies for its Failure

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has questioned the conduct of some Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and security agencies in last Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections.
The party accused some INEC and security officials for supporting widespread irregularities in the governorship and State Assembly elections.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said in a statement on Monday that the elections were characterized by widespread irregularities aided and abetted by certain INEC and security officials to the advantage of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and wondered if such officials were intimidated by APC’s blackmail and propaganda to deliver its candidates in the polls.
According to the PDP, “Evidence abounds of widespread irregularities across the country with INEC rejecting results from the strongholds of PDP candidates for no just cause while accepting the figures of the APC.”
Giving instances, PDP said that ‎in Lagos, Adamawa, Plateau, Benue, Kwara, Ogun, Oyo, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Yobe, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Imo states, there were proofs of electoral manipulations ranging from underage voting, ballot stuffing and intimidation of PDP supporters to alteration of some aspects of the process in favour of APC.
“In Abia state, but for the outcry of the people and timely intervention of the INEC headquarters which rejected the illegal cancellation of results from three local governments and strongholds of the PDP by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) even after they have been announced by the returning officers, the PDP would have been robbed of its well-deserved victory in those areas.
“As a responsible party committed to national unity and democracy, our members have remained peaceful and orderly; our candidates have been conceding defeat in the interest of peace while we elect to channel our protest to the appropriate quarters.
“The same have not been seen of the APC, which has unleashed its members to cause mayhem and harass our supporters in states where PDP candidates clearly won, such as Akwa-Ibom, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Ondo, Rivers and Gombe states.
“While we urge INEC to take disciplinary actions against its erring officials, we strongly call to question the sincerity of some of the observers especially regarding their failure to raise issues on the irregularities that characterized the voting pattern in most of the states where APC candidates have been declared winner.
“Finally, we invite Nigerians and the international community to note the emerging dangerous trend in our country. There are rising concerns that the APC may have commenced a systematic destruction of democratic institutions and culture, which the PDP successfully nurtured in the last 16 years.
“Indeed, we wonder if there is a deliberate attempt to also erode the discipline and professionalism of our security forces and entrench the culture of impunity our society,” the PDP stated.