Dispersed from Syria, ISIS targets the world from Nigeria

By

-

June 19, 2018

By Uche Mbah

Rumors that the Boko Haram terrorist organization has been taken over by ISIS seem to be substantiated by reports that Nigeria may have become a training ground for the group, with further reports of Exchange program by the Islamic state, ISIS, on terror tactics. To this end, Nigeria may have become the new base of the international terror group.

Reports by the Sun, a UK tabloid, expressed worry that such terror couriers could be passed on to the United Kingdom through the porous Air borders in Nigeria, even though the British military have been involved in the training of military personnel in Nigeria. Though the official reason is for the UK military to train its former colonies’ military in counter terrorism, there may have been indications that ISIS commanders do not have the necessary intelligence network to sneak into the country and mingle with the Nigeria Military under training.

In recent years, however, reports have been rife of “pardoned” Boko Haram terrorist members being absorbed into the Nigerian Military, with attendant risks, fueling speculations of complicity-wittingly or unwittingly-in the political powers in the actualization of the ISIS project. ISIS has once claimed close ties with Boko Haram.

The Sun reports that in one training mission in the northern city of Kaduna, a senior Nigerian Air Force commander revealed how his country’s jihadi groups were learning from IS after swearing allegiance to its black flag.

“Group Captain Isaac Subi, 46, who has been fighting terrorism across Africa since 1991, said: ‘They come and train their fighters here and some of our insurgents too are granted access to their training in Yemen and Syria, acquiring those skills and they come back and teach others. They have this exchange program of fighters’”, the paper reports.

An estimate of 3000 terrorists operating in the North east has killed over 20,000 people in the North east, thereby making the issue complicated with the activities of the herdsman, generally believed to be of Fulani heritage, who has been linked in recent times to the Boko Haram activities. Many times some security personnel have been indicted for complicity in the operations of the terrorist organization which have left over two million fleeing from the zone.

Britain has training facilities at different locations in Nigeria. They train the Army at Jaji, Airforce in Kaduna, Commandoes in Lagos, and Special Anti-terrorist Squad in Makurdi.

But Nigerian Airforce planes are reported to be bombing civilian targets in Benue State recently,. Benue has been a hot spot for the clash between herders and Natives.

Daily, deaths are being recorded in the North east with the government of the day appearing to ignore the carnage, even when the killings were blatantly lacking in grazing undertones. No herdsman has ever been prosecuted for killings, even when they own up to it, but recently, some Christians were sentenced to death by a court of competent jurisdiction for killing herdsmen.

CBN Moves To Boost Use Of Chinese Yuan

By

Steve Ubana

-

June 16, 2018

0

By Stephen Ubanna

Worried by the low patronage of the Chinese currency, Renminbi, Yuan, by Nigeria importers , for their transactions in the Asian country of China, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has approved some mouth watery fresh incentives for the importers who patronise the Chinese currency in payment for their importations instead of using the United States, US, dollar to settle the bills of their suppliers in China.

Ahmed Abdullahi, the CBN Director of Bank Supervisions confirmed the Bankers Committee decision, stressing that the it was taken to encourage Nigeria importers to patronise the yuan for their business transactions in China. Abdullahi disclosed that the apex Bank was fully prepared to” weather the headwind of the global economy in order to stabilise business transactions in the country”.

Many had expected the Nigeria importers to resort to the use of the Chinese yuan in settling their Chinese suppliers with the current currency Swap deal between the two countries but nothing appear to have changed as the US dollar is still very much used by importers to make their payments to their Chinese suppliers.

A senior Customs official who spoke to the Magazine at Tincan Island port disclosed that most of the payments for the Containerised cargoes that had been discharged at the port in the recent time from China were made in the US dollar, thus forcing the Valuation officers at the Command to base their duty calculation for such imports on the prevailing exchange rate between the naira to the dollar in the official foreign exchange market istead of the yuan.

the worry of the Bankers Committee, Chaired by Godwin Emefiele, the CBN governor , was that the attitude of importers to use the Chinese yuan in the payment of their importations from China was still persisting because importers are yet to come to terms with the Chinese yuan for their business transactions in China, instead of the dollar.

