God gave me power to command rain to stop, heal sick people – Oluwo of Iwo land, Oba Akanbi

The Oluwo of Iwo land, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has revealed how he commands the rain to stop and also heal sick people. The Oba who is married to a Jamaican woman, declared that anyone who relies on pastors who sleep at night is a loser. “I can command the rain to stop. I have done it more than once. An oba who doesn’t worship lesser gods, an oba that worships no other thing than God who does not sleep. If you have a pastor that sleeps that you are relying on, you are going to lose,” he told Premium Times. “If you have an Imam who has a wife and when he sleeps by his wife in the night, you call him and he can’t pick your call, you know you are a loser. “If you have a babalawo as your backbone, your backbone will break. I have only God. It is not about Islam, it is not about Christianity, it is not about babalawo, it is about divinity.” He added, “Many things about the Yoruba culture and traditions are divine. Any function that I am attending and there is no canopy and there is rain coming I will tell it to go away. “Many people have witnessed it in many places. There was even one with thundering and lightning, I said I am outside here, go back. “There was another one, I told that rain, go to Lekki. Yes, and it would never rain. I have the power to say that, with the power of God and the position I am sitting in. “That is why when I pray to God, I can command sickness to leave the person it is affecting to come to me. If I want to take anything like sickness or poverty from the land, I have to give it back to God that owns it.”

What Abacha did to me for standing against corruption – Ezekwesili

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has disclosed that the late Military Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha branded her “conspiracy international” for standing against corruption during his, Abacha’s, regime. Ezekwesili, who is the co-founder of Transparency International, TI, made the disclosure in an interview with Dotun Olowoporoku, social commentator during a pod cast. The former Minister explained that the then Military government was displeased with her ranking at Transparency International. According to Ezekweisili, “The CPI (then) had Nigeria as the most perceived corrupt country. When that happened, the government of that era was so angry they called me conspiracy international. “I was not just a co-founder of the group, I was the pioneer director of the group and I started to put together the Nigerian chapter of the group. So it was clearly very annoying to the government. “I was saying to the (military) government that through TI, we will try and locate all the stolen wealth in Nigeria and we would make sure they are brought back to the people. “My dad always said that if you have the conviction, you must have the courage to stand for it. So for me, I felt this issue was a major obstacle and we needed to do something about it. So I was prepared to stand for what I believe in. “As a child, I was worried about the squalor around me. In my mind, there was a consciousness that we didn’t have to accept the squalor. And that we needed to do something about it. “So as I grew, I realized that the instrument through which to do much about anything was the instrumentality of government. I realised that certain people have to pay the price, that we will not accept this the way it is. So we’ve got to change things for the better, we’ve got to change how our society works. “We founded Transparency International and brought global attention to the challenges of corruption because corruption is a symptom of poor governance. So that effort was one that upset the status quo.”

2018 World Cup: Senate urges FG to fund Super Eagles with recovered loots

Following Super Eagles qualifications for 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Senate on Tuesday, praised the team for being the first to qualify in African continent. Raising through order 42 of Senate rules, Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Obinna Ogba explained that Eagles were exceptional in defeating Zambia, saying that, they deserved further encouragement from the federal government. Senator Samuel Anyanwu representing Imo East Senatorial district observed that Nigeria sports had history of under-funding of her players. He suggested that loots recovered by the federal government should be channeled into funding of Super Eagles. “Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, Nigeria has always been qualifying, but paucity of funds has always been an issue despite wonderful performances like these”,. he said. “I want to suggest that stolen funds recoverd by the federal government scattered here and there should be used to fund the Super Eagles”, Anyanwu suggested. Meanwhile, Senate President, after taking the leave of Chambers, maintained that Nigeria Sports ministry should release funds on time for early preparation of Super Eagles. He commended Supper Eagles for their high level of patriotism.

Buhari writes Senate, seeks approval for fresh $5.5bn foreign loan

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the National Assembly seeking approval for a loan request of $6.5 billion.

