Legislooters !!! Falana: Shehu Sani’s revelation shows Nigerian legislators are highest paid in the world

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says Shehu Sani’s revelation that every senator gets paid N13.5 million monthly proves Nigerian legislators are the highest paid in the world.

The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said Sani’s disclosure validates a statement made to the effect by Itse Sagay, chairman, presidential advisory committee against corruption (PACAC).

He commended the senator representing Kaduna central for “blowing the whistle on a matter of crucial national importance”.

Falana called on the presidency to ensure that the revenue mobilisation, allocation and fiscal commission takes action on the matter.

“For the first time since May 1999, the Senator disclosed the jumbo emoluments of the members of the upper chamber of of the national assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. According to the Senator, the running cost of each Senator is N13.1 million in addition to a consolidated salary of N750,000 per month,” he said in a statement released on Sunday.

“Apart from the monthly package of N13.8 million each Senator is given the opportunity to execute constituency projects to the tune of N200 million per annum. However, the disclosure made by Senator Sani does not cover the allowances for cars, housing, wardrobe, furniture etc running to several millions of naira approved for each Senator.

“While we commend Senator Shehu Sani for exposing the secrecy which had enveloped the salaries and allowances of federal legislators in Nigeria before now, it is crystal clear that the statement credited to Professor Itse Sagay, the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council not too long ago to the effect that Nigerian legislators are the highest paid in the world cannot be faulted.

“However, the federal legislators cannot be blamed alone for paying themselves skyrocketing salaries and allowances outside the ambit of the wages approved for all political office holders in the country.

“The members of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission empowered by section 70 of the Constitution to approve the salaries and allowances of the legislators have always washed off their hands like Pontius Pilate while the Budget Office has never questioned the payment of unauthorized salaries and allowances to federal legislators.

“The revelations by Senator Sani should therefore provide an opportunity for the Nigerian people to review the entire costs of governance under the rickety democratic dispensation. The Buhari administration owes the nation a duty to ensure that no political officer is paid salaries and allowances that have not been approved by the Revenue Mobilization. Allocation Fiscal Commission. The federal government should, as a matter of urgency, halt the payment of double salary and allowances to a number of legislators and ministers.”

Falana said Sani must not be punished by the red chamber for “spilling the beans on the payment of the illegal salaries and allowances to federal legislators”.

He called on “all lovers of democracy and public accountability in Nigeria” to rally round the senator “by ensuring that he is not harassed”. - Cable Nigeria

Libyan coastguard, MSF rescue 50 Nigerian migrants in Mediterranean sea

Libya’s coastguard and an international charity group, Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) also known as Doctors Without Borders, have rescued no fewer than 50 Nigerian migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Nigerians rescued yesterday were aboard a boat with 110 other migrants.

According to Reuters, more than half of the migrants on that boat were Nigerians, with the rest from other sub-Saharan African countries as well as two Palestinians.

Spokesman for the Libyan Coastguard, Ayoub Qassem, said the rescued migrants, who included 18 women and one child, will be delivered to Italy.

He also said the coastguard vessels intercepted some smugglers as they were trying to take advantage of calm seas to a flurry of boats towards Italy.

DAILY POST recalls that some Libya returnees from Edo state had revealed that some were going back to the North African country preferring to die there than being frustrated by Nigerian authorities. - Daily Post

China President may rule for life as parliament scraps term limits

China’s Xi Jinping on Sunday secured the nod to rule indefinitely as parliament abolished presidential term limits.

Members of National People’s Congress lifted the two five-year term limit for the presidency.

Lawmakers say this will allow the leader, who would have had to leave in 2023, pursue a vision of transforming the nation into an economic and military superpower.

The amendment was sealed with 2,958 in favour, two against and three abstentions despite an unusual bout of online criticism that censors have scrambled to extinguish.

It was the first constitutional amendment in 14 years.

Head of the parliament’s Standing Committee, Zhang Dejiang, said the amendments “will ensure the constitution improves and develops in step with the times and provide a firm constitutional guarantee for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era”.

Xi, 64, has consolidated power since 2012 when he was appointed to the country’s top office – general secretary of the Communist Party.

PL news : Wenger singles out Arsenal star for praise following Watford win

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hailed Petr Cech for bouncing back from a poor performance last weekend against Brighton after picking up his 200th Premier League clean sheet today against Watford, as reported by Goal.

Cech played a key role in both of the goals last weekend against Brighton but he responded brilliantly today, saving a second-half penalty from Troy Deeney.

