Delta : Police arraign businessman for allegedly stealing beer worth N304,000

The Police at the ‘A’ division police station in Asaba, Delta State, on Friday, arraigned a 35-year-old businessman, John Simon, at the Asaba magistrate court for allegedly stealing creates of beer worth N304,000 belonging to one James Uwadoka on October 21, 2018 around Nnebisi road Asaba Delta State.

In a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing of property worth over N304,000 marked: CNA/438c/2018, the police prosecutor, Inspector Joe Amadi said the accused, John Simon, committed a punishable offence.

The prosecutor told the court that the accused person stole 50 empty crates of stout bottles, 120 empty crates of MBL bottles, 10 crates of Guinness stout bottles, 10 crates of full and empty small stout, all valued at N304,200,00, a criminal offence punishable under section 390(9) of the criminal code cap (21) vol 1 laws of Delta State of Nigeria 2006.

Senior Magistrate Patrick Uhuo however granted the accused person bail in the sum of N200,000, ordering him to present a surety that must be resident in Asaba.

The magistrate then adjourned the case till Monday 19 November 2018 for hearing, as the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. - Daily Post

Retailers using ‘sniper’ to preserve beans, says CPC

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) says it has confirmed that retailers in the open market are using a pesticide popularly known as sniper to preserve beans.

In 2017, some traders were arrested in Lagos for using the pesticide, and on Thursday, a video showing some of the traders using sniper to preserve beans had gone viral.

In an advisory signed on Friday by Babatunde Irukera, director-general of CPC, the council explained that the retailers might have set out to protect beans from weevils, but the chemical composition of the pesticide used is injurious.

“The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has recently confirmed by credible information that retailers, mostly in the open market, are using a pesticide, 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate (DDVP) compound otherwise marketed and known as “Sniper” to preserve beans, and more particularly eliminate or protect from weevils,” the statement read.

“There is no evidence that this process constitute any deliberate attempt by enterprise to injure consumers. Rather, and on the contrary, it is to protect and preserve the quality of the beans. However, Sniper by its chemical composition and nature is potentially injurious when people are unduly exposed by inhalation, absorption, direct skin contact or ingestion.

“There are significantly heightened risks to persons applying Sniper to the beans because of direct contact. However, risk of injury on account of consumption of beans exposed to, or treated with Sniper is also existential, even though, an unintended consequence.”

Although cooking generally eliminates or significantly reduces risk of exposure from pesticides, CPC added that consumers should make sufficient inquiries before buying, and parboil extensively, before further cooking for consumption.

An official at the CPC told TheCable that “they are carrying out surveillance and would update the public with further findings”. - TheCable

Michelle Obama: I can never forgive Trump

Former US first lady Michelle Obama says she can “never forgive” Donald Trump for questioning her husband’s American citizenship, saying the president and other “birthers” put her family at risk, in her hotly anticipated new memoir.

Obama also says she was surprised that so many American women voted for the “misogynist” Trump over Hillary Clinton, “an exceptionally qualified female candidate,” in the 2016 election.

The book, “Becoming,” hits stores on Tuesday.

Obama, 54, will head out on a multi-city arena tour to promote the memoir, with celebrity friends like Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon tapped to moderate the events.

It is one of the most awaited books about US politics in years, and Obama does not mince words about her husband’s successor — and his involvement in promoting the idea that Barack Obama was born abroad.

“The whole [birther] thing was crazy and mean-spirited, of course, its underlying bigotry and xenophobia hardly concealed,” she writes, in excerpts of the book published by ABC News and The Washington Post.

“But it was also dangerous, deliberately meant to stir up the wingnuts and kooks,” she adds.

“What if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to Washington? What if that person went looking for our girls?

“Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my family’s safety at risk. And for this I’d never forgive him.”

Obama also said her body “buzzed with fury” after hearing the “Access Hollywood” tape on which Trump bragged about being able to grab women with impunity.

