The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has given reasons President Muhammadu Buhari won’t assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill.
Malami explained that the bill did not capture the interest of Nigerians, hence Buhari will not sign it into law.
The AGF, featuring on Radio Kano, noted that the proposed bill has excessive cost implication, supports insecurity, and is discriminatory.
He said: “This means that you will repeat the general elections 18 times. Today INEC requires N305 billion for the 2023 general elections. Now if the general election, which is not the newly proposed electoral system, will cost this much, how much will it cost to do the same election in the APC? It might cost at least N200 billion because it will involve everyone.
“Although the good side of the law is that INEC is required to monitor it.
“Therefore, if it is assumed that every political party will spend N200 billion, how much will then be spent in conducting the same primary election in 18 political parties just to produce a qualified candidate? Let’s assume there are about 60 million politicians in the country, what about the remaining over 160 million Nigerians who have nothing to do with politics? Are you fair to them?
“All the people want are good projects, good road from Abuja to Kano, portable drinking water, good education, school feeding program and the rest of them. Are you fair to the 160 million Nigerians using their wealth just to conduct primary election to produce a party candidate, despite other demands by the public?
“My answer to this is that, to spend this N305 billion that will be given to the INEC and the about N200 billion to be given to the political parties is not fair to the remaining 160 million Nigerians who have no business about politics and political appointments. Their business is just a better life in Nigeria. This is the issue of cost implications.”
The head of the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Chika Edoziem, will address IPOB members on the group’s 2022 line of actions on Jan 1, 2022.
The address will be anchored via Radio Biafra from 7pm on Saturday, January 1, 2022, our correspondent gathered.
Emma Powerful, head of media of IPOB, in a statement seen by THE WHISTLER, said Edoziem would speak on issues pertaining to the struggles for the sovereign Biafra nation.
According to the statement, “Edoziem will highlight the achievements IPOB has recorded this year, and hint on the roadmaps to our liberation. He will also address some pertinent issues pertaining to our struggles for independence.
“IPOB has gone beyond human destruction, and it will remain so till Biafra freedom is fully achieved.
“Anybody can say whatever they like, IPOB remains unshakable. There is no retreat until Biafra sovereignty is fully restored.
“The broadcast will be simultaneously relayed live through our many channels, including IPOB community radio, radio Biafra FM, Facebook, satellite and others.”
Powerful urged IPOB faithful to hook on to the broadcast.
He said, “We also wish to inform Biafrans that Mazi Chinasa Nworu, and his crew will also be on radio Biafra for questions and answer on 30th of December.
“Call in during the live programme for your questions on anything bordering on our independence struggle.”
Pastor Tunde Bakare Faces Humiliation as Wema Bank Moves to Recover N9 Billion Used For Building Church
• Loan Taken to Build New Multi-Billion Church • How COVID-19 Messed up Repayment Plan
If the feelers coming from the headquarters of Wema Bank are something to be accorded some seriousness, 2022 may start on very interesting note for Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Senior Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church (formerly known as the Latter Rain Assembly). With a renewed resolve of the management of the bank to retrieve all huge loans taken by debtors who have not been servicing their loans, the very voluble pastor may be in for interesting times, as the loan taken to build his new church has risen to about nine billion Naira (N9 billion).
According to information pieced together, the likelihood of Wema Bank’s axe falling on Bakare is high, and when it falls, it is going to cut so deep that even he would question where he went wrong.
It is being reported that in building his new church headquarters, the multi-billion naira Citadel Global Community Church edifice in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, Pastor Bakare exploited his relationship with Wema Bank to secure a N4.5billion loan. The thinking, according to sources close to the pastor is that the bigger the church became, the more populous and prosperous it would become.
However, neither Bakare nor any of Nigeria’s prominent pastors foresaw COVID-19, which altered how humanity related and worshipped God. As the world went into lockdown, with many public places and worship centres shut, many churches had to take their services online. Even though offerings were accepted online, the revenue was nowhere near when the church was in full swing.
Pastor Bakare’s projections did not materialise and now, the loan has reportedly risen to N9billion with interests. Sources close to the bank said overtures have been made to Bakare. The bank is currently weighing its options.
Until recently, Pastor Bakare maintained a good relationship with the first-generation bank. He was an ever-present figure at almost all the bank’s functions. When the bank celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2015, the lawyer turned fiery clergy was there. He also had a very robust relationship with the bank’s former MD/CEO, Segun Oloketuyi.