The CBN officials are optimistic that the low patronage of the yuan would change for the better with the incentives put in place by the apex bank to encourage importers. The CBN was said to have assured importers that” it has enough Chinese yuan to guarantee a stable exchange rate and ensure that there was enough liquidity of the Chinese currency in the country’s weekly foreign exchange market. As at last April, Nigeria has about $49 billion foreign exchange reserves. That much was confirmed by Emefiele, the CBN, governor.

Many believe that with the incentives approved for importers who use the yuan for their business transactions in China by the Bankers Committee to, it would encourage importers of equipment, machinery and other goods to get their invoices from their suppliers in China in the yuan instead of the US dollar. The officials of Commercial banks had predicted a significant drop in the demand for the US dollar by importers in next couple of months because of the incentives put in place by the CBN to encourage importers to pay their suppliers in China with the yuan.

”One of the incentives that was said to have been approved at the Bankers Committee meeting for importers who get their invoices from the Chinese suppliers on their own currency, was a percentage spread to encourage others to start using the yuan for their imports was basically to bring down the cost of importation and price of goods in the country”, Abdullahi had said.

Godwin Emefiele: Governor of Central Bank

The Bankers Committee may have reasoned in coming out with the incentives that if importers could collect invoices from their Chinese suppliers in the dollar, it would add up to their cost in terms of the naira, going by the current exchange rate of N365.00 at the official forex market. The argument , therefore, was that if the importers could obtain their invoices for their goods ordered from China with the yuan, and going by the exchange rate against the naira, it will be lesser because of the currency Swap deal between the two countries.

It would be recalled that Emefiele, the governor of the CBN and his counterpart in the peoples Bank of China had signed over 16 billion Yuen or $2.5 billion bilateral currency Swap deal recently intended to ”stabilise the international financial market and facilitate and facilitate trade and investment between the two trading partners. The negotiation for the currency Swap deal was said to have taken two years before it was finally signed last May. The CBN has given an insight the currency Swap deal between the two countries will be effective for the next three years and could only be extended by mutual consent of the parties involved in the deal.

Prior to the Bankers Committee decision to come out with incentives to encourage importers to use the Yuen for payment of Chinese Suppliers, Isaac Okrorafor, an Assistant Director and the CBN, Spokesman , had said that deal will bring more flexibility to both China and Nigeria markets by easing up the challeges encountered in the search for the dollar and providing adequate naira liquidity to Nigerian business men and the yuan liquidity to their Chinese counterparts.

He is optimistic that that Nigeria manufacturers, particular, Small and Medium Enterprises,( SMEs )manufacturers and Cortege industries which import raw materials, Spare parts and simple machinery would not have any cause to worry as they would have access to the Yuen from the banks without being exposed to the difficulties of seeking for other scarce foreign currencies. The good news for importers was that the currency Swap deal was that it would be calculated based on the exchange rate of N305.00 to A $1 in the official foreign exchange market.

John Uchechukwu, a business man, believes that the drop in the demand for the dollar by importers because of the CBN fresh incentives would reduce the pressure on the naira, if properly implemented by the CBN. Emefiele , the governor of the apex Bank has made it clear to that cares to listen that all the necessary measures have been put in place to block all loopholes to ensure proper implementation of the currency Swap deal with China to avoid abuse.

Nigeria Greedy Political Class

By

Steve Ubana

-

June 14, 2018

0

By Stephen Ubanna

Nigeria politicians appear not to have learnt anything from the United States t and the United Kingdom political class who had developed a lasting political culture which had had led to the formation of parties with subsisting ideologies.

Take for instance the United States, where the republican and Democrats parties had evolved over the years . The situation is the same in Britain, where the Liberal, Labour and Conservatives parties exist. Politicians in these countries, based on their ideology , had pitched their tent with the right party and have never had cause to decamp to party. It is not surprising why power had been oscillating between the major parties in these countries over the years. A recent case is Donald Trump, a Republican Presidential Candidate, who had contested the party Congress since 1968 but lost out. he had never tinkered with the option of leaving the party to the Democrats but remained to help rebuild the party. A t present , he is the Present of the US , elected under the platform of the Republican party. The situation is the same for politicians in the United Kingdom.

