CSO writes SGF, says Okiro illegally acting as PSC chairman

The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) has kicked against the “illegality” of Mike Okiro’s role as chairman of the board of Police Service Commission (PSC).

In a petition to Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), the organisation said despite the dissolution of the PSC board on December 29, 2017, Okiro still functions as the chairman.

CSNAC cited an internal memo reportedly dated January 5, 2018, from Okiro in his purported position as board chairman, directing the permanent secretary of the commission “to report an action to him in seven days, among several others instructions”.

It described Okiro’s alleged continued role in the position as “contemptuous disregard of the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari”.

The petition, signed by Olanrewaju Suraju, CSNAC chairman, read: “The Police Service Commission is one of the federal executive bodies established by section 153 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) with enormous powers which include: appointment, promotion and disciplinary control of all police officers in Nigeria (except the inspector general of police).

“With the weight of responsibility placed on an important agency of government such as the PSC, it is disastrous to allow any functionary to operate it illegally and by extension, in nullity.”

It added that while the president is yet to name a new chairman for the board, section 161(c) of the 1999 constitution as amended states that “any reference to ‘member’ of a body established by section 153 of this constitution shall be construed as including a reference to the chairman of that body.

“We however, view Mr. Okiro’s continued function till date in that capacity as either lack of understanding of the statutes or a deliberate disregard of government’s directive with an ulterior motive to continue certain activities that we are certain will not be in the interest of the police and the public.”

While stating that any function performed by Okiro in the said position is null and void, it called on the SGF to compel him to handover to the next qualified officer in line.

CSNAC said failure to do so within one week of the receipt of the petition “will force us to proceed to a competent court of law to stop him from parading himself as chairman.

“We will further challenge all action(s) purportedly taken by him and the others within the period under reference.” - Cable Nigeria

Terrorism : Again, Fulan herdsmen kill two, burn several houses in Plateau communities

Two persons were ambushed and killed, on Sunday night by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Ariri and Tafi-Gene villages of Jebu-Miango, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.

It was gathered that the incident which occurred at about 9:30pm, also left one person badly injured and several houses burnt.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Tyopev Marthias Terna confirmed the incident to journalists in the state.

Terna said he was yet to receive details of the fresh attack.

The PPRO revealed that investigation was ongoing to track down criminal elements who have been killing innocent citizens in the past one week in Bassa Local Government Area of the state.

The Chairman, Plateau Youth Council, Fabong Jemchang Yildam, condemned the spate of attacks in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas and blamed government’s inability to address the avoidable killings.

Yildam said: “The events of these days pasts on the Plateau particularly in Irigwe land, Bokkos and Riyom is yet again another demonstration of the failure of government in its primary responsibility of securing lives and properties.

“This carnage has continued unchecked and the impunity is so palpable like never before. This further reinforces our belief that our people had been marked for annihilation. Agreed the farmer/herder conflict represents an existential threat to our people, yet there seems to be no agreed upon policy to curb this impending doom.”

“It is in this light that we wish to call on all well-meaning Plateau people especially our youths to ignore all unfounded rumours and falsehood being peddled to the effect that areas of the state have been earmarked for the creation of cattle colonies, as they are not true.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Plateau State Youth Council is strongly opposed to the creation of grazing reserves, grazing routes and cattle colonies in any part of Plateau state.

”We are in support of multilevel dialogues with wide ranging critical stakeholders with a view to evolve a robust homegrown ranching policy that will serve as a panacea for the ultimate prohibition of open cattle grazing in the state.” - Daily Post

Lip service !!! Nigeria losing trillions to fuel subsidy cabal – Saraki

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said on Monday that fuel subsidy scheme designed for the benefit of poor Nigerians has become a cash cow for few people who continued to milk the country dry in trillions of naira.

Saraki said the fraudulent activities of the fuel subsidy cabal had continued unabated under a process so opaque and insulated from public scrutiny.

He noted that the Federal Government has failed to curb fraudulent practices associated with the fuel subsidy regime.

The Senate president said the Senate was working to unearth the subhead under which fuel subsidy had been funded without budgetary provision.

Saraki spoke while inaugurating an investigative hearing on subsidy payment by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The hearing followed a resolution which mandated the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) to probe subsidy payment by NNPC.

Saraki said: “For years, our country has been plagued with the issue of fuel subsidy and for too long, a scheme designed to reduce the burden on the poor has become the cash cow of a few who continue to milk the country dry in trillions under a process so opaque and insulated from public scrutiny called fuel subsidy.

“You would recall that it was only after my motion on the 5th of March 2012, with the support of my colleagues in the 7th Senate and after a thorough review and investigation of the scheme we unearthed the monumental fraud bigger than our capital budget for a year going on in the name of fuel subsidy. Five years down the line we are back on the same matter. This is not acceptable and we are determined to get to the bottom of it.

