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2023: Again, Bakare Says He Will Be Nigeria’s President |The Source

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Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Pastor Tunde Bakare, the General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, now Citadel Global Church, insists that come 2023, he will become Nigeria’s President.

Bakare made this revelation Tuesday  while addressing Journalists of his dream to rule the nation after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023.

The Cleric gave assurance that he will succeed his friend and incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

According to Pastor Bakare: “There is something called destiny. I am not one to hide under the umbrella of one finger and make ambition look like vision, I do not camouflage.

“It is not a matter of life and death, but you can write it down. As the Lord lives, and as I am given the opportunity, the day will come. like Joe Biden, and I will be the President.

Over the years, Bakare had not hidden his desire to become the President of Nigeria, as he has vowed to join the race and win come 2023.

The Cleric was Buhari’s running mate in tje 2011 elections. They lost.

N26.9 Billion Contracts: Orelope-Adefulire Queried, Says Rivers State Rejects Things |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Former Lagos State Deputy Governor and President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire is enmeshed in controversy. She is being queried over the sum of  N26.9bn Sustainable Development Goals, SDG Contracts,  and COVID-19 spending. Appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on SDG, she also disclosed that Rivers State Government does not cooperate with them, and rejects everything due to the State from her office.

There was heated arguments among the members who were demanding for explanations on how the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Orelope-Adefulire, expended public funds on covid-19 and N26.9billion worth of contracts.

The occasion was the budget defence hearing by the House committee on SDGs led by Rotimi Agunsonye (APC, Lagos).

There were  back and forth arguments between the Chairman and members of the Committee as all efforts to get the SSA to respond to certain tough questions on details of expenditure for projects were stampeded.

The magazine gathered that this is not the first time the Chairman of the committee would appear to be shielding the Presidential  aide from thorough scrutiny as he had in June this year, issued a statement dismissing reports of alleged financial impropriety.

The Presidential aide, on the other hand, believes her office is doing well in delivering on its mandate.

While, reviewing the 2020 budget of the SDGs, the President’s aide disclosed that a total of 459 contracts amounting to N26.851bn were awarded in 2020 with N3.009bn so far paid to contractors and the percentage of performance put at 11.2 percent.

The lawmakers, however, expressed reservations that individual contract sums were not attached to the projects executed as claimed by the SSA.

Orelope-Adefulire could not disclose how much was spent on the supply of 502,000 face masks, 4,033 specialised hospital beds, 1502 desktops and construction of 1578 classroom blocks fitted with furniture.

Other contracts for which the SSA could not disclose the contract sums are: supply of 1,196 motorcycles, 2,407 grinding machines, 2,500 sewing machines, 1, 134 50kg fertilisers, 1,315 bags of rice and 1,961 bags of 100kg rice.

Earlier, the SSA told the Committee that all projects under her agency, as appropriated for in the 2019 budget were completed and fully paid for.

“We do not have any ongoing project for 2019. We do not have any abandoned or uncompleted project. No contractor is currently being owed”, she stated.

While giving an update on the 2020 budget performance, she noted that the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown hindered progress and performance such that most of the projects were still ongoing.

“The 2020 budget performance can be said to hanging due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Nigeria like most countries were affected so it affected our performance. In fact, the lockdown affected us, although we have done all our procurement process, so some projects have already been executed while some are still ongoing. We have completed all our procurement but the payment is ongoing. We have paid N7.5 billion. The problem this time around is procurement is very slow”, she said.

Consequently, members took turns to pick holes in both the document and oral presentation made by the SSA.

According to Hon. Ozurigbo Ugonna representing Isu/Njaba/Nkwerre/ Nwangele federal constituency of Imo State, “we would like to know why there is no allocation for Special intervention Projects. Why are we seeing zero, zero everywhere. Does this mean the SIPs are not important? The 2020 special intervention funds nothing has been released or done with just one month to the end of the year. Meanwhile, every other item has gotten funds except that (SIPs) why?”