Modu Sheriff almost sacked me – Bassey Albert Akpan

Senator representing Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial district, Bassey Albert Akpan, has disclosed that former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ali Modu Sheriff planned to remove him from office through unconstitutional means. He raised this allegation while speaking with journalists in Abuja, saying that Sheriff worked in connivance with the former PDP’s legal Adviser, Barr. Dave Iorhemba. Recalling his harrowing experiences, he said that if not for the intervention of court which insisted on due processes, he would have been fraudulently unseated. According to him, Sheriff and other traducers allegedly went all out to dubiously remove his case file from the court of Appeal. “On 14th of September, 2017 while I was in Akwa Ibom campaigning for the local government Congress, the former National legal adviser to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) connived with the State legal party adviser to withdraw the letter of appeal from the court without my consent”, he said. “Surprisingly, on 15th September, 2017, I came back to Abuja only to be notified that the date of the case hearing was changed from 15th of October to 7th of October, and I became surprised,” he added. Akpan said, the change of date aroused his curiosity and suspicion that enemies were at work, which made him to raise the alarm. According to him, the former National Chairman came to court with five lawyers in the last court hearing purposely to dethrone him at all cost. “During the last case in court, Senator Modu Sheriff and the people that worked for him came to the court with not less than 5 lawyers in the bid to unseat me”, he noted. Believing that power comes from God, he commended Senate Minority leader, Godswill Akpabio and Senate President, Bukola Saraki for their intervention. Speaking on the fate of the legal adviser who worked with Sheriff, he said, he has been sacked for getting involved in fraudulent tactics. He explained that his contender, Hon. Etim Bassey got into the heart of Sheriff, thereby, making the former Chairman to be desperate about his Senatorial district.

PDP northern leaders, elders meet over national chairmanship

Leaders and elders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the 19 northern states are currently meeting in Abuja. The meeting chaired by a former Minister of Information, Prof.Jerry Gana, will among others, discuss the race for the chairmanship of the party. The meeting may also resolve to back a candidate for the top job. Present at the meeting are the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi; Representatives of Senate and House of Assembly caucuses, former governors, among many others Details later..

We didn’t rusticate female student for dancing with late Vice-Chancellor’s statue – Unilag

The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has debunked report that a student of the school was rusticated for dancing with the statue of a late Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Babatunde Sofoluwe. In a information shared by the institution’s spokesman, Toyin Adebule, the management called on the students and general public to disregard such report. After a video of a female student dancing with the statue of the Professor Sofoluwe hit the social media, there were reports that she had been rusticated for 4 semesters. But Adebule said, “The management of the University of Lagos wishes to inform all students and the general public, that the current information making waves in the social media concerning a student who was allegedly rusticated for four semesters for dancing with the statue of the late Vice Chancellor, Professor A.B Sofoluwe is false and should be disregarded. “The university management, however, encourages students to be of good conduct all times.”

Study reveals kinds of children likely to seek divorce in marriage as adults

​ A study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden has revealed that children of divorced parents are more likely to get divorced when compared to those who grew up in two-parent households. According to the study, this increased tendency is caused by genetics and not psychological factors. In the study published in the 2017 journal of Psychological Science, the researchers analysed Swedish population registries and found that people who were adopted resembled their biological but not adoptive parents and siblings in their histories of divorce. In the study report, Jessica Salvatore, an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, said: “We were trying to answer the basic question: Why does divorce run in families? “Across a series of designs using Swedish national registry data, we found consistent evidence that genetic factors primarily explained the intergenerational transmission of divorce. “By recognising the role that genetics plays in the intergenerational transmission of divorce, therapists may be able to better identify more appropriate targets when helping distressed couples. “Focusing on increasing commitment or strengthening interpersonal skills may not be a particularly good use of time for a therapist working with a distressed couple. “At present, the bulk of evidence on why divorce runs in families points to the idea that growing up with divorced parents weakens your commitment to and the interpersonal skills needed for marriage. “However, these previous studies haven’t adequately controlled for or examined something else in addition to the environment that divorcing parents transmit to their children: genes. “For example, other research shows that people who are highly neurotic tend to perceive their partners as behaving more negatively than they objectively are [as rated by independent observers]. “So, addressing these underlying, personality-driven cognitive distortions through cognitive-behavioral approaches may be a better strategy than trying to foster commitment.”