“The mere fact that we are here again today (Monday) to discuss this issue shows that those who benefit from this grand deception are not willing to let loose and government had not done what we need to do to nip this problem in the bud.

“This Senate had cut short the end of year recess of this committee to immediately intervene and investigate the root causes of the recent resurfacing of queues at pump stations nationwide.

“The findings of the committee have brought to light the fact that our downstream oil and gas industry needs critical reforms. It has exposed among other things that in spite of the stoppage of the fuel subsidy regime and the non-appropriation of funds for the scheme due to the fraud and maladministration going on in the scheme, that fuel subsidy payments continue to be paid from our commonwealth illegally and without appropriation by the National Assembly to a few quietly in order to dodge scrutiny and avoid exposure.

“But this 8th Senate is here to expose every corruption in the system irrespective of how highly placed those involved are and therefore the reason for this public hearing today.

“This unconstitutional and illegal practice must be addressed and we are not going to rest until it is fully addressed.”

SAD ! 20 people killed in motor accident along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway

No fewer than 20 persons died in a fatal motor accident along Kaduna-Abuja Express way on Sunday night.

The Sector Commander of the Federal Roads Safety Corps in Kaduna State, Umar Ibrahim, told journalists in Kaduna on Monday that the accident occurred around 7 p.m. at Dutse U-turn, 22 kilometres from Kaduna metropolis.

According to him, the accident involved a white DAF articulated vehicle with registration number: AJG118XA and a white Toyota HAICE bus with registration number: XA866MLF.

Ibrahim said that the 16-seater bus was overloaded with 30 passengers, 29 males and a female going to the southern part of the country.

The commander said: “The accident occurred when the truck that was coming from Abuja axis was trying to make a u-turn at Dutse when the bus coming from Kaduna axis rammed into it, killing 17 people instantly.”

“Ten others sustained injuries and were rushed to the hospital by an FRSC official, where three of them also died.”

“The bus was not only overloaded with passengers but also choked with dismembered motorcycles belonging to the passengers.”

“We had to divert traffic to single lane before we were able to clear the wreckage and allow free flow of traffic,” he said.

NDLEA arrest graduate with 865g of drugs at Abuja Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a graduate, Bolatito Solabi, 34, with drug substances at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

Solabi, a single mother, was arrested along with one Victor Chukwu, from whom 865 grammes of heroin was seized.

It was gathered that Solabi, a graduate of a polytechnic in Ogun State, was on board an Ethiopian Airline en route to Addis Ababa when the anti-narcotic officials discovered the drugs, ephedrine and methamphetamine in her two bags.

The woman, however, told the agency that she was asked to deliver the bags to somebody in South Africa and was not aware of their contents.

​Commenting on the arrest over the weekend, the NDLEA Commander at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Lawan Hamisu told Punch: “The seizures by the command have shown that South and East Africa routes are becoming more attractive to West African drug trafficking organisations, with Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania featuring prominently as sources of transiting heroin from Pakistan to Nigeria; with Ethiopian Airline as most preferred by these criminals.”

​The agency’s spokesperson, Jonah Achema, also said that 26 kilogrammes of illicit drugs had been seized at the airport in the last three months. - Daily Post

If a man has these 9 qualities never let him go, scientists say

1.He’s smart
While some of us are naturally brainier than others, a new study from the Hanken School of Economics in Finland suggests that the smarter the man, the less likely he is to be unfaithful. 

According to the research, more intelligent men are more likely to get married and stay married. 
So if you’re worried your boyfriend might be too brainy for you, a) don’t be intimidated because intelligence isn’t everything, and b) know that you may have a guy who’s more likely to be faithful on your hands. 

2. He makes you laugh
Finding someone you can have a laugh with is crucial - even if everyone else rolls their eyes at his dad jokes, if they crack you up, that’s all that matters.
And a study has shown that men are more likely to have “mating success” if they have a GSOH. 

3. He actively supports your career
A study found that husbands were a deciding factor in two-thirds of women’s decisions to quit their jobs, often because they thought it was their duty to bring up their children. 

Even when the women in the study described their husbands as supportive, they also revealed that the men refused to change their own work schedules or offer to help more with looking after children. 

4. He makes as much effort with your friends and family as you do with his
It’s not uncommon for a woman to end up giving up her own social life to slot into her new man’s. But it’s rare that a man does the same once entering a relationship. 

In fact, a recent study found that young men get more satisfaction out of their bromances than their romantic relationships with women. While this is clearly ludicrous, maintaining your friendships is important. So make sure you’re with a man who not only wants you to make time to see your friends but also makes an effort to get to know them too.

5. He’s emotionally intelligent
If stereotypes are to be believed, it is women who are always desperate to talk about feelings and never men who fall hard. Whilst this definitely isn’t true, it’s important each person in a relationship has a certain level of emotional intelligence.