In 2016, Pastor Bakare was represented at the launch of a foundation to celebrate the 52nd birthday of the 2nd Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Monday Onyekachi Ubani, by Oloketuyi. Oloketuyi has since left office.
But wait a minute, Nigeria may be broke. The country may be truly bankrupt. If that is the case, then the country may be flailing right at the edge of the deadly precipice, where prodigal clans careen and plunge down the steep plains of lavishness and sick delight.
The facts are mean and the statistics loom grotesquely like tragic integers of an economy in the chokehold of penury and devastation.
Worse hit is the financial sector in the catalogue of ruin that pervades the polity even as you read.
Prime culprits responsible for the depression stealthily stealing upon the country are the self-styled mavericks running the Nigerian financial sector amok. They are none other but the banking industry’s cowboys or rogue entrepreneurs if you like. These characters comprise executives of top banks in the nation’s financial sectors and they are to blame for the rot and spiraling misfortunes of the sector. While Nigeria depends on them to shrewdly manage and maneuver the economy from a state of uncertainty to a state of prosperity or future affluence, these characters conspired to effect the devastation of the banking industry.
And how did they do that? By granting outrageous loans without collateral and other mandatory securities to themselves, their principals and glorified tin gods among their clients. Rather than re-energise the banking system by imbuing it with the kind of visionary, dynamic and audacious initiatives reminiscent of the best the sector has to offer, these bank executives imposed on the country, a dark pall of financial doom and controversies via their inclinations for and brazen perpetration of cutthroat practices.
Many of them, bank Managing Directors (MDs) or Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) to be precise, sheepishly and maniacally played stooge cum dimwits to plundering boards of directors, chairmen of boards of their institutions, political tin gods and the current generation of aggressive entrepreneurs identified as young Turks of the nation’s oil and gas sectors. While serving as unquestioning muscles to their various principals and clients, these self-seeking MDs/CEOs, deviously sought for themselves large chunks of the loot they pillaged from the coffers of their banking institutions. It never mattered to them that they were playing with other people’s money, poor, helpless customers to be precise, they simply lusted and groveled for the good life.
There is no gainsaying these incumbent CEOs or MDs sheepishly kowtowed and still kowtow to the excessive demands of their principals and deified clients outside the walls of their banking institutions, what thus become shadow representatives of their will and demands. Shame!
Foremost historian and leader of the umbrella body of Yoruba self-determination groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, Professor Banji Akintoye, on Monday, unveiled a modern mobile application designed to track kidnap victims and expose danger anywhere in the South West.
The mobile application and alert system, named Pajawiri, can also expose criminal elements wherever they are with their victims once the victims have the application installed in their phones either on or off.
The security system also has another system called Afinihan that can be used by those without android phones to link up with those with the full application.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony held in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, Akintoye, who joined the event virtually, said the emergence of Pajawiri is an evidence that the Yoruba people are too intellectually sophisticated to be subdued.
He stated: “We have now proven to the world that we cannot be captured nor be subdued. We are too intellectually sophisticated to be subdued. It is these innovations and intellectual powers that we will deploy to get ourselves out of the quagmires of Nigeria.”
On the attendant benefits of Pajawiri, Akintoye, in a statement by his communications manager, Mr. Maxwell Adeleye, said “every person in possession of the Pajawiri app on their telephone, will be able to activate the application instantly, whenever they find themselves in danger. By activating the app, they will be able to alert their families, their friends, and their neighbours that they are in danger and that they need help.
“In that way, no Yoruba person needs to be alone anywhere on their farms, schools, market places, shops, and anywhere else. Any person who finds himself threatened by danger and who is in possession of Pajawiri will be able to alert other persons for help.
“In short, Yoruba people today, are able now to enjoy security individually and collectively through the use of the app known as Pajawiri.
“The Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide owes our engineers who have “put this together with an enormous debt of gratitude. The Yoruba people also owe a lot of gratitude to the umbrella body of Yoruba Self-determination groups, “Ilana Omo Oduduwa” for all the encouragement and support that they have given to these engineers.
“The creators of this application have magnanimously offered to put this app Pajawiri freely at the disposal of every Yoruba person for the next thirty days. That is, from now till the 21st of January, 2022. This means that all Yoruba people can have the protection of Pajawiri without paying any fees for the next thirty days.