But just as the SSA was about responding, the Chairman  of the Committee intervened and requested that she should be given opportunity to make her 2021 budget presentation. He,  also, then said it was not the fault of Mrs. Orelope- Adefulire that there were no releases for projects.

“On the issue of special intervention please colleagues let us calm down. It is not her faut that SIP has not gotten releases, if she does get releases there is nothing she can do. Again honourable colleagues, I will crave your indulgence to allow her to finish presenting the 2021 budget”, Agunsoye defended.

Hon. Bede Eke (PDP, Imo) asked: “We want to know if you got any releases concerning Covid-19 and if you do how was it shared, we want to know the method of distribution?

Hon.Gogo Bright Tamuno, representing Okrika/Ogu-Bolo federal constituency of Rivers State, however raised concern over the non-inclusion of Rivers State in all the programs and projects as captured in the SDGs 2020 budget.

The SSA revealed that: “We work based on releases and if nothing was released there is nothing we can do. The fault is not that of SDG but that of the Minister of Finance. We have just few members that domiciled their zonal interventions with us and we have all implemented them. I want to plead that when we are done with this meeting we can sit down to crosscheck.”

Disagreement continued amongst members as some insisted they needed more detailed explanation on the 2020 budget performance of the SDGs office before they can progress to 2021 proposals.

On the question on exclusion of Rivers state from the distribution of covid-19 palliatives, the SSA said: “We don’t have special funding and we didn’t get any. What we did as regards Covid-19 was done equally with our budget, there was no additional funding. Because we are an interventionist agency. We provided 100 beds and face masks for every state except Rivers state because it does not cooperate with us. I don’t really know what the problem is. If we take anything to them they don’t accept. But I’m making out time to meet with the Governor .”

Breaking: Balarabe Musa Dies At 84 |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Balarabe Musa

By Akinwale Kasali

Elderstateman, nationalist and former Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Balarabe Musa is dead.
A strong critic of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, hr died early Wednesday morning.
His close associate, friend and political Son, former Senator Shehu Sani broke the news of his demise on his Twitter handle.
“Alhaji Balarabe Musa has died. May Allah forgive his soul and grant him Aljanna firdausi.Amin,” Sani wrote on Twitter.
Balarabe Musa was elected governor of Kaduna State in 1979 under the PRP, but was later  impeached and removed from office, by the NPN controlled House of Assembly.
He is considered a progessive and worked with people of like minds to mobilise against the military junta of late Sani Abacha.
 Aged 84 years, he was the poorest former ex-Governor in Nigeria.

Boko Haram: Zulum Challenges FG After UAE Jailed Nigerian Sponsors |The Source

By
Bayo Bernard
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By Fola James

Governor Babagana Zulum has praised the conviction of some Nigerians believed to be sponsors of dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram by an Abu Dhabi Appeal Court.

Zulum whose state is the epicenter of insurgency in the country said the federal government should liaise more with the government of the United Arab Emirates, UAE to find out more about the terrorists’ financiers.

His charge came amidst appeals by families of the convicts to the government to intervene to prove their innocence. The federal government said the convicts can still appeal to the UAE Supreme court for remedy after an Abu Dhabi appeal court upheld the conviction of the Nigerians for allegedly supplying almost N300m to fund Boko Haram.

The convicts, according to the court, allegedly used bureau de change operations to send $782,000 to Boko Haram in 17 separate transfers from Dubai to Nigeria between 2015 and 2016.

The Borno Governor said the conviction has opened a new vista to ending insurgency, but however, stated that the convicts can still prove their innocence by appealing to a higher court.

The statement by the governor’s spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau said, “Governor Babagana Umara Zulum is glad that for the first time in 11 years, there appears to be headway on tracking some alleged financiers of Boko Haram’s activities which has left thousands of citizens killed, millions displaced and private property and public institutions worth 9 billion dollars destroyed in Borno, other parts of the northeast and Nigeria at large.