Studies suggest that women are better at taking the opinions and views of their partner into consideration than men, which is essential for a healthy relationship. 

6. He respects your opinions and listens to what you have to say
Being closed-minded isn’t a trait that’s exclusive to a particular gender, but if a man is convinced he’s always right and will never consider your argument, it’s not a good sign.

If a man rejects his female partner’s influence, it may be a sign that he has power issues, according to Dr John Gottman, author of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.

7. He’s willing to put the work in
A study from the University of Texas found that the most successful relationships weren’t down to compatibility, but rather making the relationship work. “My research shows that there is no difference in the objective compatibility between those couples who are unhappy and those who are happy,” study author Dr. Ted Hudson said. 

So if you or your partner is always looking for the next best thing rather than committing to make your relationship last, it may not bode well. 

8. He celebrates your achievements
Whether it’s deadlifting your bodyweight or learning enough German for a trip to Oktoberfest, it’s important to have a partner who celebrates your achievements.

But this isn’t just to make you feel great - a study published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that couples who did so were more satisfied with their relationships than those who reacted negatively or were indifferent.

9. He shares your values
Having a similar outlook in life could be crucial to a successful relationship, according to a study. The more alike your personalities are, the more likely you are to approach problems in the same way.
You and your partner will share similar approaches to everything from socialising to working if your priorities are the same, and this is likely to lead to a greater level of respect for one another. 

Of course, if your partner doesn’t have all the above qualities that doesn’t mean you should necessarily dump him immediately - we all look for different things in a partner and a relationship, after all.
But if he does tick all these boxes, he could be one to hold on to. - The Independent

Buhari’s re-election will tear Nigeria apart – Iyorchia Ayu

Nigeria former senate president, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has warned Nigerians against voting president Muhammadu Buhari into power in 2019.

Ayu noted that Buhari winning second term will consume the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu and break-up the country.

The ex-Senate President, yesterday told The Sun: “I am not a member of APC. At a point when Obasanjo was destabilizing the PDP which I was a founding member, a number of us left.

“We joined hands with Tinubu to form Action Congress (AC). We were developing that party with him until it became Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

“I talked to my friend Tinubu, we are very close. I told him that we need to develop the progressive party in Nigeria. He didn’t believe me, he preferred to go and link up with the most right-wing group in the North. And that right-wing group was headed by Buhari in the name of CPC.

“At that point, I left the party and came back to the PDP. I have known Gen. Buhari when he was the military Head of State, I was a university lecturer then. I know the tyranny that was visited on this country.

“I refused to be part of that team. I warned Tinubu that he will regret bringing Buhari and imposing him on the party. I believe he is regretting silently without telling Nigerians. But more is to be expected.

“I am sorry to say that if Buhari is re-elected in 2019, it will not only consume Tinubu, it will consume so many other people. It may even lead to the disintegration of Nigeria,” he said.

Falana : What govts must do to reduce crimes, political instability

Human rights activist Femi Falana has urged governments in Africa to enroll more children in schools as a means of getting them off the streets where they are exposed to crimes and other causes of political instability.

Warning that Africa was being left behind in the global educational revolution, Falana argued that the main pillar of knowledge in most emerging economies is to have access to knowledge.

“These economies produce knowledge, use knowledge to create innovations, and these innovations finally become tradable goods,” he said.

Falana made the comments in a paper titled ‘The Politics Of Education In The Developing World: The African Perspective’ delivered during the weekend at the 1st Convocation Lecture Of The West African Union University, Cotonou, Benin Republic.

According to him, “It is undoubtedly clear that education in Africa has not benefited the people due to a number of factors. Educational authorities have failed to decolonize the content of the syllabus of education while the governments have refused to give priority to education. Consequently, there has been poor funding of the education which has resulted in lack of basic facilities and materials in schools.

“While the rich have continued to educate their children in private schools at home and abroad the children of the poor have been left to attend public schools which are poorly equipped and poorly staffed. Thus, education is being used to widen the gap between the rich and the poor. Governments in Africa must remove children from the streets and enroll them in schools. Otherwise they will remain in the streets to commit crimes and cause political instability.”

The paper read in part: “For Africa to transform the neo-colonial and dependent economy in each of the countries to knowledge-based economy there has to be massive investment in education. In particular, the funding of science and technology should be given special attention while research should be well funded. The laws which have made education free and compulsory from primary ton secondary schools should be enforced while tertiary education should be subsidized by the governments.”

“Education is the cornerstone for Africa’s development. In today’s world the training of students in secondary education is vital for both formal and informal education for the onward transmission to building a knowledge economy, new challenges in life and for establishing a civic duty to society. Scholars have realized the need to make education relevant to Africa.