Why most political leaders fail in Nigeria – Pastor Ajiboye

The General Secretary of Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN), Pastor Richard Dare Ajiboye, has blamed lack of succession plan in governance for the failure of political leaders in the country. He stated this at the launch of his book in Succession Planning, which took place at the Bible Guest House, Ilupeju, Lagos. Ajiboye commended Lagos State for maintaining a good succession plan, which had made the state to stand out in the country. He said: “Lagos State has continued to be on the front burner to a large extent, because successors have been coming from the same political party with a common goal to make the state to excel. “The status quo has been sustained because of a good and effective succession plan that has been strictly adhered to, for which the state deserves to be commended and emulated.” The cleric lamented that the absence of a succession plan has had adverse effects on the country, which explained the no continuity in governance, 57years after the country’s independence. He explained that there was a systemic challenge in the country, resulting in leaders pursuing their individual agenda, without caring about thye country’s interest. Ajibole also canvassed a constitution where the principles of succession are entrenched for intra-and inter-party succession. He recommended extending such plans to all levels of government, as well as adhering to non-tribal sentiments in aspiration to political offices. The cleric called for the same approach in churches to avoid crisis after the leader and founder has gone. “When a Church or an organisation refuses to have a proper succession plan, the culture in that body would be endangered if an ignorant person is appointed into that position. Succession plan is imperative for every setup, including faith-based organisations”, he said.

Wike declares what he will do for PDP to win 2019 elections

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has declared that he is ready to die to ensure that the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, emerges victorious during the 2019 elections. Wike made the declaration while noting that Rivers State fought hard to ensure PDP’s victory in 2015 and 2019 won’t be different. Featuring in the latest edition of ‘The Interview,’ a monthly magazine, Wike said, “The whole thing boils down to sincerity and commitment and sincerity. “We said if things would not happen, all of us would go down with it. That was the driving spirit for us and that is what we are going to repeat in 2019. “If the Federal Government is going to kill all of us, so be it. Because we know what they have planned and their strategies and so when it is time, we will face the APC squarely in this state. Just watch.” Wike had earlier disclosed that most cabinet members in the government of former President, Goodluck Jonathan took advantage of him. 

10 things you need to know this Tuesday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers 1. The deadly Monkeypox disease has hit Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos with two cases already recorded. The state’s Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr. Jide Idris said that the two suspected cases were currently under observation in health facilities ‎in the state. 2. The death has been announced of former Chief of Army Staff of the Nigeria Army, Lt. Gen. Victor Malu. Malu, who served under Olusegun Obasanjo died in an undisclosed hospital in Cairo, Egypt in the early hours of Monday. 3. Gunmen suspected to be cultists, in what seemed like a door-to-door attack, have killed 15 people in Agip/Mgboshimini area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital. Reports said that those killed by the gunmen include both indigenes and non-indigenes, a nursing mother, a husband and his wife among others. 4. The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Maikanti Baru, on Monday opened up the allegation by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu over the Commission’s non-adherence to due process in award of contracts. Baru insisted that the laws of the Commission “do not require a review or discussion with the Minister of State or the NNPC Board on contractual matters.” 5. Over 2,000 Police personnel attached to the Kaduna State Command on Monday staged a protest over the non-payment of their August and September salaries. The aggrieved police personnel, which cut across the rank and file of the Command, assembled in front of the Salaries Office inside the Command headquarters in Kaduna Town, chanting solidarity songs. 6. The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Monday said President Muhammadu Buhari and the five governors of the south eastern states were working hard to criminalize it despite its non-violent stand. Emma Powerful, media and publicity secretary of the group, said the Buhari administration and the five governors were worried that despite the brazen provocation and attack against its leader and members, the group had remained non-violent. 7. Jigawa State Governor, Badaru Abubakar has refuted media reports of an impeachment plot against him. The governor, who maintained that the relationship between the state’s executive and the legislature was cordial, added that there was no misunderstanding between him and the lawmakers whatsoever. 8. Nigerian Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo has denied nursing the ambition to take over from his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. Osinbajo ‎said he hadn’t thought about it, saying, “None of that is on the cards.” 9. Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has called for the probe of the management of Aso Rock clinic. She made the call at a stakeholders meeting on productivity, Maternal, Nutrition, Child Advocacy and Health and Nutrition at the State House in Abuja. 10. No fewer than three members of the National Youths Service Corps, serving in the Assakio area of the Lafia East Development Area, Nasarawa State, have been confirmed dead. While two of the deceased – Oguntola Wasiu-Babatunde and Danjuma Jamil-Salihu – drowned in a swimming pool, their female counterpart, Memuna Ahmad-Yarwa, died from complications during a child birth.