Trump did not waste time in responding.

“Michelle Obama got paid a lot of money to write a book and they always insist you come up with controversy. I’ll give you some back,” he told reporters at the White House before heading on a trip to France.

“I’ll never forgive him for what he did to our United States military by not funding it properly. (…) What he did to our military made this country unsafe.”

In the book, America’s first black first lady goes beyond politics, digging deep into some personal issues from a miscarriage to using in-vitro fertilisation to conceive her daughters to marriage counselling.

“I felt lost and alone, and I felt like I failed because I didn’t know how common miscarriages were because we don’t talk about them,” Obama told ABC News in an interview.

“We sit in our own pain, thinking that somehow we’re broken.”

Fertility treatments allowed her to conceive daughters Malia, now 20, and Sasha, 17.

“It turns out that even two committed go-getters with a deep love and robust work ethic can’t will themselves into being pregnant,” she writes.

“We had to do IVF,” she told ABC, in excerpts of an interview that will air in full on Sunday.

She revisits the thrill of her romance with Barack, which began when she was his advisor at a Chicago law firm, describing it as a “toppling blast of lust, gratitude, fulfillment, wonder.”

But she admits the couple on occasion turned to counselling, where they “learned how to talk out” problems.

Upon Trump’s election, the Obamas faded from the spotlight for a time, retreating to their mansion in an upscale area of the US capital and refraining from overtly political statements.

That silence has now passed, with the former president campaigning actively for Democratic candidates in the run-up to the midterm elections and the former first lady  speaking at get-out-the-vote rallies.

Michelle Obama will have more opportunity to speak out as her book tour, which begins in her hometown Chicago, rolls on to New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Boston and other cities. - PM News

Sterling signs new Manchester City contract worth £300,000-a-week

Raheem Sterling has signed a new contract with Manchester City, tieing him down to the Etihad club until 2023.

The 23-year-old’s previous contract was due to expire in the summer of 2020 and negotiations over renewed terms opened last year. 

City risked losing Sterling this summer at a knockdown price if an agreement was not reached before the summer.

Sterling has now, however, extended his stay at the Etihad until 2023 after the two parties found common ground.

The winger’s new contract could be worth a potential £300,000-a-week, though only if Sterling meets a series of bonus clauses – which include winning the Ballon d’Or.

“I’m delighted to sign,” Sterling said. “My development here has been incredible. I felt from the minute I got here it was the right choice for me. It’s really paid off for me and I’m really grateful.

“Every season you come in you want to do better than your previous season. You want to try and develop and get better.

“With the facilities we’ve got here there’s no reason not to. With the coaching staff and the players we have in this team it’s the perfect environment to develop and get better.”

Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, added: “This is a significant moment for the club. Raheem has improved dramatically in the past two seasons and is now one of the Premier League’s best attacking players. His statistics tell their own story.

“He’s quick, strong and excellent in front of goal – everything a modern-day forward needs to excel. We’re all delighted he has committed his future to City.”

Sterling becomes the latest member of Pep Guardiola's 2017-18 title-winning City squad to renew his commitment to the club.

Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Ederson, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero have all put pen to paper on fresh terms over the last 12 months. - Independent 

MTN sues FG for N3bn over $1.3bn tax default claim

MTN Nigeria is seeking N3 billion in damages and legal costs from the federal government.

The telco is challenging the legality of N242 billion and $1.3 billion import duties and withholding tax demanded from it.

NAN reports that Wole Olanipekun, MTN’s lead counsel, on Thursday informed the federal high court of the various processes filed before it and served on respective parties to the suit.

MTN is demanding N3 billion on five grounds linked directly to the office of the attorney-general of the federation (AGF).

The first ground is that a “revenue assets investigation” allegedly carried out by the federal government between 2007 to 2017 and conveyed through the office of the AGF by an August 20 letter, violates the provisions of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution.