“Over one-fifth of children between the ages of about 6 and 11 are out of school, followed by one-third of youth between the ages of about 12 and 14. According to UIS data, almost 60% of youth between the ages of about 15 and 17 are not in school.

“Tertiary education is critical for economic growth and national development. Nations all over the world have implemented educational ideals relevant to their national development needs. The increasing importance a knowledge economy in today’s world, and industrial change has made the quest for knowledge a determinant of economic and industrial growth.

“The growth of knowledge has become a daily phenomenon. In discussing the politics of education in Africa, particular reference would be made broadly to Nigeria, and with particular reference to Tanzania, South Africa, Egypt and Benin considering, of course that it is rather impossible to chart this theme in respect of all African states—It will be a daunting task—Africa is too wide.

“Education is both a human right in itself and an indispensable means of realizing other human rights. As an empowerment right, education is the primary vehicle by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and obtain the means to participate fully in their communities. Education has a vital role in empowering women, safeguarding children from exploitative and hazardous labour and sexual exploitation, promoting human rights and democracy, protecting the environment, and controlling population growth.

“Increasingly, education is recognized as one of the best financial investments States can make. But the importance of education is not just practical: a well-educated, enlightened and active mind, able to wander freely and widely, is one of the joys and rewards of human existence. Knowledge and robust education are critical determinants for Africa’s socio-economic growth and standard of living.

“It is also a perquisite the provision of infrastructures such as services which are needed for the development of national capacity building in both public sector, and private sectors. A vibrant tertiary educational programme and curriculum with an emphasis on research are needed for Africa states to transform into self-reliant nations and industrialized countries.

“It may be informative to note that higher education is the main force shaping globalization and at the same time higher education is being remodelled by globalization. Higher education and knowledge are simultaneously leads to the assimilation of the economies of the world, and makes the nations of the world interdependent and interconnected.

“Vibrant economies are usually not the result of amassing capital or petrol dollars, rather, they are a product of the foundation of a knowledge-based economy. Thus, it may now be clear that there is a new relationship that has emerged between education and the economy. The speed with which a nation develops is linked to its economic base. The underlying significance here is that all developed nations and a few developing nations are now talking of economic reforms to reflect the new role of higher education within the context of a knowledge-based economy.

“With these few observations, it is worthy to note that this involves exploring the major issues related to economic development. How can higher educational institutions and systems transform technologies into new multi-faceted systems? How is information processed in an organized manner so as to achieve best results using cost-effective methods? How do our institutions of higher learning achieve virtual academies for imparting knowledge?

“Africa in general faces overwhelming internal challenges compounded by the knowledge and information revolution. To overcome these challenges African governments must take on a new role to quickly exploit the knowledge revolution or forever be left in a dark abyssal of a brain drain generation with a strong army of dysfunctional, unemployed, unemployable, uneducated and confused population. Therefore, there is a dire need to create an economy that would cater for our ever increasing population.”

“Most jobs for our graduates are for low-skill industries. There has been a decline in high productivity agriculture and industrial advancement which is critical in knowledge-based economies. It seems that the purport and existence of oil producing countries in Africa is solely determined by crude oil. What happens when the world stops using crude oil due to new advancements in bio-fuels? What happens to the next generation? One solution out of many is by taking advantage of new knowledge. Before moving further, it is trite to understand the concept of education.

“International human rights law guarantees individuals the right to education. The right to education is legally guaranteed for all individuals without any discrimination. The right to education is a foundation for building a knowledge economy. International human rights law guarantees the right to education.

“The right to education is also extended to women.The right to education for women is both an intrinsic right and a critical lever to reaching other development objectives. In spite of international accord on the need for the elimination of discrimination against women in respect of education, an appraised 35 million girls unable to attain basic education.” - daily Post

14 killed in Brazil nightclub shootout

More than fourteen people were killed in an early Saturday shootout at a nightclub in Fortaleza, in northeastern Brazil, officials said.

"We can confirm fourteen deaths," Andre Costa, security secretary for the state of Ceara -- of which Fortaleza is the capital -- told a press conference.

Seven of the victims were identified: three men, two women and two teenagers. Local newspaper O Povo reporter eight women and six men were killed.

A spokesperson from the Institut Jose Frota hospital told AFP that six people, including a 12-year-old boy, had been rushed in for emergency care. Authorities did not say exactly how many people were injured.

The shooting broke out at 1:30 am when a group of armed men arrived in three vehicles at the Forro do Gago nightclub in Fortaleza's Cajazeiras neighborhood.

"It's a brutal scene, a massacre. Something you never see in Ceara," a police officer, who asked to remain anonymous, told news website G1.

Local media reported that the shootout was a clash between members of two rival drug trafficking gangs.

Officials however remained tight lipped. "The investigation is still ongoing," Costa said.

On January 7, a war between drug gangs already claimed four lives in the suburbs of Fortaleza.