Police Wade into Labour Party’s Crisis

The crisis rocking the Labour Party has taken a fresh dimension with the Nigerian Police inviting the two factional leadership of the party to command headquarters in Abuja on Monday Trouble started in the party when one of the factions convened a special convention last week where it removed the National Chairman, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, and replaced him with Mr. Tayo Omotosho. Omotosho then went to the national headquarters of the party to take over the office when they met a resistance from the incumbent chairman, Abdulsalam. Yesterday the two factions almost clashed again at the party secretariat but for the intervention of the security agents who took over the premises and ordered the warring factions to come to the command headquarters. The National Publicity Secretary, and member of the Omotosho-led faction, Ebere Ifendu told THISDAY yesterday that the police arrested the Abdulsalam based on the report the group submitted against where they alleged that he stole party funds to the tune N1.3 billion. She explained that a report of fraud was initially brought the embattled chairman but that he had refused to give his own side on the case when the party executive demanded for it. Ifendu also said in a statement that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party met to review the allegations and that a disciplinary committee was set up to give fair hearing to all sides. In the statement, Ifendu defended the convention that elected new chairman and nationals officers for the party saying that the Independent National Electoral Commission monitored it having been given the mandatory 21-day notice for the exercise. “Having witnessed the process, INEC immediately recognised the new chairman the following day, though an official letter is still awaited “The case of theft of over N1.3 billion naira has now reached an advanced stage, the police has officially picked up Alhaji A.A Salam and the party is awaiting his prosecution and recovery of the party’s money and properties. “Our party is going through a rare process of restructuring and repositioning. A committee was set up for the initial review of the state of affairs of the party, the report shall be submitted any moment from now and Nigeria shall truly start seeing a new Labour Party that will be the face of the masses and the government in waiting by God’s grace,” she said. “However, while narrating his own version, Abdulsalam said: “They went to the police that I stole party funds while I had earlier reported them to the police for invading the party office and forcibly gained entry into my office. So the police yesterday invited both of us to come and give statement on the allegations and after we have made statements, we were left to go,” he said. On the allegation of misappropriation of party funds, Abdulsalam denied it saying that the police has no right to investigate the use of party funds.