“After that, those who choose to continue to enjoy the protection of Pajawiri will be able to do so with an affordable monthly subscription. That is for those of us who have smartphones (android, iOS, or iPhone). For those of us who do not have smartphones (android, iOS or iPhone), there has been a designed hand-held alert device named Afinihan to work equally as effectively as the Pajawiri on the iPhone.
“AFINIHAN, a tiny hand-held device that is able to perform wonders. This tiny device has been efficiently tested and will be available for purchase at a small affordable price. The purpose of these technological provisions is that the Yoruba nation must carry all its people along in this provision of security,” Akintoye remarked.
Commenting on the ideal features and benefits of the application, the coordinator of the Pajawiri project, Engineer Ayobami Abolaji, explained that the Pàjáwìrì app is a system for warning and protection through an alarm and alert system that will generate protective action for the community and each individual user.
The United States-based IT expert said “The Pàjáwìrì app is designed to provide a technological solution or a system that allows people to warn others of impending dangers and arouse established response
teams in the communities to stop and prevent various vices such as kidnapping, rape, armed robbery, arson, theft, accidents, murders, and banditry against app users and their community members.
“The Pàjáwìrì app is a technologically savvy information and communication application that alerts and locates the source and flashpoints of dangerous security breaches where an unchallenged massacre of valuable human lives and properties are perpetrated. The Pàjáwìrì app proffers a modern-day means of curbing or permanently alleviating the fears that have gripped the inhabitants of any geographical location and settlements once and for all.
“The Pàjáwìrì app was designed to be activated through a referral process only, in order to be able to know the identities of the app users and detect suspicious and criminal elements disguising as real users. It will be free to download by any user and will be operational after the referral is activated for the new user to have the referral identification.
Present at the unveiling of the app were Pioneer Commissioner for Education in Osun-State and Immediate Past Chairman of Ilana Omo Oodua, Professor Wale Adeniran, immediate past General Secretary of Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, Mr George Akinola, dons, Kayode Akinwande, Akinsola Adejuwon, amongst others.
Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, Senator Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law, who was arrested by security agencies has been released unconditionally.
It was reported how the 2019 governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA) was arrested during the outing service of his mother’s burial at St Peter’s Anglican Church Umunwokwe Village Eziama-Obaire Nkwerre LGA of Imo State.
The security operatives whisked him away amidst sporadic shooting.
It, however, gathered that he did not spend a night in police custody.
According to a release signed by Nwadike Chikezie, Special Adviser Media to Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, “I have spoken with him and he extended his greetings to all of us out there.
“While we await police report on why the abduction and arrest, we call on everyone to remain calm and focused because God is in charge of the whole situation.”
“The act of desecrating the House of God we all know a direct affront and challenge to God Almighty. We leave God to do his fight because vengeance is of God but to all Christians, does it now mean that the Government has no more respect for God and does it now mean that the House of God is no more a place one can take refuge? God prove your answers ”
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command have arrested four people and impounded 21 cars over illegal car races on Sunday.
The action followed the full enforcement of Regulation 228 of the Road Traffic Act which prohibits illegal car races and other related offences by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Babaji Sunday.
The FCT police spokesperson, DSP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the arrest and the number of cars impounded.
She said the suspects were arrested around Muhammadu Buhari way, by Nicon Insurance where they converged for business as usual.
The command had earlier ordered full enforcement of the prohibition of all kinds of car and speed races in the capital territory.
The commissioner had directed all the Divisional Police Officers and their supervisory Area Commanders to ensure full enforcement of the regulation in their respective area of responsibilities.
The order followed public outcry on the menace of reckless driving which poses risk to life and damage to personal property as well as critical national infrastructure.
The Presidency says there is nothing abnormal for presidential aides testing positive to COVID-19, “and are now on self isolation in their respective abodes”.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who stated this when he appeared on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, said such incidents only “confirmed that the presidential aides are human and not immune to happenings around them”.
Society gazette had on Saturday reported that some presidential aides had tested positive to Coronavirus.
Mr Adesina’s statement is the first subtle confirmation that presidency has been hit by the scourge according to sources who spoke with Premium Times.
Society gazette had reported how the rampaging coronavirus pandemic hit Nigeria’s State House, as some administration officials and aides of President Muhammadu Buhari have contracted the virus.
But the Nigerian government had kept sealed lips on the matter until the news broke out.
Presidency sources named those believed to have been infected by the virus to include the Permanent Secretary in the State House, Tijani Umar; the President’s aide-de-camp (ADC), Yusuf Dodo; his chief security officer (CSO), Aliyu Musa, and his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu.
