Alimajiri government !!! Yet another blunder — Buhari appoints board members for privatised company

And so, the comedy of errors in Friday’s appointment of board members by President Muhammadu Buhari continues…

Dead people were nominated. Names were duplicated. Board members were appointed for positions that are statutorily elective.

How about appointing board members for a company that the federal government has privatised through concession after a crisis spanning eight years?

In the list released by the office of the secretary to the government of the federation, Aluko Julie Olubukola, C. C. Udenwa, Iro Danfuloti and Mohd Omeiza Lawal were announced as board members of the National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), Itakpe, Kogi state.

On August 1, 2016 — well over a year ago — the federal government renegotiated the concession agreement with Global Steel Holdings Limited (GSHL) for NIOMCO, Itakpe.

GSHL “reverted” the Ajaokuta Steel Complex to the federal government — to free it from all “contractual encumbrances” that had left it uncompleted and non-functional for decades — but retained NIOMCO.

The new agreement, coming after four years of mediation, was signed at a ceremony presided by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, in his office at the presidential villa.

Kayode Fayemi, minister of solid minerals and steel development, signed on behalf of the government, while Prammod Mittal, chairman of GSHL, signed for his company.

Federal government was even able to negotiate a higher concession fee payable by GSHL from 3% of turnover to 4%.

And the government has now managed to appoint board members for a company it has concessioned!

TheCable understands that the confusion came from “lack of consultation” with the ministry before the list was released.

“The list was prepared in 2015, but the concession agreement was signed in 2016,” a presidential source told TheCable. - Cable Nigeria

28-year-old Woman arrested for allegedly stealing baby at RCCG camp

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old woman, Anuoluwapo Joshua, for allegedly stealing a three-year-old baby at the Redemption Camp, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The victim, Patience Francis was discovered missing after her mother returned from the new auditorium where she had gone to pack her children’s clothes.

According to Police report, the suspect stole the child since July 2017 during the monthly Holy Ghost congress, but was apprehended on 29th December, 2017 at the Youth Centre in the camp after a programme.

In a statement Issued by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the mother of the child reported that the child was stolen by an unknown person when she went to pack her children’s clothes in the new auditorium where she had gone for prayers with her husband.

Oyeyemi, said, “The suspect ran out of luck on the 29th December when the child was sighted inside the Youth Centre at Redemption Camp during the children’s end of the year party organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

“On receiving the information, the Divisional Police Officer, Redemption Camp division, Olaiya Martins, led detectives to the centre where they waited until the end of the programme when the suspect came out to pick the child and she was promptly arrested.”

The Force Spokesperson said the suspect had confessed to the crime, adding that the child has been united with her parents.

He said, “She admitted that she lured the child out of her parents’ sight and took her to Ofada area, where she has been taking care of the child since then.

“Investigation further revealed that the suspect had allegedly got pregnant for somebody in Lagos but travelled to the north, where she claimed she has been delivered of a baby girl.

“But when she returned from the North, she did not return with the baby. This made the man who allegedly impregnated her to mount pressure on her to bring his child for him to see.

“She later informed her relatives that she was travelling to Nasarawa State to bring the child but went to Redemption Camp where she stayed for some days before succeeding in stealing the child, which she presented to her relations as her daughter.”

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Abeokuta, for further investigation and prosecution. - Daily Post

Shocking !!! Man of God commits suicide in Kaduna

A forty-year-old cleric, Samuel Hamza has committed suicide at Ungwar Romi area ​of Kaduna state capital.

He ​was a pastor of a Pentecostal church in the area.

Hamza han​ged​ himself with a rope ​tied to the fan inside his house.

His lifeless body was ​discovered​ Friday night dangling ​under the ceiling.

The ​deceased ​is survived by a male child.

​N​eighbours told Channels Television that the deceased has been passing through​ ​depression since he lost his wife in 2015.

They​ ​expressed s​hock at the incident.

THE INSIDER: Why Globacom badly wants 9mobile — but may not get it

Globacom desperately wants to acquire 9mobile — but it would take a miracle for the nation’s second largest mobile network to get its wish, those with inside knowledge of the goings-on have told TheCable.

The company formerly known as Etisalat Nigeria was taken over in July 2017 following a N541 billion debt 0verhang.

Mubadala Group, the major investor from the United Arab Emirates, pulled out of Nigeria’s fourth largest mobile operator as a result of the debt owed to a consortium of 13 banks, and insisted that the brand name be dropped, leading to the birth of 9mobile.