Dangote Shares Secret of Backward Integration with Investors

Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has shared the secret of backward integration with investors at the Financial Times’ fourth annual Africa Summit at Claridges in London. FT’s Editor-In-Chief, Lionel Barber, conducted an extraordinarily candid public conversation with Dangote, Africa’s most successful business leader, in the presence of the Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, Congolese presidential hopeful, Moise Katumbi, and about 300, other business leaders. Mastering detailed production statistics and highly-compelling demographics on promising sectors of the African economy, Dangote outlined the key to his success: self-sufficiency and backward integration, a manufacturing strategy that extracts value from entire processes. “we are not going to import anything any longer. “In Nigeria, we are learning how to produce the entire value chain,” Dangote added. Once a heavy importer of fertilizer, Nigeria is now gearing up to produce three million tonnes of locally manufactured fertilizer, transforming the country into one of the largest fertilizer exporters in Africa.In 2007, Nigeria was the second largest importer of cement after the United States Dangote reminded the audience of business elite. “Today, we have not only satisfied domestic needs, we have become a leading exporter of six to seven million tonnes of cement,” he added. Diversifying into agriculture, Dangote has eyes on the dairy industry motivated by the fact that “98 per cent of all milk consumed in Nigeria is imported.”Same for rice. Dangote Group has invested heavily in rice production by investing in local farmers and then offering to buy back the one million tonnes at open market prices that they are growing. “Soon we will be able to feed not only Nigeria but the entire 320million large West African market,” he added. Dangote’s business acumen was on rare exhibition as Barber himself seemed impressed with the business mogul’s quick familiarity with the nuts and bolts of his businesses.“Are we going to continue to import everything?” Dangote asked.“Freight rates are now cheap but they will go up soon. A population of over 200million cannot continue to import basic needs on a daily basis,” he answered himself. By 2100, Dangote stated that Africa would represent 49 per cent of the world’s population, up from 30 per cent today. “If you don’t think big we won’t grow at all; In Africa you have to play long-term, he noted.Aside from Nigeria, which African nations do you think are good growth opportunities? Barber asked Dangote. “Aside from Nigeria?”“I’d have to pick Nigeria. I am a big fan of Nigeria. We are only using eight per cent of our land,” Dangote added.