While in Nigeria, according to Okeke Ukachukwu, a political analysts, is different, politicians from the first Republic to the present dispensation have been known to jump from one political party to another once they lose election or not getting the desired patronage from their current party. Investigation by the Magazine shows that there is hardly no known politician who had never jumped boat.

The roll call shows that President Muhammadu Buhari, who was a one time member of the All Nigeriia People’s Party, ANPP, a party under which he contested the 2003 presidential election against the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2003 had dumped the party to form the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, when his Presidential ambition could not be realised in the party. ANPP.

Another major decampee, was Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state who started with AD in 1998 but power struggle in the party forced him and others out to form ACN, which later teamed up with CPC, ANPP and other parties to form All Progressive Congress, APC. The formation of the mega party to unseat Jonathan in the 2015 election has not stopped the movement from one party to the other by the political class.

The latest of the political heavy weights that had hit the air waves who had left the PDP, a party which he had joined from the Labour party, LP, in 2015, was Olusegun Mimiko, a former Governor of Ondo state. The former Ondo state governor appears to have lost out in the power equation in the party that he had resigned with the intention to return to the LP. Given reasons for his exit from the party, Mimiko, in a message to the party Chairman in the state justified his reason to leave the umbrella party to some ”well thought out personal decisions”. He was said to have resigned from the party on June 13, 2018, a day after June 12, 2018, celebration in the state. There are indications that he has planned to return to the LP with some former key members of his Administration in the state.

Atiku: Still cross carpeting from one party to the other

The party, according to sources, may not be willing to accept the former Ondo state governor back to the fold for cross carpeting to the PDP in 2014, when he was supposed to sustain the gains made by the party in the state .

If the statement of Mike Omotosho, Chairman, of LP, in Abuja, is anything to go by, Mimiko may find it difficult to find his way back to LP. Omotosho believes that the former Ondo state plan to return to the party having lost out in the power equation in the PDP, was basically to destabilise the current gains made by the party to reclaim and reposition it in the state. He stressed that Mimiko’s re-approach to the party to return has nothing to do with loyalty but to launder his sagging political image in the state. He was said to have told the party Congress, comprising of workers in the state that Mimiko cannot be trusted , . He was said to have made it clear to those care to listen that that the LP, is no longer a ”transit bus to strange political destinations, , particularly under the subterfuge of the likes of Mimiko”. This is bad news who had expected Omotosho and other LP leaders to welcome him back to the party with open arms, an indication that the former Ondo state governor may likely suffer a political set back in the state or be forced to resign from politics .

But a political associate of Mimiko who spoke to the Magazine on condition of annonymity said the LP leaders need not worry about the return of Mimiko to the party as he had not really made up his mind the party to join. According to him, the former PDP Chieftain is still holding consultations and would formally announce his new party soon but not secretly.

Also , on the list of Politicians who had been jumping boat was Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice president who has been jumping from PDP to APC and back to PDP. Many believes that Atiku’s major reason for jumping from one party to the other was because of his political ambition to rule Nigeria at all cost. He had contested the Presidential ticket of the PDP, twice but lost to both late Musa Yar’Adua and former President Goodluck Jonathan respectively. The aggrieved former Vice president was said to have left the party in anger and joined the APC. He had slugged it out at the party Presidential primaries, with president Muhammadu Buhari in 2014 in Lagos but lost to him.

He has returned back to the PDP, with an intention fly the flag of the party in 2019. The duo are not the only members of the Nigeria political class who had jumped boat in the recent time. The nPDP members, where the likes of Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state and now minister of Transport belong to this class of politicians.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo who had resigned from the PDP,many not have joined another party for now, but indications are rife that he is instrumental for the formation of African Democratic Congress, ADC, one of the parties that had had been registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the recent time , ostensibly to wrest power from Buhari of the APC, IN 2019. With the interest shown in ADC, many believe that Obasanjo also has joined the ranks of the greedy political who are not after developing a sound political culture and ideologically political parties for the country but only interested in satisfying their own selfish interest.

Political analysts believe that unless Nigeria politicians learn to be bad losers and stop jumping from one party to the other when they their interest are no longer being protected in their current party, the trouble in Nigeria political horizon would continue, and hope of developing a sound political culture in the country would remain a mirage, they said.