“Zulum urged the Federal Government to consider setting up a multi-stakeholder team with trusted representatives from the Federal Ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, NIA, the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad, and the ECOWAS Intergovernmental Action Group on Terrorism Financing in West Africa, to assiduously work with the UAE Government to look into the issues raised by families crying foul play, and more importantly, to follow-up on the findings by the UAE with the hope of using the intelligence, if authenticated, to expand search on other Boko Haram sponsors that may be helping in similar ways.”

Since he came into office last year, Governor Zulum has criticised the military’s handling of the insurgency, with the nation’s armed forces fighting back.

The governor who has also been attacked by the terrorists, at least thrice, and almost killed in one of those occasions, while moving around the state has vowed not to relent until peace retuns to the state.

Nigeria: The Stupidity Of Marching For Trump |The Source

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The Source
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By Chioma Ugochukwu

I am home today nursing a torn muscle from my treadmill workouts and thought that I should comment on something that happened recently. I noticed that a video was trending on Twitter a few days ago.

It was a video of folks from a church in the Southeastern part of Nigeria holding a prayer walk for Donald Trump. We saw reports earlier that another church in the region also held a parade for Trump. Those of you who follow me know that I have written about this strange phenomenon of Nigerians, particularly the Igbo (my ethnic group), supporting and praying for Trump.

It started with the false meme that spread on social media that Trump supports Igbos (Biafrans). Some Igbos are pushing to secede from Nigeria due to their discontentment with the tensions between Christians in the North (Igbos are mostly Christians) and Muslims in the North.

Many of us Nigerians in the United States are dual citizens. We have often found it baffling that our brothers and sisters back home don’t seem to fully understand who Trump is. Most of them truly believe that Trump is a devout Christian and some even call him a God-sent. Those of us who know Trump better find the claim to be ludicrous.

Anyway, I have often tried not to be too critical of our folks back home, but seeing this video trending on Twitter and reading that Trump acknowledged it sent me over the edge.

While I understand that we are all entitled to our opinions, beliefs, and values, I find myself in a position of using my own voice to express my opinion and disdain for what I am seeing.

This is personal to me. I recognize that I am about to take a harsh tone here, but sometimes you’ve got to take a stand for your own values. I have no doubt in my mind that Trump does not give a damn about Igbo or Nigerians. In fact, he has blocked visas and family reunification programs for Nigerians. He has not spoken out against the issue of police brutality in Nigeria, which most of our Igbo folks are fighting against with the #EndSARS movement.

Trump has also blocked the appointment of Nigerians to leadership positions within some international organizations. So, if you are one of the Nigerians holding prayer vigils and parading for Trump, shame on you!

You are actively praying for a man who is doing his best to make life harder for your brothers and sisters in the diaspora. I have not seen a prayer walk from any of you for the various issues we’ve encountered. We’ve had mass shootings in the United States and none of you held parades or vigils to pray for our safety. You pray for Trump and shamelessly tell us that we need to return home if we find his policies unbearable.

Meanwhile, you are all too happy to receive the billions of dollars in remittances that we send to Nigeria every year. Your prayers for Trump are prayers against our welfare and the welfare of our children. So, shame on you!

I don’t comment too much on events happening in Nigeria and it’s not because I don’t care; it’s just that I left Nigeria decades ago, which means that I can no longer draw on my lived experience for commentary. I can rely on research, but that means that I will miss some nuances because one’s lived experience will always trump what one can deduce from reading.

Many of you Nigerians praying for Trump actually believe that reading memes and news articles make you experts on Trump and the American experience. You see the things you hear on the 700 Club and TBN as non-partisan and true. You are often dismissive of your brothers and sisters in the United States who draw on their lived experience to form their opinion of Trump. It will be nice if you would give us the benefit of the doubt and acknowledge that we may know this guy better than you do.