MTN also claims that the AGF acted in excess of its powers by purporting to direct through its letter of May 10 a “self-assessment exercise” which usurps the powers of the Nigerian Customs Service to demand payment of import duties on the importation of physical goods.

Thirdly, it claims that the AGF acted illegally by usurping the powers of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to audit and demand remittance of withholding and value-added taxes.

Fourthly, it claims a “self-assessment” exercise instituted by the AGF via its letter of May 10, is unknown to law, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

Finally, MTN is seeking a declaration that the AGF’s demand of N242 billion and $1.3 billion is premised on a process which is malicious, unreasonable and made on an incorrect legal basis.

MTN, therefore, sought a court order, vacating the AGF’s demand letter of August 20.

In his preliminary objection, the AGF, represented by TA Gazali, argued that the plaintiff commenced the suit in clear disregard to section 2 of the Public Officers Protection Act.

The law states that “any action commenced against a public officer, must be made within three months from commencement of cause of action”.

The defendant, therefore, argued that since the plaintiff failed to commence the suit within three months as stipulated by law, the court does not have the jurisdiction to entertain same.

Chukwujekwu Aneke, the presiding judge, adjourned the case till December 3.

MTN had also filed a similar suit against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The CBN had alleged improper dividend repatriations by MTN and requested that $8.1 billion should be returned to its coffers. - TheCable

Senator: Executive asked us to slash MDAs’ budgets to fund 2019 polls

Rafiu Ibrahim, chairman of the senate committee on banking, says the executive proposed the cuts made in the budgets of ministries, department and agencies (MDAs).

The upper legislative chamber had earlier approved that the funds for 2019 elections should be raised from recurrent, capital and service wide votes of the 2018 budget.
But on Tuesday, the senate revised its position.
It said the N242 billion President Muhammadu Buhari requested will come from service wide votes and the budgets of MDAs.
Power, education and health ministries were among those affected.

In a statement on Friday, Ibrahim said the insinuation that the senate unilaterally made cuts in the budgets is untrue.
“The facts remain that on Tuesday, October 16th, the senate approved a report that stipulated that the supplementary funding for INEC and security agencies to conduct the 2019 election should be sourced from the service wide vote of the executive through virement. This information is out everywhere,” the statement read.

“However, the executive came up with a counter-proposal that asked that the election be funded through both the service wide vote and the budgets of 30 MDAs —on a pro rata basis. This is why, the chairman of the senate appropriations committee, senator Danjuma Goje, had to come up with a motion to rescind, reconsider and revise the source of funding contained in the original approval granted by the senate.

“So, if you take a close look at the Senate’s Order paper of Wednesday, November 7, 2018, you will see that N121,122,525,050, which represents half of the entire supplementary budget, was sourced from 30 MDAs chosen by the executive, while the other N121,122,525,050 was taken from the service wide vote.
“As always, all senators remain committed to ensuring that Nigeria has free, fair and credible general elections next year, and they will continue to collaborate with the executive, members of the public and all other stakeholders to ensure that this happens.” - TheCable

Osinbajo rubbishes House of Reps’ report indicting him on N5.8bn Intervention Fund

Nigeria’s Vice President. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Friday rubbished the report of the House of Representatives Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, which indicted the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and himself on the illegal approval of N5.8 billion for emergency intervention of food security to the Northeast in June 2017.

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness had on Thursday indicted the governing board of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo allegedly fingered in the scam.

The board, chaired by Osinbajo, was accused of illegal approval of N5.8 billion north-east intervention fund.

Reacting to this development, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said Osinbajo’s attention had been drawn to a report of the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness issued on Thursday,Nov 8, 2018, particularly in respect of funds released for “emergency intervention of food security to the Northeast” in June 2017, when the Vice Preident was Ag President.

“In its report, the Committee alleged that a sum of N5,865,671,939.26 was approved and released in June 2017 vide a Memo raised from the Office of the Acting President, directing the Honourable Minister of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation to so act.