When Lawmakers Break the Law

Davidson Iriekpen argues that the decision of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara to allow two members of the Peoples Democratic Party who defected to the All Progressives Congress to retain their seats is illegal, as it violates the clear provisions of the constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court For the umpteenth time last Thursday, two members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The members, Zaphaniah Jisalo, representing Abuja Municipal Area Council /Bwari Federal Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Ahmed-Tijani Damisa from Okene/Ogori-Magongo Federal Constituency in Kogi State, had their respective letters of defection read on the floor of the house by the speaker, Yakubu Dogara, as usual, cited divisions in the PDP as reasons for abandoning their party. Knowing that there is no division in the party since the Supreme Court decided the leadership tussle between Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi, the excuse by the defectors did not go down well with PDP members who promptly raised objection. The House Minority Whip, Umar Barde (PDP, Kaduna) in a point of order, argued that the seats of the defectors ought to be declared vacant sequel to Section 68 (1g) of the constitution (as amended). His argument was supported by the Chairman of the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Osai Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta), who urged the speaker to respect section 68, by declaring the seats of the defectors vacant. They equally referred the entire house to the recent decision of the Supreme Court which resolved the leadership crisis in the party. But in a surprise move, the speaker, Dogara, waded in, explaining that the reference to Section 68 (1g) of the 1999 Constitution by PDP members for the defectors to vacate their seats was insufficient to warrant declaring the seats vacant, especially as the constitution did not define what constituted a division in a political party. He added that the division in a party was not pronounced in the constitution and so lawmakers should not be prohibited from defecting. > He said: “Division in a political party is not defined by the constitution, the constitution does not state whether it should be at the national, state or local government level. So we should allow the judiciary to do its job.” > He urged the PDP to seek redress in court if not satisfied with the development. > The defection of the two lawmakers brings to six, the number of PDP members who have so far defected to the APC in the 8th Assembly. They included Hon. Tony Nwoye from Anambra, Edward Pwajok from Plateau, Hassan Saleh from Benue and Adamu Kamale, Adamawa. > Pundits consider Jisalo and Damisa’s action as a breach of the constitution and the Supreme Court’s judgment. The apex court had last year extensively dealt with the issue of defection as it concerns the legislature when it decided the case between the Labour Party versus Ifedayo Abegunde. > In a unanimous judgment by a seven-man panel of justices, the apex court had ordered Abegunde to immediately vacate his seat in the House of Representatives on account of his defection from the Labour Party to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) because he was unfit to remain at the legislative house. > Abegunde had defected from LP to the ACN in 2011 and in a bid to forestall any possible move by his party to recall him, lodged a suit before the Federal High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State He lost at both the high court and the Court of Appeal. Both courts held that the defection was ‘unjustifiable.’ > In its judgment, a panel of the Supreme Court, headed by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, held that the lawmaker acted illegally by abandoning the party that sponsored his election. The court stressed that as at the time Abegunde defected to the ACN, there was no division in his party, LP. > The apex court maintained that the lawmaker’s defection to another party would have been justified if there was a division in the national structures of the LP, such that was capable of hampering the smooth operation of the party. It held that Abegunde’s defection could not be validated since his excuse of purported division in the LP was not at the national level of the party. > Besides, the Supreme Court stressed that the ‘division’ or ‘factionalisation’ of Labour Party, which was cited by Abegunde as his excuse for abandoning the party, was only at the state level. > Justice Musa Muhammad, who read the lead judgment, held that only a division that made it “impossible or impracticable” for the party to function by virtue of the provision of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, “justifies a person’s defection to another party.” > For lawmakers, who frequently use crisis in their wards and state chapters of their political parties as an excuse to defect, the court held that a division in a party at the state level would not entitle a legislator to abandon the party on which platform he or she contested and won his or her seat. It said only a division that made it impossible or impracticable for the party to function by virtue of the provision of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, would justify a person’s defection to another party. > The court further reminded any lawmaker wishing to defect to be guided by the the principles it enunciated in the two cases – FEDECO vs Goni and the Attorney General of the Federation vs Abubakar – where it stated that only factionalisation, fragmentation or division that made it impossible or impracticable for a particular party to function as such would, by virtue of the proviso to section 68(1)(g), justify a person’s defection to another party and the retention of his seat for the unexpired term in the house. > Justice Muhammad further maintained that by virtue of the combined provisions of section 68(1)(a) and (g) as well as section 222(a), (e) and (f) of the cconstitution, division in a party at the state level did not entitle a legislator to abandon the party on which platform he or she contested and won his or her seat. > Moreover, the apex court discountenanced the argument of the counsel to the appellant, Mr. Akin Ladipo, to the effect that not “any division” in a political party would entitle a person to defect from a party who sponsored his election without having to lose his seat. > “I am unable to agree with learned counsel to the appellant that on facts and law as concurrently applied by the two courts below – their decisions can be interfered with. One is left in no doubt that the determination of the dispute, the trial court is approached to resolve, turns decisively on the meaning of word ‘division’ as used by the framers of the proviso to section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 constitution as amended,” Justice Muhammad held. > He added: “Not being the kind of ‘division’ that affects the national structures and therefore the corporate existence of the party, learned counsel insists, appellant’s defection does not come within the proviso to section 68(1)(g) to entitle him to retain his seat in the House of Representatives in spite of his defection to the ACN from the Labour Party on which platform he contested and won the seat. This position of the respondents is unassailable.” > It is therefore shocking that despite the clear judgment of the Supreme Court, members of the National Assembly are still relying on the rejected definition of division to ditch their party for another. More shocking, perhaps, was the way Dogara, a lawyer, who swore to defend the constitution at all times on assumption of office, treated the issue because the affected lawmakers defected from the opposition political party to his party, the APC. > The Supreme Court in its judgment had extensively dealt with every aspect of the issue especially his claim that “the division in a party is not explained in the constitution and so lawmakers cannot be prohibited from defecting.” > To many analysts, the attitude of Dogara portrays the country as one being governed by sentiments and not laws. Those who say that the problem with the country has not always been the dearth of laws, but implementing and enforcing them, are obviously right. > The latest defections have confirmed the popular assertion that defections are usually encouraged by either the presiding officer of the legislature, whose duty it is to automatically declare the seat of the defecting lawmaker vacant as stipulated by the constitution. But because it gives them and the government in power the opportunity to have firmer control of the legislature, a blind eye is usually turned to the issue when it comes up. > Others have said that one the major reasons why Nigeria is not making much progress since 1960, is because there is no law and order. This, according to many pundits, is because those who make, implement and enforce laws are themselves chronic lawbreakers. This, no doubt, is why there is massive disorderliness in every sphere in the country. > The 1999 Constitution is very explicit on how to deal with the issue of defection as it concerns the legislature. For instance, Section 68(1) (109(1)) states: “A member of the Senate or House of Representatives (House of Assembly) shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if: (g) being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that house was elected, provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.” > Section 68(2) (109(2)) also states: “The President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives (as the case may be) shall give effect to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, so that the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives or a member shall first present evidence satisfactory to the House concerned that any of the provisions of that subsection has become applicable in respect of that members.” > Observers have argued that part of the reasons defections have become so common is the fact that sometimes, the lawmakers usually run away with the impression that before the suit filed against them is pursued to the Supreme Court, the four years he/she would have stayed in the assembly would have been exhausted, like in the Abegunde case. They believe that if any presiding officer especially at the federal level displays courage and declares a seat vacant, it would serve as deterrent. Quote It is therefore shocking that despite the clear judgment of the Supreme Court, members of the National Assembly are still relying on the rejected definition of division to ditch their party for another