Trump does not give a damn about you or any other African nation! Trump is not a Christian, so shame on you for believing otherwise! Shame on you for supporting someone who saw a black man sitting in his lobby as an eyesore.

Shame on you for professing to be Christians even as you support a conman who defrauds workers, sleeps with porn stars, separates children from their parents, denounces refugees fleeing war-torn locations, takes away food stamps from children, and who is actively working to take away health insurance from millions. The Igbos pride themselves on being smart. Whatever caused you to parade for a man who is pushing the world toward anti-intellectualism?

Were we not taught that God is love? What does your Bible say about lust, greed, wrath, envy, and pride? Are they still deadly sins or not?

We have a name for people who sympathize with their abusers. We need to see if this is a case of the Stockholm Syndrome or just another case of the regular, everyday colonial mentality. I recognize that I am being tough here, but if you are willing to support a white supremacist who spends all day sowing division, then rest assured that I have no problem distancing myself from you and your values.

 Ugochukwu wrote from Pennsylvania

What Killed Rev. Irvin Baxter? |The Source

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The Source
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Rev Irvin Baxter

By Charles Igbo

Life is full of ironies. And can make a mockery of one. This seems to be the fate of a conservative Televangelist, Rev Irvin Baxter.

Baxter was the founder of the Endtime Ministries, a firebrand Pentecostal Church.

A strong Donald Trump supporter, he had the same beliefs, like Trump, about COVID-19. He did not believe in the science aspect of the virus. He said it was punishment from God for fornicators. He said it was caused by a lifestyle of sin. Such sins, he said, included, pre-marital sex, fornication, and intercourse between people of same sex.

But in one of the ironies of life, Rev. Baxter died of COVID-19, after being hopitalised for a week. And the questions have been: How did he contract the virus? Was it through a sinful act? Did the Reverend Gentleman engage in any illegal sex, and so contracted the COVID-19 as punishment? Was he a fornicator? Hardly, most people chorus.

But he died on Saturday, of COVID-19, the same day Trump, the man he so much believed in,  lost the Presidential election to Senator Joe Biden.

Bemoaning his death, Dave Robbins, his co- host on the End Of The Age programme, said:

“Irvin went on to his great reward. We celebrate his life, but at the same time, there is sorrow, there is grieving.”

Rev. Baxter was aged  75.

Falz Slams Buhari, Says He Doesn’t Respect Anybody’s Will |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Folarin Falana - Falz

By Akinwale Kasali

Popular Entertainer and activist, Folarin Falana, known as Falz, has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari for not respecting the will of the people.

The lawyer turned rapper lambasted the President  over his congratulatory message to Joe Biden, the projected winner of the US Presidential election.

Buhari in his congratulatory message had said, “Respect for the will of the people is the very reason why democracy remains the best form of government, despite its limitations from one polity to another, and from one society to another.”

But Falz queried Buhari’s motive for the statement, demanding to know who wrote the congratulatory message.

He claimed that the President knows nothing about respecting the will of the people.

In a tweet on his handle, Falz asked; “Who typed this? Because you clearly know nothing about respecting the will of the people, and it is surprising that you could say this.”

Falz’s statement is coming in the wake of the #EndSARS Protest against Police brutality and extra judicial killings of the citizens  which was hijacked by hoodlums, leading to arson and loss of lives.

Incredible: DSIEC Propose N1.147 Billion For LGA Election |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Independent National Electoral Commission

By Akinwale Kasali

The Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DESIEC, has proposed the sum of N1,147,000,000 (One Billion, One Hundred and Forty Seven Million Naira) for the conduct of the forthcoming local government councils election in the State.

The Chairman of the Commission, Chief Mike Ogbodu who disclosed this while defending the 2021 budget proposal be the State House of Assembly Committee on Establishment, Ethics and Privileges, Chaired by the Minority Leader, Hon Innocent Anidi, said the election would hold early next year.

