Yoruba elders: North has been dragging Nigeria down since independence

Kunle Olajide, secretary general of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), says the north has been dragging Nigeria down since independence.

Olajide said this on Thursday while reacting to a statement by Ibrahim Coomassie, chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).
Coomassie had said Nigeria will not survive without the north.
But while speaking at the first memorial lecture of Nathaniel Abimbola, a reporter with the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation who died in a car crash in 2017, Olajide said the north is home to all of the country’s negative indices.

“The newspapers reported the Arewa Consultative Forum as saying that Nigeria cannot survive without the north. Whatever was meant by that statement credited to the ACF chairman remains to be understood,” the YCE secretary said.
“Illiteracy rate is highest in the north and the number of out-of-school children is highest in the north. The poverty index in the north is high while the twin evil bedeviling the North is feudalism and religious fatalism.

“It will not be out of place to say the north has in fact been dragging Nigeria down since independence. All sorts of mischievous phrases were coined by the very tiny political/military elite of the north to give undue advantage to the north.”
Olajide said the late Obafemi Awolowo spent the greater part of his political career and his resources struggling to liberate the people in the north.

“Let me assure Alhaji Coomassie that much as we want a fair and egalitarian Nigerian society, it is not at all costs,” he said.
“The rest of Nigeria will survive, flourish and join the league of first world countries within two decades if the north exits.
“If it desires to leave Nigeria, join me in saying goodbye to the exiting north, I wish them a safe journey into the desert.” - Cable Nigeria

Nigerian arrested in UK for trafficking women, girls for sex

A Nigerian woman suspected to have controlled women who were trafficked from Nigeria to Spain as sex slaves has been arrested in Greater Manchester.

She is suspected of playing a key role in an organised criminal network known as the ‘Eiye Confraternity’ – which spanned Nigeria, Libya, Italy and Spain.

Manchester Evening News reports that investigators swooped to free 39 women and girls who were living in Spain in unsafe, cave-like conditions.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the victims, all Nigerian nationals, are thought to have undergone voodoo-style rituals in Nigeria to force them to comply with their captors’ orders.

They were then moved by boat to Libya and Italy, before arriving in Spain.

Many were aged under 18, the NCA said, and were prevented from leaving so they could be ‘sexually exploited for the sole purpose of financial gain’. All monies ended up in Nigeria.

Video footage of the woman’s arrest in Middleton has been released by the NCA. Her age or the exact location of her arrest have not been revealed.

A spokesman said: “She remains in custody awaiting extradition to Spain where she faces prosecution.”

“Investigators found the gang had numerous women under their control working as prostitutes to pay off their debts with Eiye Confraternity – upwards of 30,000 euros each – for the cost of moving the victims into Europe.

“NCA officers worked with partners to develop intelligence on the network, including carrying out surveillance on those suspected to be involved, and working with Nigerian colleagues to build up information about the scale of the abuse and exploitation.

Deputy director Tom Dowdall, modern slavery and human trafficking threat lead for the NCA, said: “This was a complex and extensive operation with deep-rooted organisation both in Nigeria and Spain.

“Eiye Confraternity was a highly organised crime gang, exploiting young woman for lengthy periods of time, keeping them in horrendous conditions where they knew there would be no escape.”

Terrorism : Fulani Herdsmen now attack us with machine guns – Taraba residents

Despite ongoing Exercise, Ayem A Kpatuma (Cat Race) in Taraba state, residents of Takum and Ussa Local Government Areas of the State, have cried out that herdsmen are still having a field day, and even carrying out attacks on their communities using machine guns.

Speaking with newsmen on Thursday, Chairman of Ussa Local Government Council, Mr. Rimamsikwe Karma, stated that the marauding herders are not the regular herdsmen they had known, revealing that this ones are strange.

“The herdsmen that followed the army to our council are not friendly with our people, they are strange faces to us and they are killing people,” he said.

On his part, Chairman of Takum Local Government Area, Mr. Shiban Tikari, said, “It is sad to note that the soldiers of excise cat race are harassing our people in the towns while herdsmen are attacking and killing others in the rural communities

“We expect the soldiers to go into the bush and help us flush out killer herdsmen and kidnappers instead of beating up people in the town. The herdsmen that are coming into our community now with machine guns are not the traditional herdsmen we know and lived with over the years, I suspect they may the released Boko haram members”. - Daily Post

Sick nation !!! Only 57% Of Nigerians Have Access To Potable Water - Minister

Nigeria’s Federal Government has said only 57 percent of Nigerians have access to potable water.

The Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu who said this at a symposium to commemorate the 2018 World Water Day in Abuja attributed the situation to population growth and climate change.