“The House Committee also concluded that the payment made was in contravention of approval of the National Assembly. This conclusion is both false and misleading. To start with, it is important to understand the context of the transaction.

“This was at a time when internally displaced persons and their host communities faced very severe food shortages throughout the North East, as a result of successive poor harvests and abandoned farmlands, minimal cross-border cash crop trade and lost economic opportunities,” he said.

Akande explained that on 15 April, 2017, the UN World Food Programme, a major aid organisation and food supplier to the region, had issued a warning that it would be reducing its vital support to about 1.8 million IDPs by as much as 85%, due to corresponding reduction in funding by the donor countries.

He said around the same time, the United Nations Commission for Refugees in Geneva also warned of the growing risk of mass deaths from starvation among people living in the conflict areas, saying that the Federal Government of Nigeria moved urgently to prevent the looming disaster by establishing a strategic food intervention plan for the affected States.

According to him,  a Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Delivery to the North East was convened and tha the Committee met on the 13th of May, 2017 to kick off the process, with the then Acting President as Chairman.

Other members of the Committee included: Minister of Finance; Minister of Budget and National Planning; Minister of State for Budget and National Planning; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Governor of Central Bank; Deputy Chief of Staff to the President and the Senior Special Assistant in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

“Resulting from the deliberations of this and subsequent meetings, the approval referred to in the House Committee’s Report was, in fact, based on a request raised by the Central Bank Governor as facilitator of the National Food Security Programme, vide a letter dated May 25, 2017.

“As explained in the said letter, there was an immediate need to distribute grains, including rice, maize, soya beans and sorghum, to Internally Displaced Persons through the National Emergency Management Agency. The only way to obtain the quantity of grains required was to resort to the National Food Security Progamme (NFSP) earlier established by the Federal Government as a means of shoring up its strategic grain reserves,” he stated.

Akande added that it was in consequence of the Federal Government’s decision to urgently purchase the stored grains for distribution to Internally Displaced Persons that the CBN made the proposal for approval of 30,905.08 Metric Tonnes at N5,229,685,333.26, saying that of that amount, the then Acting President eventually approved N5,036,644,933.26, after excluding bagging costs, as this was pursuant to the recommendation that bagging, transportation and other logistics were best handled by NEMA.

He explained that NEMA also originated a request to the Acting President, dated May 25, 2017, requesting the sum of N829,026,456.00 for general logistics, branding and packaging, tracking, security, personnel, media & publicity and contingency costs of taking the grains from their respective locations in Kano, Kaduna, Funtua, Ibadan and Gombe to Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Jigawa States.

“These presidential approvals were well within the clear constitutional authority of the Acting President, who needed to take emergency steps to forestall acute food shortages in the affected States and there was nothing illegal or unconstitutional about them. The approvals were duly communicated by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor of Central Bank, Director General of NEMA and the Minister of Finance for implementation.

“On account of the emergency nature of the procurement, the House Committee’s assumption that the ordinary rules of procurement would apply was wrong. Section 43 of the Public Procurement Act makes provision for emergency procurement, in which case the procuring entity is allowed to engage in direct contracting for goods and file a report thereafter with the Bureau of Public Procurement.

“It is also wrong to assume that taxes and interests accruable to government from these transactions in food items were deliberately ignored or waived by neglect. Of course, we expect that any loans advanced to any of the companies would be recovered with the agreed interests, and that any profits made by such companies would be liable to tax in the usual manner,” he explained.

More so, Akande said the suggestion that the grains were never delivered to the target States was also blatant falsehood, saying that in actual fact, in order to ensure effective distribution of the grains, an Emergency Food Intervention Project Team was established, consisting of the Director General of NEMA and representatives of the National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Department of State Security, Nigeria Police and the Presidency.

He explained that the Committee also worked with respective State Emergency Management Agencies, as well as humanitarian agencies such as World Food Programme, International Committee of the Red Cross, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as deliveries were publicly made directly to the intended beneficiaries.