Electricity Metering: Not For DISCOs

By

Oji Odu

-

June 14, 2018

0

By Oji Odu

With earlier partial failure by Federal Government to meter the unmetered electricity consumers, despite billions of grant to the electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs), there is a lot of skepticism to the success of the new N37 billion grant by government to the DISCOS to provide meters to their unmetered customers through an undisclosed private operator so as to solve the prolonged issue of crazy billing.

To many electricity consumers, this new intervention is dead on arrival. This is because there is no means of compelling the DISCOs who will do everything to frustrate the move to support any idea that will deal with this hydra-headed problem of the power sector.

The federal government had taken advantage of the new Meter Asset Provider (MAP) regulations to give a grant of N37billion to a private sector operator to supply meters to interested Distribution Companies (DISCOs). Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this at the 28th monthly meeting of power stakeholders in Kaduna. The minister also urged Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to access the N37 billion fund as part of government’s measures towards addressing challenges associated with the estimated billing system.

The Minister who did not mention the name of the private company said the Federal Government provided the fund based on increasing demand for meters and the raging face-off between DISCOs and their consumers, given the increasing power generation, transmission and distribution in the country. He stated this at a recent meeting, hosted by Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company at the Mando transmission substation, which had in attendance representatives of government power agencies and private operators across the value chain of Generation, Transmission and Distribution.

“Meter supply has become the big issue of the moment that consumers want us to resolve. As a Government, we hear them loudly and clearly, and as service providers, we hope that you can hear them too. As power supply continues to increase in Generation, Transmission and Distribution, the demand for meters will increase because more power supply and consumption will likely result in increased bills.

“Estimated billings in these circumstances will become a major cause of distrust and conflict between consumers and DISCOs, and meters are the easiest way to build the bridge of trust.”

Speaking on efforts being made to address the issue, Fashola said, “On the Executive side of Government, we are responding by taking advantage of the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) Regulations to deploy a fund of N37bn towards supplying meters through private sector.

“I urge all DISCOs who have not taken benefit of this opportunity to quickly do so, or make their own funding arrangements to contract their own meter providers to supply and install meters.

In a chat with Kaliwo Johnson, an energy expert, his expressed fears that this move may likely go the way of previous ones, and yield no tangible results.

“ It is a pity that with all these good ideas on how to boost the sector and resolve the issue of crazy billing et cetera, there are no laws to compel these DISCOs to meter their unmetered customers. Even this one is somehow faulty because it is not a must that the DISCOs contract the said private meter provider. They are given the option to contract and fund their metering programme. But the question remains: Do they really want to meter their customers?”

Tokumbo Babatunde, a businessman at Ketu, Lagos was angry with the recent move by government to meter unmetered electricity consumers. “ What has been the result of past interventions? Nothing. Even when they threatened defaulting DISCOs, did it make them provide the meters they are hoarding in their warehouses? No. How then does government think this N37 billion grant will make them do it?”

Babatunde believes that this is another of many government scams in recent times to raise money to prosecute the 2019 general elections.

In another chat with the magazine, Mrs. Uche Stevens, a Housewife lamented that she does not believe that government is sincere to solve the problem of crazy billing in the country. “ It is a pity that these DISCOs see Nigerians as avenues of profiteering. That is why with nobody ready to complain, they are not ready to provide the meters, especially with government’s position always tilting in the DISCOs favour, because they are secret DISCOs stakeholders.

“ Let them stop deceiving us. They have just told Nigerians that they have approved of another N37 billion to share,” she said.

The Magazine learnt that the two main electricity Unions- National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) had since last year expressed their resentment to such grant, especially the N39 billion loan last year to the 11 DISCOs to procure and install meters to their customers.

But reacting to the proposed loan shortly after accepting to sign the staff condition of service agreement with the AEDC, the General Secretary of NUEE, Joe Ajaero, had asked the Managing Director of AEDC, Ernest Mupwaya if it was right for the government to provide such financial supports to the Discos and other operators in the sector after selling off the power assets to their current operators.

Ajearo stated that the NUEE was also not in support of the N701 billion intervention fund the government had earmarked to support power generation companies (Gencos).
According to him, the electricity sector could be described as a being in trouble if it still required financial bailouts from the government after four years of its privatisation.