The minister said, ‘‘Statistics have shown over the years that with the rapid increase in population growth, access to clean drinking water and sanitation steadily declines.

“A lot of factors contribute to the water crises, such as climate change, poor management and a lot more, the most incriminating is the neglect of our ecosystem.

‘‘This has resulted in environmental damages such as floods, droughts, water pollution among others.

‘‘A worrying challenge is the declining percentage of Nigerians that are getting their water supply through piped networks, from 31 percent in 1990 to less than 7 percent in 2017.’’

“With these statistics, this is to mean that 43 percent of Nigerians are left with no access to water.

The Minister, who was represented by Dr. Musa Ibrahim, said the remaining 93 percent of Nigerians got water from other sources.

He, however, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s pledge towards formulating and implementing policies and programs that will enable sustainable access to safe and sufficient water for all Nigerians.

A UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative, Mr. Simone Grego said that drinking water resources were one of the major issues of the century globally.

Mr. Simone, citing a UN World Water Development Report, said globally, 3.6 billion people live in potentially water-scarce areas, adding that the figure could rise to five billion by 2050 if nothing was done.

He believes planting new forests, reconnecting rivers to floodplains and restoring wetlands are solutions that will address contemporary water management issues.

Also, at the event was Dr. Chichi Okoye, WaterAid Nigeria Country Director, urged the federal government to increase budget allocations to water and sanitation sector - Sahara reporters

Nine big changes next month that could leave you richer - or far poorer

The end of the tax year is nearing, when a flood of new changes, as announced by the Chancellor last November, will kick in.

Among those set to be affected from 1 April will be homeowners, motorists, workers on the minimum wage and all UK employees over the age of 24 - regardless of your earnings.

For diesel drivers, the crack down on pollution continues and, if you're not careful, it could cost you a lot more than expected.

Meanwhile, for millions more inflation-hit households - the minimum wage is set to rise again.

From pensions, to benefits, taxes and bills here are the important changes that could affect your household budget from the first week of April.

1. Introduction of the Sugar Tax

On 1 April, the Government's new 'Sugar Tax' will kick in as it continues to crack down on obesity and bad health. It comes as figures show 8,000 cases of type two diabetes a year are linked to fizzy drink consumption.

Next month, all drinks with a total sugar content above 5g per 100ml will be taxed at 18p a litre, while sugary drinks with more than 8g of sugar content per 100ml will be taxed at 24p a litre.

This means if you regularly buy drinks such as Coca Cola Classic or Pepsi, you will have to pay more for the luxury.

To put these figures into perspective, right now a classic 1.75l bottle of Coca Cola costs around £1.66.

With a sugar content of 10.6g per 100ml it will be hit with the higher rate of the tax, meaning it'll rise to an extra 42p per bottle.

If you prefer to go for a 330ml can, then you’re looking at paying around an extra 8p on the typical 70p cost.

2. New car tax rules

New car tax rules due to kick in next month could also hit thousands of drivers hard.

The changes, introduced as part of efforts to cut back on toxic fuel, could end up costing diesel motorists anything from £20 to £500 more a year.

On April 1, ALL new cars that don't meet new emissions standards will be pushed up a tax band for the first year on the road. This means more expenses for you.

This is because diesel cars are the highest producers of toxic gases on our roads in the UK - and the dangers have been linked to heart disease and lung cancer.

Importantly though, the new rules will only apply to new cars bought and registered after the April date.

If you currently own a diesel car and it was registered before that date then you will pay your current car tax rate.

3. Minimum wage increases

 Hot on the heels of employers being ‘named and shamed’ for underpaying staff , the minimum wage is set to rise on 1 April.

On this date, the National Living Wage, the minimum rate for workers aged 25 and over, will jump to £7.83 an hour.

Simultaneously, the minimum wage for all other workers will also go up - including apprentices who will see their rates rise 5.7% from £3.50 to £3.70 per hour.

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According to chancellor Philip Hammond, the rise will leave full time workers on the basic rate £600 better off a year. For over-25s, it's an extra £50 a month - or 33p extra an hour.

The move is a welcome one for many workers, but with inflation peaking, is it good enough?

The Living Wage Foundation - a non-government organisation - sets its own rates based on the rising cost of living. It says staff should be paid at least £8.75 an hour or £10.20 if you live in London.

The changes kick in on 1 April (Easter Sunday) and should show up in your next pay slip. 

4. Energy bills to rise for 5 million people

Energy bills are rising on Easter Monday, when five million customers will see their bills go up by £57 a year.