“In fact, the then Acting President personally inspected the electronic truck-tracking unit established in Maiduguri for the purpose of monitoring the transportation, and flagged off the food distribution on the 8th of June, 2017. Besides, there was the integration of a robust monitoring and evaluation system into the operation in order to facilitate a transparent and accountable process.

“Therefore, all insinuations on this matter regarding purported indictments and perceived violations of due process or the constitution are baseless and totally false. Such interpretations are flawed and should be utterly ignored,” he stated. - PM News

Pep Guardiola loves sex more than coaching

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has laughed off a suggestion his coaching is “better than sex”.

The comment was reportedly made by Paris Saint-Germain defender Dani Alves, who is currently promoting a documentary about his time at Barcelona playing under Guardiola.

Before Sunday’s Premier League home match against Manchester United, a reporter asked Guardiola for his reaction at a press conference, prompting him to respond: “I prefer the sex — by far.”

The question may owe something to a mistaken interpretation of something Alves said in ‘Take the Ball, Pass the Ball’, a documentary looking at Guardiola’s time as Barcelona boss, which saw the Spanish club win the Champions League in both 2009 and 2011.

Brazilian star Alves, referring to Barca’s late winner against Chelsea in the 2009 semi-final, said: “It is because of moments like this that we all love football. The only thing that beats it is sex.”

Alves is one of many players to have cited the City manager’s coaching methods as inspirational, but Guardiola has played down such claims, making a passing reference to the struggles he had with former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic when they were at Barcelona.

“I can see a huge list who are on the opposite side,” said Guardiola, whose City team are both the reigning English champions and the current Premier League leaders

“There is a list where they love me a lot, like Dani. They have another side from Sweden and other places where they don’t like me too much.” - PM News

Buhari sets targets for national broadband network

President Muhammadu Buhari has set ambitious targets for a national broadband network to harness the potential of the internet and digital access for jobs, education, healthcare, identity management and to increase productivity in the public sector.

To this end, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigeria Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, have jointly launched the National Broadband Penetration Programme, a public-private initiative to ensure the deployment of 18,000km of fibre infrastructure to Nigeria’s existing stock of 38,000km of fibre cabling.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, stated this at the just-concluded 5th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China.

He explained that the “goal is to, within four years; provide fibre connectivity to all 774 Local Government Areas of Nigeria. Government’s role is to provide the right licensing framework as well as the necessary subsidies to encourage investment.”

He revealed that two additional infrastructure companies have been licensed in 2018, to roll out broadband infrastructure in Nigeria.

“Together with previous licensees, and other private sector players, these companies will help implement the Government’s vision of total national broadband connectivity,” he said.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President told the conference that Nigeria’s Social Investment Programme, including the N-Power Youth Employment Scheme, has provided 500,000 beneficiaries with electronic tablet devices for learning and self-development.

“Another aspect of the N-Power focuses on training young software engineers and coders,” he said.

The presidential aide further told the international gathering that the Buhari administration had begun the development of “Technology & Innovation Hubs” across the country, in partnership with the private sector, adding that a total of eight these hubs are planned across the country, with four already functional.

He also spoke about partnerships between the Nigerian Government and Facebook, Google, and Huawei to roll out high-quality Internet across the country, adding that the recently established Technology Advisory Body chaired by the Vice President will provide support to tech companies and initiatives. - Daily Post

Court approves suit seeking arrests of Fani-Kayode, Senator Abaribe, others over Nnamdi Kanu’s escape

Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has given the Department of State Services, DSS, and the police order to commence prosecution of some individuals for allegedly aiding the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu’s escape from the country.

The suit is seeking the arrest and prosecution Femi Fani-Kayode, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, Tochukwu Uchendu, and Emmanuel Shallom Ben.

The court’s ruling was on a suit seeking an order of mandamus to compel the police and the Department of State Security Service to prosecute certain individuals following Kanu’s escape brought before the court by Isiah Ayugu.