Deeney has criticised the club in the past so it was undoubtedly pleasing for the Gunners to get one over the Watford striker.

He became the first goalkeeper to get 200 top flight clean sheets in the Premier League, setting the record in memorable fashion.

Arsenal claimed a much-needed victory and it was Cech who picked up the man of the match award as a result of a superb all-round performance to preserve the clean sheet for his side against Watford.

Wenger spoke about the situation of Cech and how much he salutes him:

“I believe in two weeks, his situation shows how football is. In one week he goes from hell to heaven, and that’s how life can be. But I like both situations, because in the first he showed a lot of humility and responsibility, and a record like that witnesses a lot of motivation and a huge degree of intelligence.”

“You don’t last so long in the game if you’re not intelligent.”

He continued and went on to praise Cech’s consistency in the Premier League.

“When you look what he has achieved, consistency is always the most difficult in life.” - Read Sport

Transfer news : Chelsea target Bernard discussing Premier League move

Near the end of last year, Chelsea were cited as one of a number of top Premier League clubs to have expressed an interest in Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Bernard.

The Brazilian attacker has been in excellent form for the Ukrainian side throughout the course of the season and his performances have been attracting plenty of interest from elsewhere.

Bernard’s long tenure with Shakhtar is set to come to an end when the summer comes around, though. His contract expires in June and he appears to already be staging talks with other clubs.

According to Brazilian news outlet Globo Esporte, the attacking midfielder is indeed in talks with clubs from China, Italy and, rather interestingly, England.

Chelsea will undoubtedly be keen to add to their squad ahead of next season and on a free transfer, it’d come as no surprise to see them pursue a deal for Bernard.

The 25-year-old is yet to play for a Premier League side, but it seems he is pondering a move to England this summer. - Read Sport

See the 6 dangerous scams doing the rounds rights now - and how to protect yourself from them

 

Millions of pounds have already been stolen by fraudsters as a result of a new generation of scams.

Whether you've been a victim in the past, or are worried about your online safety, here’s my quick guide on what to watch for right now.

Sorry about the ‘vishing’ and ‘smishing’ business – I didn’t make those terms up!

Vishing

The fraudster calls you and pretends to be from your bank – or impersonates an authority figure like a policeman.

You are told your account has been compromised and need to transfer your cash to a new account which is actually the fraudsters.

The fraudster tells you to call the number on your bank card but stays on the line when you hang up. If you don’t check for a dialling code they then pretend to be the bank and take your money.

Smishing

This method of fraud targets online banking. The fraudster uses a cheap bit of technology that means they can impersonate your bank’s number.

They ask for your online banking passwords or codes and trick you in to giving them what they need to access your account Then they get you to transfer money or pinch it themselves.

Courier fraud

This kind of fraud works in the same way as vishing. Only the fraudster tells you that they will send a courier to collect your bank card after getting your details.

In the worst examples, people are told their local bank staff are the fraudsters and are made to go in and transfer the money out, ignoring the cashier’s warnings.

Solicitor/business fraud

This scam targets solicitors handling big transactions or mortgage payments or businesses.

It works in the same way as the others, but the sums are huge. I’ve seen £350,000 tricked out of one business.

Email fraud / fake site fraud

We've all seen those dodgy emails that used to do the rounds asking for your details.

Well now they’re very, very convincing.

Don’t forget the golden rule

No bank will ever ask you to hand over your personal passwords or details – and they’ll never ask you to transfer money out either.

Be sceptical, think before you click and if you think you’ve been tricked get in touch with the business asap. - UK Mirror

Using this one word a lot could signal mental health issues

If someone talks about themselves constantly, we'd forgive you for assuming they're completely self-obsessed and maybe even a little narcissistic...

But, according to new research, this behaviour might actually signal that they could be suffering from mental health issues.

That's according to research published this week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, which claims that people who use the word 'I' excessively could be more prone to mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.

A team from the University of Arizona concluded this after measuring levels of so-called 'I-talk' as well as indicators of negative emotions in written and verbal tasks completed by almost 5,000 people in the US and Germany.

The researchers found strong links between I-talk and a propensity for negative emotionality, which means someone who is easily upset or may experience tension, anger, depression or anxiety.

The team defined participants as 'I-talkers' if they used the first person pronouns 'I' and 'me' more than 2,000 times a day, noting that 1,400 times is the average.

Explaining why I-talk could be linked to psychological distress, lead author Allison Tackman revealed that it's often the case that people speak in this way when they are focusing on negative life experiences.