That's because the energy price cap for safeguard and prepayment tariffs is set to rise by 5.6%, in reflection of rising wholesale costs which are expected to rise further in the Spring.

This was the tariff initially introduced to help protect low-income households, many of whom are on pre-pay meters. It also includes one million households who currently receive the warm home discount.

However from April, the cap will increase from £1,031/year to £1,089/year based on typical use.

This could affect about four million prepayment customers and a further one million vulnerable customers on standard credit meters.

If you're on this tariff, Which? says you shouldn't stand for it. There are plenty of fixed price deals available that are actually cheaper than the safeguard tariff.

Consumer body uSwitch also adds that even those on pre-payment meters may find it cheaper to swap to a credit meter instead.

Claire Osborne, energy expert at uSwitch.com, said: "Unfortunately, price caps can't prevent prices from rising, which is why it's always important to run a comparison to make sure you're on the best deal for you.

"If you are on a prepayment tariff it could be worth shopping around to see if you can save money by moving to a fixed deal, there are currently savings of up to £116 on offer."

You may also be able to cut your usage.

5. Auto-enrolment contributions to rise

Alongside wages, the monthly amount you contribute towards your workplace pension (from your pay slip) is set to rise on 1 April - up from 1% to 3%.

This means four million workers will see their take home pay go down - to the tune of £540 a year for the average earner - but it's actually GOOD news, as when you hit retirement, you'll be able to unlock the savings pot.

Auto-enrolment is compulsory for employers, but not for workers, so if you want to opt out, you can after the first month of being on the scheme.

To do this, you'll have to tell your pension provider who'll then refund you everything you've put in so far.

But, think very carefully before you decide, as opting out also means waving goodbye to all of that free money from your employer's contributions.

6. Your Personal Allowance is going up

The Personal Allowance - the amount you can earn before having to pay tax - is rising on 1 April to £11,850.

That's £350 more than the current allowance of £11,500.

This means for the next tax year, you'll be able to earn up to £11,850 without being liable for income tax - a move that could leave basic rate (20%) taxpayers £70 better off a year.

But the real winners are the better off - with the higher rate threshold - where you start paying 40% tax - rising to £46,350 a year. This means richer people will be £270 better off - on top of the £70 everyone else gets.

“Increasing the higher rate tax threshold to £46,350 means more people should pay less income tax from next April. Some will move out of the higher rate tax bracket and become basic rate tax payers," said Kate Smith, head of pensions at Aegon.

7. Mortgage holders

From 5 April, the Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) benefit for homeowners who struggle to keep up with their monthly payments will see some big changes.

These payments cover interest on mortgages and are paid directly to the lender on behalf of the customer. Currently, 124,000 people benefit from it a year.

However, in April it's being replaced by a loan or "second mortgage".

This must then be repaid when the house is sold or when the claimant's entitlement to the benefit comes to an end.

The amount owed will also increase with interest, while payments will change to a month in arrears, like Universal Credit.

8. Council Tax

It's not just energy bills that are set to go up next month - Council Tax is about to leap too.

In fact, 95% of councils plans to increase tax by 6% a year - you can check how much more you will be paying in the widget below.

A 6% rise would see the annual council tax cost for a typical property jump by £95 to £1,686.

However, there are a host of quirks to the way that council tax works which can result in a reduced monthly payment.

9. Relief for graduates earning over £21k

Last year, the Government announced that tuition fees would not rise this year, but there are a few important changes that new, previous (post-2012) and existing students need to know about.

Firstly, as of next month, graduates will not have to start repaying loans until they are earning more than £25,000.

At the moment, you must repay 9% of everything you earn above £21,000.

However, from 6 April, that threshold if being raised to £25,000.

This means if you graduated after 2012, and are currently earning exactly £25,000, you'll no longer have to pay tax on the £3,999 you're currently paying it on. In short, you'll be £30 better off a month or £360 a year.

In a written statement, universities minister Jo Johnson said: "The earnings threshold will be increased from April 6 2018. From its current level of £21,000, the threshold will rise to £25,000 for the 2018-19 financial year. Thereafter it will be adjusted annually in line with average earnings.

"The new threshold will apply to those who have already taken out and will take out loans for tuition and living costs for full-time and part-time undergraduate courses in the post-2012 system, and those who took out or will take an advanced learner loan for a further education course."

Elsewhere, part-time undergraduate students will also be entitled to maintenance loans for the academic year 2018-19 to support the cost of living while studying for the first time. - UK Mirror

Shithole !!! N’Assembly Members ‘Harassing’ Us For Bribes To Pass Budgets — Heads, Federal Agencies

Some Nigerian federal lawmakers are demanding bribes as conditions for passing the 2018 budgets of federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), some heads of these agencies have told PREMIUM TIMES.