“If after four years of running as private companies you (power firms) are still looking for bailout funds or loans, then I think there is problem, because it shouldn’t be so,” Ajaero said.
Similarly, the President of SSAEAC, Chris Okonkwo, who also signed the AEDC staff condition of service agreement for his group, stated that the association would oppose the use of public funds to support the power companies.

He said the firms had not delivered satisfactorily after four years of their privatisation and so do not merit such financial supports from the government.
“Labour will not accept the borrowing of N39 billion by the federal government to Discos for the procurement of meters. We raised this issue at the Trade Union Congress meeting and we advise you (Discos) to start looking for alternatives,” Okonkwo stated.

ad not delivered satisfactorily after four years of their privatisation and so do not merit such financial supports from the government.
“Labour will not accept the borrowing of N39 billion by the federal government to Discos for the procurement of meters. We raised this issue at the Trade Union Congress meeting and we advise you (Discos) to start looking for alternatives,” Okonkwo stated.

Psychic Pig Tips Nigeria For Semi-Finals Place

By

Akinwale Kasali

-

June 14, 2018

0

In a case reminiscent of the psychic octopus named Paul, which made accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup, another magical animal, this time, a pig named Mystic Marcus, has predicted that Nigeria, alongside Belgium, Uruguay and Argentina, will progress to the Semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup starting on Thursday in Russia.

Mystic Marcus has a 100 per cent track record of predicting sports results according to his owner, Juliette Stevens, reports Daily Mail on Wednesday.

And the eight-year-old prophet even predicted Brexit and that Donald Trump would win the US presidential election.

Now Mystic Marcus is putting his skills to the test once more by forecasting the semi-finalists for this summer’s World Cup in Russia.

Mystic Marcus expects Belgium, Argentina, Nigeria and Uruguay to make it through.

He made the predictions by gobbling up apples bearing the flags of the nations.

With bad news for England fans, Mystic Marcus expects Belgium, Argentina, Nigeria and Uruguay to make it through.

Farmer and micro pig breeder Juliette from Heage, Derbyshire, said: ‘Marcus is the seventh child of a seventh child and apparently they’re gifted with special powers so maybe that’s where it comes from.

‘A few years ago I was invited on a radio show because of Paul the octopus predicting results and they wanted to see if I had any animals that had the ability.

‘I hadn’t tried the seventh child theory out so thought I’d give it a go.

Juliette, 50, said after that first result they changed the method to make it more scientific.

Now Mystic Marcus, who has about 30 children and grandchildren, will pick from apples of a similar size and colour to make it as fair as possible.

The apples will include markers – such as pictures or flags – and Marcus will gobble down the winner.

Eulogies Showers On Aboderin Even In Death

By

Akinwale Kasali

-

June 14, 2018

0

Family, friends and well-wishers came together on Wednesday to relate their experiences with the late Chairman of Punch Nigeria Limited, Mr. Gbadebowale Aboderin, during a service of songs held at his residence in Punch Estate, Ikeja, Lagos.

Aboderin’s sister, Mrs Wunmi Tunde-Obe, describing him as a blessing, stated that the deceased had lived a “good quality” life and left an impact on the lives of all he came across.

Tunde-Obe said she felt blessed to have had Wale as a brother.

She added, “I heard all the great things people that are not close family members had to say, and I must say, they didn’t lie or exaggerate. I am glad they all experienced the wonderfulness of my brother, which I enjoyed and will sorely miss. But I take in the fact that he is in a better place.”

Aboderin’s brother-in-law, Segun Obe, said the earliest memories of the deceased were his love for life, family and good things.

According to Obe, Aboderin never minced words about what he wanted.

“He was always crystal clear and that made him come off as harsh, but that was because of his passion for life, good deeds and music. Even though he wasn’t an entertainer for a living, whenever he performed, he delivered with passion.

“I felt at home today knowing that a great number of people were blessed by him. Every time we talked, he always had inspiring words for me. I will miss him dearly,” Obe said.

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of Trinity House Church, in his message titled, ‘The Lord will comfort you,’ said, Aboderin’s children were his first and last investment.

Ighodalo assured the deceased’s children that God would look after them and prayed that his wife, Titi’s labour of love would not be in vain.