"When you think back to being in those places, when you're just so focused on yourself, you may say things like, 'Why can't I get better?'" she said.

 "You're so focused on yourself that not only in your head are you using these first-person singular pronouns but when you're talking to other people or writing, it spills into your language, the self-focus that negative affectivity brings about."

That said, the team was keen to emphasise that I-talk alone should not be considered an indicator of depression.

"It may be better at assessing a proneness not just to depression but to negative emotionality more broadly," said Tackman.

The context is also key: the correlation between I-talk and negative emotionality was only seen when participants were talking about a personal experience, such as a break-up.

"If you are speaking in a personal context – so you're speaking about something that's of relevance to you, like a recent breakup – then we see the relationship between I-talk and negative emotionality emerge," she added.

"But if you're communicating in a context that's more impersonal, such as describing a picture, we did not see the relationship emerge." - Country Living

16 dead as lightning strikes Seventh Day Adventist Church in Rwanda

Lightning has struck a Seventh Day Adventist Church in Rwanda, killing no fewer than 16 people and injuring dozens more, a local official said Sunday.

Fourteen victims were killed on the spot as lightning hit the church in the Nyaruguru district in the Southern Province on Saturday, local mayor Habitegeko Francois told AFP over the phone.

Two others died later from their injuries, he said.

He added that 140 people involved in the incident had been rushed to hospital and district health centres, but that many had already been discharged.

“Doctors say that only three of them are in critical condition but they are getting better,” he said.

According to the mayor, a similar accident took place on Friday when lightning struck a group of 18 students, killing one of them.

Fraud cases by bank staff rises — NDIC

Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) says the number of fraud cases attributed to internal abuse by staff of banks increased from 231 in 2016 to 320 in 2017.

Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, Head, Communications and Public Affairs of NDIC, said in a statement in Abuja on Sunday that the figure was in the organisation’s recent report on off-site supervision of the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs).

“The report relied on a total of 286 responses received from 26 banks during the period and there were 22 NIL monthly responses from the banks as at year ended Dec. 31, 2017.

“The 286 responses received from banks in 2017 cited 26,182 cases of fraud and forgeries which is 56.30 per cent higher compared to 16,751 cases reported in 2016.

“Similarly, the amount involved in the fraudulent activities documented increased by N3.33 billion from the N8.68 billion reported in 2016 to N12.01 billion in 2017 or 38 per cent.

“However, the expected/actual loss slightly-decreased by N24.42 million or 1.03 per cent from N2.39 billion in 2016 to N2.37 billion in 2017.”

Ibrahim said Internet/Online-banking and ATM/Card-related fraud-types reported constituted 24,266 or 92.68 per cent of all the reported cases, resulting in N1.51 billion or 63.66 per cent of losses in the industry in 2017.

He said the report also documented other miscellaneous crimes, such as fraudulent transfers/withdrawals, cash suppression, unauthorised credits and fraudulent conversion of cheques.

Others are diversion of customer deposits, diversion of bank charges and presentation of forged or stolen-cheques.

He said that 22 Licensed Commercial Banks and four Merchant banks rendered 286 returns on dismissed/terminated staff as a result of fraud and forgeries during the year under review.

Ibrahim said out of the 26,182 fraud cases reported by the 26 Licensed Banks, 320 cases were attributable to internal collaboration by bank staff.

“A total of 320 bank employees had their appointments either terminated or were summarily dismissed in 2017, as against 231 in 2016.

“That represented an increase of 38.53 per cent in the total number of fraud cases reported in 2017.

“However, the losses arising from the reported cases decreased from N760 million in 2016 to N682 million or about 11.43 per cent in 2017.”

Ibrahim said that NDIC attributed the improvement to additional internal control measures adopted by the banks in the wake of the proactive corrective measures taken to ensure their compliance with good corporate governance principles.

He said NDIC would investigate some banks for  inadequate rendition of returns on instances of fraud, forgeries and cases involving members of staff  dismissed or their appointments terminated on grounds of fraud.

He said that NDIC made the decision in light of the increase the report revealed.

He said that Section 35 and 36 of the NDIC Act No. 16 of 2006 (as amended) requires all DMBs to submit monthly information/returns on fraud and forgeries to the corporation.

He said in spite of the Fidelity Insurance Cover taken by banks to address fraud perpetrated by staff, there was still need for the banks to further enhance their internal control and security measures.

He said this was because of the rising trend of E-Channels (Online banking and Card-related) fraud and forgeries in the industry which remained a serious cause for concern to the organisation