The telco is now up for sale, with five bidders making the final list of potential buyers: Teleology Holdings Limited, promoted by Adrian Wood, the pioneer CEO of MTN Nigeria; Smile Telecoms Holdings, a telco operating in Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo DR and South Africa; and Helios Investment Partners LLP, an investment company.

Others are Bharti Airtel, an Indian telco that owns Airtel Nigeria, and Globacom, the Nigerian company owned by Mike Adenuga Jnr.

Of the lot, Globacom has done the most extensive media campaign — albeit unofficially — with the hope of swaying the deal its way.

An Glo insider told TheCable that the driving force for Adenuga’s pursuit is to claim the bragging rights of the largest telecom company in Nigeria.

Glo is currently the second largest operator in Nigeria with 37 million voice and 26.8 million internet subscribers, according to the October 2017 statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the industry regulator.

If it acquires 9mobile, it will automatically become the biggest network in Nigeria by adding 17 million to voice and 11.5 million to internet subscription base.

Combined, the new entity’s 54 million voice lines and 38.3 million internet subscriptions will surpass MTN Nigeria’s 50.7 million and 32.5 million respectively.

“This, in sum, is why Adenuga wants 9mobile badly, despite the serious challenges Glo itself is facing in its business model,” the source said.

Glo would move from its 26.4% share of the market to 38.5%, including the benefit of recording more subscribers porting to its network.

Adenuga’s company currently has the lowest number of gains from porting — an average of less than 1,000 per month — while 9mobile recorded a monthly average of 12,000 porting subscribers in 2017, industry’s highest by a distance.

WRONG NUMBER

Although the transaction is being handled by Barclays Africa, an arm of the Barclays Group, the telecom regulator, NCC, and the banking watchdog, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), are expected to play a key role in the final decision.

NCC controls 9mobile’s operating licence while CBN regulates the banks. Both intervened to save 9mobile when it was going down.

The involvement of CBN and NCC, which had previously complained about “lack of transparency” by Barclays in the transaction, is not likely to do Adenuga any favours.

And for good reasons, some will argue.

Glo is the second national operator (SNO), licensed to provide national backbone for other networks as well as roll out landlines across the country.

“Since Adenuga got the SNO licence in 2003, he has not yet fulfilled the conditions of the licence. This is 14 years and counting,” a senior government official told TheCable on the condition that he would not be named.

“By now, it should have rolled out landlines nationwide and provided broadband access to millions of homes. The huge benefits to the economy have been lost over time. The notion that Globacom can get such an important licence and refuse to fulfill the conditions is unacceptable.”

Globacom was recently kicked out of the Republic of Benin after failing to meet conditions for the renewal of its licence, despite the fact that it took years for the company to roll out its service as a result of regulatory requirements.

The telecom company’s services in Ghana are also not well rated.

“It is public knowledge that 9mobile is in dire need of real financial injection because of the debts, as well as a strong governance culture in view of its recent history,” the official said.

“Glo is not the most financially buoyant to revive 9mobile, neither does it have the best-practice governance culture that 9mobile requires. Adenuga runs Glo like a kiosk or corner shop, and this cannot help the situation of 9mobile.”

However, Globacom remains confident that it would win the bid.

“Dr Mike Adenuga Jnr is never tired of pushing for improvement. Globacom boasts of arguably the most inspired and most passionate workforce in the industry. We have the edge,” an insider told TheCable, refusing to be named because of internal rules.

In a matter of days, though, the final picture will put the questions and permutations to rest. - Cable Nigeria

30 die in New Year’s eve road accident

Thirty people were killed and 16 injured in a road accident early Sunday morning after a bus and a truck had a head-on collision in central Kenya.

“We have 30 dead,” said Rift Valley traffic police chief Zero Arome of the 3am (00.00 GMT) accident close to Nakuru town.

“All the bodies have been removed from the wreckage and injured people taken to hospital.”

The accident occurred close to a notorious stretch on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway when a bus travelling from Busia, in western Kenya, collided with a truck coming from Nakuru.

Police said the death toll for that stretch of road has now reached 100 this month alone.

Arome said the drivers of both vehicles were among the dead, as well as a three-year-old child, while the injured had been taken to a Nakuru hospital.

One survivor, speaking from his hospital bed, said he had been asleep at the back of the bus when the collision happened.

“All I heard was a loud bang and screams from all over,” he said. “I was seated at the back and was helped out after some time because my legs were stuck. It is by the grace of God that I am alive. I saw many people dead and their bodies mutilated.”

Official statistics show that around 3,000 people die annually in road accidents in Kenya.