Ambode: $50bn No Longer Sufficient to Fix Lagos Infrastructure Deficits

Amid the shrinking revenues accrued to the state from the Federation Accounts, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Monday lamented the state’s infrastructure deficits, noting that $50 billion would no longer be sufficient to meet its infrastructure requirements. Ambode, specifically, disclosed that recent studies showed the state required a supply of at least 10,000 megawatts to effectively function contrary to less than 2,000 megawatts the power distribution companies could supply to the households in the state. He made the disclosure at the 1st Lagos State Infrastructure Roundtable hosted in collaboration with the Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria (HBSAN) at Eko Hotels and Suites, thereby calling for strategic plan to fund the state’s infrastructure needs. At the roundtable, Ambode explained that it had become imperative “to assess the state’s infrastructure deficits and take careful and deliberate actions to handle the challenges that face us as a state. We must take actions that will not only affect our livelihood today, but protect the future of our younger generations.” He therefore cited one after the other some compelling statistics, which according to him, made it imperative to decisively address diverse infrastructure challenges and deficits that face not only Lagos State, but also other megacities across the world. He cited the population of the state now estimated at 24 million; noting that the state “is on track to be a city of 36 million people or the 6th largest city in the world after Mumbai, Delhi, Dhaka, Kinshasa, and Kolkata and ahead of Tokyo, Karachi, New York, and Mexico City by 2050.” “We have a migration rate of 86 people moving into Lagos every hour, higher than New York, London or Mumbai. We have a population density of 6,939 persons per Kilometre and an average of 5 persons per household. With all these come challenges and pressures on the physical and social infrastructure,” he explained. Giving insight into diverse infrastructure challenges confronting the state, Ambode said about $50 billion was required “to address the state’s infrastructure deficit as at 2010 without the inclusion of housing and education. In 2017, we can all imagine what this deficit will be.” Apart from the power requirement put at 10,000, he disclosed that the state “requires at least one million housing units every year for a period between five and 10 years to fix housing deficit.” In 2015, precisely, the governor noted that the state had 16,000 kilometres network of roads, though with a daily human traffic of over 7.5million people and 2.8 million cars. He said the power “needs of the State is over 10,000 megawatts of power, but we receive less than 2,000 megawatts. We presently supply 210.5 million gallons of water per day as against a demand of 750 million gallons per day. Our State generates 13,000 tonnes of solid waste per day. “These are just a few areas where we have huge infrastructure deficits. I am not bringing up these details to scare us but to let us know the challenges ahead. As a government, we are aware of these challenges. This is why we supported this initiative to hold an infrastructure roundtable. “These are challenges that face most mega cities like ours because we represent hope to many people and we must provide for all who make Lagos their home. If Lagos works, we could have a chance as a nation to work on others.” He acknowledged that the government “does not have to be afraid of the infrastructure challenges. That is the truth. That is why we are here. Our primary role as government is to be enablers. Our major responsibilities are to protect the lives and property of residents and to improve their welfare. I hope to get some answers from the roundtable.” He, therefore, challenged the roundtable to work out how to fund the necessary infrastructure to keep our State running efficiently and support all our residents considering that revenues “are not growing at the same rate as the rapidly increasing population.” He ruled out the idea of “increasing taxes unnecessarily or taxing the residents to death. So, what are the best funding options available? What is our best mix? What is appropriate financial model to run the state? Where should we consider PPP arrangements? Where should the government handle solely and which should be privatised? Which infrastructure should be prioritised?