One source included the minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on the list. But the minister later told PREMIUM TIMES he was neither infected nor down with the virus.
But Mr Shehu, who confirmed that he was “afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19,” in a text message shared with our reporter on Saturday, said he has “no confirmation” of other cases mentioned to him.
He added that he was already fit, claiming he just completed his physical exercises when our reporter called, but that it would require scientific evidence to claim that he no longer had the virus.
His message read in part; “I have no confirmation of the cases you mentioned, but yes I have been afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19. I felt okay from the beginning, maybe because one had received all three jabs, and right now, I feel 100 per cent. I just finished my hour-long running exercise.
“But the strange thing about this ailment is that it is the scientists, not you, that will say you are okay. Right now, I’m taking my prescriptions and isolating, and would go back for a test to ascertain if the virus is still here or it has left me. Thanks for your goodwill.”
Efforts to get the reaction of Mr Garba’s colleague and special adviser on media and publicity to the president, Mr Adesina, on the matter, then were unsuccessful as his phone always indicated “busy” when called many times, and he also did not reply to a short message sent to him, many hours after.
‘Presidential aides human’
Meanwhile, Mr Adesina in his reaction to Channels TV said: “Well, what I like to say is that presidential aides are just human. They can fall sick. If anything happens to human beings it can also happen to presidential aides.
”The fact that we are presidential aides does not make us to be immune to certain things. If there is a virus that is ravaging society. Well, it can touch anybody.
”So Malam Garba Shehu has confirmed that, yes, he tested positive but he said it’s mild. And I believe that by now, because it’s happened since Wednesday, by now, he should almost have beaten it if he had not beat it already. There is no cause for alarm.”
Commenting on his contact with Mr Shehu recently, the media aide said: “Well, I also believe God for the best. If it happens (I get infected), I’ll recover. So that’s it.”
Asked how many of the President’s aides in the State House have been infected, Mr Adesina said: “No. That will not be within my purview to discuss maybe if you get the Presidential doctor or anybody in the medical side, they will tell you.
”I wouldn’t know because, it is a private thing. If it happens to anybody, it is between that person and possibly the doctor. It’s not going to be general knowledge.
”So I may not be able to say.”
Mr Adesina also dismissed the fear being expressed in some quarters over the president’s health following his exposure to his aides believed to have been infected with the virus.
He said: “Well, I think Mr. President is quite fine, he is doing his normal routine, following his normal schedule. But if anybody close to him test positive, that person is required to stay away till he tests again, and he tests negative.”
”So, Mr President is following his normal schedule and routine.” (NAN)
An unnamed sex worker was reportedly hit with charm by a suspected ritualist at a hotel in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
The sex worker was said to have been picked at a hotel by three men who requested that she should have a foursome with them.
The lady reportedly turned down the request and said she could only have sex with two of the men at the same time.
While still negotiating the price and the modus operandi, one of the men was said to have hit the lady with a charm and she was hypnotised and started vomiting blood.
The Field Commander of Amotekun Corps in Osun State, Amitolu Shitu, confirned the incident to journalists on Sunday.
The Amotekun boss said he personally led the team that visited the scene the day the incident happened before the lady started vomiting blood.
He said, “The lady told me she was living with an Indigene of Sagamu, Ogun State at the Ofatedo area.
“She mentioned one Becky as her friend. She said three men had picked her from another hotel in Ofatedo and took her to a hotel around West Bye Pass.
“At the hotel, they told her she would have sex with three of them at the same time, but the lady said she told them she could only have sex with two men
“While arguing with one of the men, the suspected ritualist hit the lady with charm on the head and she became almost unconscious. She was still talking to me when she started vomiting blood.
“It was late and I asked the night guard working in the area to watch over her, while I made an arrangement for an ambulance. By the time I returned to the scene, I was told that her friend, Becky she told me about had brought a bus to pick her and took her away.”
Uche Nwosu, son-In-Law to Senator Rochas Okorocha, the former Governor of Imo State, has reportedly been abducted by unknown gunmen on Sunday.
Nwosu was said to be attending a thanksgiving service at the St Peters Anglican Church, Eziama Obire, in Nkwere Local Government Area of Imo State when the incident occurred.
According to reports, the former governorship candidate of the Action Alliance was whisked away to an unknown location by heavily armed men who stormed the church.
This incident came barely five days after his late mother, Jemaimah Nwosu, was laid to rest.
Details of his abduction are still sketchy as at press time.