The officials say the unceasing demand for gratification is responsible for the reluctance of a number of heads of MDAs to honour invitations by Senate and House of Representatives committees to defend their budgets.

Four officials of notable MDAs, who spoke to this newspaper in separate interviews, alleged that the senators and members of the House are desperate and bent on shaking them down because ”the 2018 budget is the last they would consider before the next general elections”.

“Many of them need money for re-election and they see this budget approval process as a way of finding the resources to prosecute their forthcoming elections,” the director-general of one agency said.

The Senate had in February issued a one-week ultimatum to MDAs, who were yet to submit details of their proposed spending to appear before the various committees to defend their budgets.

The lawmakers accused ministers and heads of MDAs of ill-preparedness to attend scheduled meetings, ignoring invitations and sometimes not providing relevant information needed by the lawmakers to carry out their jobs of scrutinising the proposals.

However, three weeks after the ultimatum was issued, majority of the MDAs are yet to comply, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

In fact, the situation got so bad that President Muhammadu Buhari had to issue a directive to the heads of agencies ordering them to avail the National Assembly of their budget details as well as attend budget defence sessions.

The head of a key agency, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES but does not want his name mentioned for fear of victimisation, said: “I can confirm to you that National Assembly members are brazenly harassing MDAs for bribes, using budget process and oversight.

“They have become very desperate this time. They ask pointedly and try to make life difficult for those who don’t play ball by summoning them endless times, asking irrelevant questions, asking for unrelated documents.

“I think they are desperately looking for money for election. I think they have also seen that they could do all these and get away with it, as the executive is not really pushing on anti-corruption against them.

“Until this year, we have managed to manage ourselves. They did not ask for money directly and we did not give. Occasionally, they asked that we employ someone or some people or give contract to some companies. For those pointed demands, we would explain why we could not meet their demands and they understood.

“I had no doubt that some MDAs were even giving them money without their asking. I wanted us to be seen as one of the agencies that don’t give and hoped that they would let us be.

“But this year is different. They have become more direct and more brazen. Their new practice is to ask the chief executive to wait behind and go see their chair or their deputy chair. And they pointedly ask, what are you giving us?

“If they sense you are not playing ball, they do everything to frustrate you, ask you questions and not allow you to answer, ask you to come back over and over.”

He said fear of victimisation was not allowing most of the agencies affected to cry out for help.

“I am sure other heads of agencies are going through the same but I don’t know who will talk on or off the record. As I said earlier, they are desperately looking for money for primaries and elections, and they have seen that the executive is not really bothered about bringing them to order.”

Another chief executive of an agency spoke along the same line, saying his experience with the lawmakers has been ‘frustrating’.

“These guys (the lawmakers) are not even afraid anymore,” he said. “They keep demanding cash and asking us to insert projects in our budgets for them. I can’t definitely satisfy their needs because I don’t want to go to jail because of some frustrated greedy lot.

“With all the millions they collect every month, they are still not contented.”

The MDAs had earlier been defended by Ben Akabueze, director-general of the Budget Office of the Federation, who said in a statement that the budget was submitted with every details the lawmakers need to do their work.

He said the budget proposal included details of all federal MDAs based on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) templates suggesting that the scrutiny by lawmakers ”should be an easy task”.

Despite Mr. Akabueze’s intervention, the MDAs are still going through a tough time with the committees.

Another head of MDA, who spoke about his experience wants the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intervene.

“Your paper will help us a great deal if it can help us alert the EFCC of what we are going through,” he said.

Yet another MDA official said, “Demanding bribes is something that has been endemic over a long period of time. This thing started since (year) 2000, the first budget.

“All these other things they used to get in the past, under this government they can’t get those things. The MDAs are also afraid because the president is very serious. Any MDA that does nonsense and is discovered you know…

“Even in a public hearing at the House of Reps. They intimidated a man. A lot of these members of the various committee, both senate and Reps, wanted bribe but the man refused to oblige them. It’s just intimidation. MDAs are afraid and these people (Senate and Reps committees) are not relenting.

“All these things that they said they didn’t do, MDAs have done these things. A lot of them have gone there to defend. They are just dragging this thing because they want to get extra. Election is coming that is why.

“The MDAs are in a dire state. They will not flout the directive of the president and these people are just insisting. A lot of them are not coming back to the National Assembly. They want to make as much money as they can make and those that feel they can come back, they need money in buying people, either delegates or voters.”

With the cat and mouse relationship between the heads of the agencies and the lawmakers, the fate of the N8.6 trillion budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2017 hangs in the balance, it appears.