Again, Badoo attacks family in Lagos

Suspected members of ritual gang, Badoo again on Sunday morning attacked a family at Lajo in Ibeshe, Ikorodu, a Lagos district.

The attack, which was said to have occurred around 3am, left the man identified as Shakiru, his wife and six-month-old baby critically injured.

It was gathered that alarm raised by Shakiru’s neigubour attracted the attention of other community residents, who surrounded the area that night in search of the suspects.

According to a resident, the family was attacked by two men, who gained entry into their home by smashing one of their windows.

The resident told The Nation that the community elders immediately notified the local vigilantes and the victims were rushed to the hospital.

He said: “The attack occurred around 3am. The man’s name is Shakiru but he’s popularly called Shakur. The two Badoo members attacked his family. They were rushed to the hospital but we later heard the man died.

“His wife and child are in the hospital. We could not sleep anymore.  People were shouting Badoo Badoo and that was how everyone came out to hunt them.

“They were two men. One of them fled into a thick bush. The other one was not lucky as he was caught. People descended on him and asked him to mention names of their sponsors.

“He started talking. He mentioned one Baba Noah. But when angry youths went to look for the man, he has fled. They wanted to lynch the suspect but the police came to the scene and said they were called by the Baale to take the suspect.

“The police took him away. The mob injured the suspect on the leg. There was tension in the area because the people do not have confidence in the police.

Contacted, police spokesman, Chike Oti, a Superintendent (SP) confirmed the incident but denied the attack was carried out by Badoo.

He said: “We are aware of the situation. We intervened and were able to make some arrests. It was not a Badoo killing. Already, we have raided the home of one of the persons mentioned but he has fled.” - The Nation

Ex- Katsina Perm Sec Jailed for Fraud - EFCC

A former Permanent Secretary in the administration of former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shehu Shema, Yusuf Sule Saulawa was today December 29, 2017 convicted by Justice Sanusi Tukur of the Katsina State High Court of one count of Obtaining by False Pretense.

The convict fraudulently obtained the sum of N2,500,000 ( Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only) from the complainant while he was a Permanent Secretary attached to the office of the Deputy Governor of Katsina State on the pretext that the Office would award the complainant a contract for the supply of fertilizer to all the Local Government Areas in Katsina State.

Saulawa claimed that the money was for the purchase of bidding documents. It was further alleged that after obtaining the money, the convict cut all contacts with the complainant.

In the course of prosecution, EFCC counsel Sa'ad Hanafi Sa'ad called three witnesses and tendered many exhibits.

After both parties closed their case on the 3rd of October, 2017, final written addresses were adopted and the case was subsequently adjourned to December 29 for judgement.

In his judgement, Justice Tukur said he was convinced that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt and pronounced the accused guilty as charged.

Saulawa was accordingly convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment without option of fine.

Media & Publicity
29 December, 2017

WAEC will be 100% technology driven in 2018 – HNO

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it will sensitise and train its workforce on key areas of technology deployment in order to improve its operations in 2018.

The council’s Head, National Office (HNO), Mr Olu Adenipekun disclosed this in an interview with the News reporter on Saturday in Lagos.

According to him, the council has organised series of retreats for both management staff and the workforce in preparatory to deploy technology in its operations.

“We have worked hard in sensitising the workforce of the council and prepare their minds because it is one thing for one to strive to do something.

“But if the people that drives the system are not attuned psychologically, to doing that all such efforts will be fruitless.

“So, we want to prepare our psyche on the need to sharpen our tools in preparation to move over to a 100 per cent technologically driven WAEC and of course we have done that and we are going full blast,’’ he said.

The HNO noted that already, the council’s budget for 2018 had been fully designed to support the introduction of technology into the various aspects of its operation in Nigeria.

He explained that the move would put WAEC at the level it was expected to be in the comity of examination bodies worldwide.

“Members of staff of the council must be able to go beyond being a staff of the ICT Department. Even if one is a messenger, one should be able to ask how he can deploy technology to carry out his duties and this applies to all other operational components of council.

“So, this is an era where we are looking at 2018 as a year where we will be deploying technology in all facets of our operations, not just in conducting examination, processing of results and printing of certificates but in all areas of our operations,’’ the HNO said.

On the possibility of introducing Computer Based Test (CBT) platform for its examination, Adenipekun said that the CBT was not an examination mode that was limited to any particular examination body. 

Just like insurgency fund, $1bn should also be voted for Ogoni clean-up - Wike

Nyesom Wike, Rivers state governor, says the $1 billion approved by governors reportedly for the fight against insurgency is illegal.