Top 5 States In Nigeria With High Employment Opportunities

Oil price, Naira value, Employment rate and other rates might be dropping drastically, but one ‘rate’ (aspect) of the country which has virtually refused to reduce/drop, is the rate of fresh graduate pushed to the labor market almost every quarter of the year. This is no longer a surprising news. Two streams of corps members in every batches is now a norm as far as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is concern. As a result, the labor market is currently the most populated market in the country, even far more populated than Aba, Alaba and all the International markets in Nigeria combined. More worse is the fact that even the little available job opportunities in the country are not equally distributed across the Nation’s 36+1 states. And that is why, in this article, I’ll be showing you Top 5 States in Nigeria with High Employment Opportunity. After reading through this article, I’ll recommend that every serious job seeker, should at least, have a resume with a residence address in one of these state, especially the state of your choice, that is the state you want to start hunting job in. I know someone will be asking why you should follow the above recommendation. In my next week’s edition of job tips, I’ll be sharing with you why you should not use one state’s residential address to apply for a job vacancy that will be taken in another state. Top 10 State in Nigeria with High Employment Opportunity 1. Lagos State: Without any doubt or question asked, Lagos remain the center of Nigerian’s Economy, and the largest center of commerce in the whole Africa. In the past 7 – 9 months, Lagos state have accounted for more than 60% of jobs. The interesting part of it all, is the fact that, no matter your field of study, in terms of job opportunity, Lagos state have something to offer, making the state the last resort for folks that studied stubborn courses from their higher institutions. 2. The Federal Capital City – Abuja: Following after Lagos state, is the Federal Capital Territory – Abuja. It no doubt that Abuja remains the ‘landing page’ for most foreign folks, especially foreign NGOs with project to pursue in the Northern part of Nigeria. And also, don’t forget the presence of those huge, huge government-owned establishment and Parastatals. Despite all those, the benchmark set by Lagos state in terms of employment opportunity remains unbeatable. 3. Borno State I know most of you are expecting Rivers state to be the next, I expected same, but our statistics showed the opposite, giving the third spot to Borno state, Nigeria. Wondering why? Well, the answer is not far fetched, NGOs! The consistent Boko Haram insurgence in the northern part of the nation especially Borno state, has drawn the attentions of both indigenous and foreign Non-governmental Organizations to the state. Currently, there are above 20 indigenous and foreign NGOs, actively recruiting for various projects in Borno state, bringing the state to the third spot on our lists of Top 5 States in Nigeria with High Employment Opportunity. 4. Rivers State Yeah, now to the Nigerian oil depot – Rivers state. Want to pursue careers in the Oil and Gas industry, then you better start hunting jobs in Rivers state. That however, does not mean that the only available job opportunities in Rivers state is in the oil and gas sector. You can find career opportunities of varying categories in Rivers state as well, and below is the list of job vacancies currently available in Rivers state. 5. Oyo State The Last but not the least, is Oyo state. To be more specific on that, I’m referring to Ibadan, because 8 out of ten vacancies in Oyo state is taken in Ibadan, the state capital. In fact, this is not just the case of Oyo state alone, all the aforementioned states are characterized with more job opportunities in the state capital, and few scattered among other local government of the state with exception to Borno State. Conclusion Like I said earlier, if you are a serious job seeker, start hunting jobs in the states mentioned above, and you should really start now, especially serving corps members. I’m not saying every single job seekers out there should relocate to the above states from the whole 36+1 states in Nigeria. But just add a bit more diligence to your job hunting tactics. Don’t confide yourself to finding jobs in your state or locality alone, lunch out your CV’s and resume to any of the above states with more employment opportunities, and as you do that, consider my earlier recommendations. When applying to a job available in any of the above state, or another state outside your state, please consider using the address of the state where the job is going to be taken in your CV or resume. You may have a brother or friend who resides in such states, ask them to give you a detailed address so you can include it in your CV. Also try and memorize the address in case luck shines on you, and you get called for a phone interview.