Justice Tsoho, on Friday granted leave to the plaintiff, Ayugu, to commence the suit.

The judge directed that the suit be served on the DSS, its Director-General, the police and the Inspector-General of Police, who are the defendants.

Justice Tsoho fixed November 22 for the hearing of the suit. - Daily Post

Fayemi’s aide calls Fayose ‘mindless rascal’, lists ex-Ekiti gov’s sins

A Senior Special Assistant to Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State on Public Communications, Segun Dipe, has stated that former governor, Ayodele Fayose must apologise to the people of the state, for allegedly giving them poor image in the eyes of the world.

A statement he signed on Friday, described Fayose’s four-year reign between October 2014 and October 2018 as the worst that ever happened in Ekiti, which every discerning son and daughter must never wish for again.

He said: “Fayose was a disaster that happened to Ekiti. He ruled as if his reign had no expiry date. He had no respect for the rule of law, he was the executive, the legislative and the judiciary rolled into one, preparing the state budget, presenting it to himself and approving it by himself.

“Though Fayose would be brought to book, his negative vibes on the rhythm of Ekiti State would continue to resonate for a long time and never again would such a mindless rascal be allowed to govern a state such as Ekiti.”

Dipe recalled that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which is Fayose’s political party, once tendered an unreserved apology to Nigerians for shamelessly throwing the nation into economic mess in its sixteen harrowing years of reign and urged Fayose to also be man enough to do the same to the people of Ekiti.

“Fayose ruled with deception. Due to his avarice, he threw the state deep into a humongous debt of N120bn. He didn’t do so to meet the needs of the people, but he wasted it on his personal needs.

“Despite the huge borrowing, the various bailouts he got directly from the federal government and the heavy taxes he imposed on the people and their children, Fayose still refused to honour his monthly commitment to the workers, owing them months of salary and throwing crumbs at them once in a blue moon. Whereas he was pretending to be a man of the people.

“Where he could not steal directly without drawing the ire of the EFCC and other security operatives, Fayose would come up with phoney projects, hugely inflate the contract figures and rush to execute them in a shady manner.

“Three good examples are the needless Fajuyi Bridge in Ado Ekiti, the new High Court, which has been criticised as ill-conceived, ill-executed, and his much trumpeted Oja Oba market, which he rushed to build without minding the structural defects, yet went ahead to swindle the innocent and undiscerning people of their hard earned money by making them pay into a fake government account for fraudulently allocated defective stalls.

“In abject violation of the values Ekiti holds so dear, Fayose was no respecter of age or nobility. He would rain curses on elders and rubbish royalty, making the kings and chiefs, who should be revered, to literarily worship him and eat from his palm.

“Fayose was the substantive Speaker of the House of Assembly, with the elected Speaker as mere surrogate and other lawmakers as his footstool. Any lawmaker who dared to challenge any of his actions often had his/her wings clipped.

“Despite being richer than the state which he governed, Fayose continued to loot and scam the people endlessly. He baited them with false hopes, over-promising and under-delivering. He presented himself to them as their Messiah, the immovable rock. He would rush to the media to broadcast lies against his real or perceived enemies, to the extent of committing treason.

“Once he declared the President and Commander-in-Chief of the country incapacitated, another time he went on air to tell the people of the state to shun the president who was visiting the state. Yet another time, he went on air to declare some fake election results.

“Fayose used his power to grab generational lands from the people, demolishing their houses and erecting personal ones in their places. Only God can tell how many properties Fayose now owns in Ado Ekiti.

“With all these and other sins Fayose committed against the innocent people of Ekiti, it will amount to a display of sheer arrogance, calling their bluff and insulting the people he once described as stupid and ignorant, should he fail to apologise to them, especially now that it has dawned on everyone that he was merely taking them for a ride for four years, covering his atrocities with decoy and bravado tactics.” - Daily Post