He said this on Friday while speaking with state house correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Wike said while the fight against insurgency remains vital, such an approval is against the law.

He said the same amount should also be approved for the Ogoni clean-up and other issues in the Niger Delta.

“For me it (the fund) is illegal,” he said.

“However, we are talking about fighting insurgence and no right thinking individual will say that he will not support the government to fight insurgency.

“But on the other hand, I believe that we have been talking about the environmental issues in the Niger Delta particularly in Ogoni land, I believe that we can also take the same money from the excess crude account to fund the problem in Ogoni land and other Niger Delta areas. That is my position.”

The governor said contrary to insinuations, his relationship with Buhari “cordial”.

He said he had come to update the president on Rivers state security.

“I’m happy with the discussion and I believe that something has to be done about (security) it. Nothing political, just security issue that affects the state and things that may lead to the breakdown of law and order,” the governor said.

“We talked on security challenges and he received me very well. We don’t have any bad relationship, I come here when he asked me to come.”

Although Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state, had announced that the $1 billion was to be used for the fight against insurgency, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo later said it is for security purposes in all states and not just in the north-east. - Cable Nigeria

Mohamed Elneny taunts Sanchez amid Arsenal rift rumours

Elneny has teased Arsenal team-mate Alexis Sanchez over Chile's failure to qualify for the World Cup, as rumours circulate of a dressing-room row involving the unsettled forward.

Reports have emerged suggesting members of the Arsenal team criticised Sanchez's attitude following a 1-0 Premier League win at Burnley last month, allegedly prompting an angry response from the former Barcelona star.

Some players appeared reluctant to join the 29-year-old to celebrate his goals in a 3-2 victory at Crystal Palace on Thursday.

Elneny, though, seems unconcerned by the uncertainty surrounding the attacker, judging by his mischievous social media output. 

The Egypt international posted a picture of himself on Twitter on Saturday, and wrote: "Who will come with me [to] Russia?"

He tagged Arsenal's Germany, France and Spain internationals, before writing "sorry my friend Sanchez There is no place for you"

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If claims regarding the apparently frosty state of affairs among certain members of the Gunners squad are accurate, it remains to be seen if Sanchez will see the funny side of Elneny's gag.

A proposed transfer for Sanchez to Manchester City fell through in August and he continues to be linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium. -

No Spurs rejection over Kane - Morata

Alvaro Morata has dismissed Mauricio Pochettino's claims he rejected a move to Tottenham two years ago because he did not want to play second fiddle to Harry Kane.

After Morata joined Chelsea from Real Madrid for £70m in July, Pochettino revealed he had a conversation with the striker about joining Spurs "two years ago or more".

"Morata talked about myself, in the media he said 'Mauricio called me'. That was two years ago or more," Pochettino said in August. "He said to me: 'Why do you want me if you have Harry Kane?'"

However, in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Morata said that Kane's presence in the Spurs team played no factor in a move which failed to materialise.

"No it's not true," Morata said. "I spoke with him and he said he wanted both [of us] to play together, but there was no chance to come to Tottenham.

"For sure I would like to play with Kane, he's a big player, one of the best strikers in the world, but in this moment when I spoke with him (Pochettino) there was no chance to leave Real Madrid."

Morata has gone on to settle quickly at Chelsea, adapting to both the demands of the Premier League and the pressure of replacing Diego Costa.

While the 25-year-old says Costa offered him no specific advice when moving to Stamford Bridge, the two remain good friends when catching up on international duty.

"He is a very good player and a good man too. I'm Diego's friend and when I came here I knew that is was a big responsibility to replace him, but I've tried to do well," Morata added.

"Always when we are together in the Spanish team, we talk about football and life. We talk about everything and I always say thanks to Diego."

Morata has certainly filled Costa's boots when it comes to goalscoring prowess at Chelsea, netting 12 goals in all competitions this season.

Of the 10 league goals to his name, six have come with his head, though Morata still believes there is room for improvement as he continues to adapt to English football.

"It's a good thing in England, and important for a striker to be good in the air. But I think I can do better with the head and the feet," Morata said.

"In Spain or Italy the game is not like this, but here there are many crosses and it's better for this.

"But I can score more goals. I had many chances in the Premier League and Champions League and I need to improve. It's my first year here but I think I can do better and I need to do that.

"Always I can improve something. I'm not perfect, if there's one thing that I can improve then I try to look for that and work every day to do so." - Sky Sports