Also, the wish of the executive to resort to the January-December calendar year budget seems unachievable.

In a belated move to salvage the situation, President Buhari last week ordered ministers and heads of MDAs to appear before the National Assembly to defend their proposed 2018 budget estimates.

The order was given at the end of a meeting the president had with the leadership of the National Assembly led by Senate President Bukola Saraki.

 

Denial

Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Sonny Ogbuoji (Ebonyi-PDP), denied the allegations levelled against his colleagues.

“It’s a big lie,” he said. “The president has directed them to submit to the committees. If they submit and the committee does not receive it, they should blow it open. This should not be a secret. It’s a big lie. Such things (bribery) should not be entertained.”

Mr. Ogbuoji had on February 28 called the attention of the senate to the refusal of MDAs to either submit details of their 2018 budget proposal or their amendments as requested by Senate committees.

He said the allegation was an ‘escape route’ concocted by the MDAs to cover up.

“People are looking for escape route for their ineptitude. If they say they are demanding bribe, its human beings that are demanding the bribes. They should say the person’s name. There should be no cover up. Nobody should entertain such story.

“If it is me, they should call my name. Hiding it is like virus. If you cover virus, it will never die but the moment you expose it to the atmosphere, it will die. They should say which committee is demanding it. Let them not just say and give a wrong impression.”  - Premium Times

Shocking !!! Edo hands over father, two sons to police for defiling 9-yr-old child

The Edo State government has handed over 70 years old Francis Ezomo, and his two sons; Nosa Ezomo, 26 years old and Festus Ezomo, 29 years old, to the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Johnson Kokumo, for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, who is a relative of Mr Francis Ezomo’s wife.

The Acting Chairman of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Basic Education, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, told journalists after the suspects were handed over to the Police at Government House, Benin City, that the case was reported to her office by the headmistress of the minor.

“The issue came to the limelight when the headmistress of the minor’s school noticed a change of behaviour in the minor and decided to ask her what the problem was. The nine years old girl narrated her ordeal to the headmistress who then informed the Education Secretary of the local government council where the alleged crime took place. We then swung into action and got the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development involved,” Dr. Oviawe said.

The SUBEB boss added that when “we could not get the necessary action required from the Police, the state government swung into action and these three men were apprehended almost immediately.”

She explained that the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has taken custody of the child who is now in a safe place and assured that SUBEB would ensure that her education is not truncated.

“What the men have done is bad and their actions have attempted to destroy the life and future of the minor. The three men took advantage of the child and exposed her to trauma. We have waded into the case to ensure justice prevails,” Oviawe said.

The commissioner of police assured that his men would investigate the allegation and charge the case to court.

“Scientific investigation for the minor was sent to the hospital and a doctor report has shown that her hymen has been broken. The scientific report has established that the minor was sexually abused. We will investigate the case and charge them to court,” Kokumo said, and urged parents not to leave the duty of nurturing their children to teachers in schools.

“Nurturing a child is not just the responsibility of the school, both parents and guardians have a lot of roles to play in the proper training up of our children,” the police boss said.

Terrible !! Police sergeant kills Okada rider in Kwara

A police sergeant attached to the Kwara state counter terrorism unit of state police command has shot dead a commercial motorcyclist in Share, headquarters of Ifelodun local government area of the state.

It was gathered that incident happened in the early hours of Thursday this week.

The incident was said to have occurred during a stop -and -search operation by the anti-terrorism unit posted to the route.

The state command confirmed that the victim, identified as Sule Abu, of Kange village, was shot without justification.

Spokesperson of the command Ajayi Okasanmi, identified the Sergeant as Folorunsho Ademola, adding that he had been arrested for interrogation and would be charged to court soon for breach of professional regulation on the use of firearms.

The statement reads: “Contrary to the Inspector General of Police directive on professionalism by policemen and women across the lenght and breath of the country at all times and by extension, the consequences of disobedience to extant laws on the use of fire arms by police officers.

“On 22/3/2018, at about 0830hrs, Force No, 264783, Sergeant Folorunsho Ademola attached to the Counter Terrorism Unit of Kwara State Police Command, Ilorin shot and killed one Sule Abu ‘m’ of Kange village via Share with his Ak 47. rifle without any justification.

“The officer has been arrested and currently under investigation, if found culpable, he will be dismissed from the Force and charged to court.

“This release becomes necessary, (i) to warn police officers of their responsibility of protecting lives and property and not to take the live of any citizen unlawfully and (ii) to assure members of the public of the resolve of the Command to discharge its mandate in accordance to laid down rules of the country, please.” - The Nation