The DESIEC boss said N900,000,000 (Nine Hundred Million Naira) is proposed for the conduct of the elections, while two hundred and forty-seven million naira is for related activities, including legal matters, post election seminars, trainings among others.

Briefing the House Committee members on the activities of the Commission in the 2020 fiscal year as well as its projections for 2021, Chief Ogbodu said that the Commission was already putting measures in place towards achieving seamless local government election in the State.

He stated that the Commission is already considering possible date early next year for the proposed date for the local government election, hence the proposed amount to be captured in the 2021 Appropriation law.

The DSIEC boss said the  N32.5million cap limit given to the Commission to spend as capital expenditure for 2021 was inadequate and stressed the need for increase amongst other demands.

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Innocent Anidi, while commending DSIEC for its roles so far, urged it to sustain the tempo, particularly in the forth coming local government elections in the State.

For his part, a members of the Committee, Hon Reuben Izeze urged the Commission to continue to uphold its integrity as an independent institution in the discharge of its duties.

Hon Izeze also charged the officials to strive to maintain absolute independent of the Commission in its operations

The DSIEC boss was accompanied to the State House of Assembly Complex, the venue of the budget defense session, by Commissioners in the Commission and the Management team.

Atedo Peterside, Tackles Government, Says Economy Rigged To Favour Highly, Well Connected Persons |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Atedo Peterside

By Akinwale Kasali

Nigerian Entrepreneur and investment Banker, Atedo Peterside, has dropped a bombshell. He is accusing the President Muhammadu Buhari administration of favouritism in  the administration’s  business and financial policy. He alleged  sentimental attachment, skewed  to favour some, at the expense of others.

Peterside joined the league of other Nigerians who are kicking against the Federal Government’s decision to grant only Dangote cement access to export and import items across the borders that have been closed for about a year now.

The Federal government closed borders with neighboring countries including Benin Republic and Niger Republic to curb smuggling and boost local production.

It would be reclled that Bloomberg reports that the Buhari administration has given its authorization for Africa’s biggest producer to export cement to Niger Republic and Togo in the third quarter for the first time in ten months.

Reacting to the development via his Twitter handle, Peterside said such a move is why some Nigerians argue that the Nigerian economy is rigged in favor of a handful of well-connected persons.

”Allowing legitimate exporters & importers to move their goods across the border should be a no-brainer. Why refuse everybody else & allow only one company (Dangote)? This is why some of us argue that the Nigerian economy is rigged in favour of a handful of well-connected persons”.

The issue addressed by Peterside has been at the front burner of discourse, with economic, business and political observers demanding to know the rationale behind the decision of the Federal Government policies, allegedly, favouring Aliko Dangote and the likes at the expense of others.

However, Dangote cement may not be only company enjoying that privilege. Allegation is that BUA cement enjoys same privilege from the Federal Government.

Tinubu, Fashola, Jakande, Other Ex-Lagos State Governors, Deputies Set To Forfeit Pensions And Benefits |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Bola Tinubu
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

By Akinwale Kasali

In a bid to curtail the expenses of the Lagos State Government, the Lagos State Governor has proposed the forfeiture of Pensions, Entitlements and Benefits of past Governors of Lagos State and their Deputies.

With this development, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Akinwunmi Ambode and other past Governors of the State and their Deputies would be affected by this Development.

Governor Sanwo-Olu said this was necessary for the government to spend judiciously an prudently.

The bill to abolish the gesture being considered by the state Government got pass mark from lawmakers at the State’s House of Assembly.

It was learnt that the move to repeal the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007), which provides for payment of pension and other entitlements to former governors and their deputies, was part of efforts to reduce government expenses at this present time that the State is yet to get over the monumental losses it experienced during the #EndSARS protest Hijacked by hoodlums, leading to wanting destruction of Government and public properties.

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