He said, “I assure you that the Lord will love, comfort and look after you, Titi, Cherelle and Nicole. The rich and the poor are equal in death; as such, those that have the privilege of the breath of life should learn to take life easy. All will die, what we do at the end of the day is all that matters.

“God will strengthen all of us and correct all places that need correction. When God allows it, we accept what God has allowed and let the departed go.”

Aboderin’s former neighbour, Mr. Esezobor Okonoboh, who is also the immediate past Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, stated that the legacy of the deceased would live on in his children.

Okonoboh said, “He was a great man, whom I will miss immensely. I knew him for 25 years. We were very close. To his children, God will give them the strength to bear his passing. However, they know the legacy their father left and they need to live up to it and possibly surpass it.

“There are big shoes to fill but God will give them the strength. His wife should keep on cooperating as she has been doing because if she wasn’t a cooperative wife, he probably wouldn’t have attained that great height.”

Rapper, Idris Abdulkareem, was also at the service and lauded the deceased’s love for basketball, saying, “He was like a family friend because my wife plays basketball and he was a strong supporter of women’s basketball. He was kind-hearted and loving. Quite simply, the world needs more people like him. He will be greatly missed.”

APC Cautions Okorocha Over Attack On Party

By

Akinwale Kasali

-

June 14, 2018

0

By Akinwale Kasali

Governor Rochas Owelle Okorocha is presently swimming in trouble waters with the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress over several verbal attacks on party leaders.

Okorocha, who was once the ‘beautiful bride’ and a party faithful of the ruling party few years back. But, Okorocha is presently on the bad books of the party as he has began ruffling feathers with the powers that be in the party.

The party advised the governor to work with the party leadership in his state instead of making libellous attacks on the APC and its leadership.

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, issued the warning in a statement he signed in Abuja, on Wednesday.

According to him, Okorocha has made it a habit of making libellous attacks on the party and its leaders on a daily basis.

Abdullahi said, “Hardly a day passes by without Governor Okorocha verbally assaulting our National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and other party leaders over the recently concluded congresses in Imo State.”

He cited an example of an advertorial published in a national daily titled: “Let the Truth Speak for itself.”

Abdullahi said the advertorial “was signed by a known associate of Governor Okorocha, one Ireagwu Obioma, who styles himself as ‘Acting Secretary, Imo APC.”

The party spokesperson noted that a number of false claims were made against the party in the said publication.

The statement partly read: “The import of the allegations was that the party was aware of a court order preventing it from conducting the Imo State congress following the receipt of a copy of the so-called court injunction, which directed it to maintain status quo.

“But nothing can be further from the truth. Even the published documents in the advertorial do not support this position and in fact expose a lie in the governor’s version of events, that the party was duly served and prevented from going ahead with the congress in Imo state.”

Okorocha’s crisis began when he imposed his son in law on the party members in the state to succeed him when he leaves office in 2019. This however led to issues in the state APC leading to attacks and counter attacks from the governor and his perceived enemies in the party.

2019: Power play forces Osinbajo to throw in the towel

By

Uche Mbah

-

June 14, 2018

0

By Uche Mbah

The political terrain has become so turbulent in recent times that the Vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, has recently voiced out his intention to abandon the joint ship he has been navigating with President Buhari in 2019 and return to his Pastoral duties. Indications are that he has been instructed by his principal to start preparing for his exit, probably because of the current permutation of Muslim-Muslim ticket rumored to be on the drawing board, where Tinubu himself will be in the vice presidential candidate in 2019. It is said to be part of the reason for the Abiola honor. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe contested under a joint Muslim-Muslim ticket. President Buhari, it was gathered, sees Tinubu as holding the key to his second term in Office, and has been making frantic efforts to placate him after using and dumping him after the 2015 elections. Events following that election show that the presidency barely tolerated Tinubu, and took time to cut his wings in appointments. Attempts were made to build alternative power blocks in the South west through empowering Tinubu’s dissident acolytes by giving them ministerial appointments that will boost their political structure. For example, Babtunde Fashola has been given three portfolios-Power, works and housing. But sources indicate that they were not usually given their full budgetary allocations, thereby could not create the kind of structure that was required to fight a political octopus like Tinubu.

Thus when the heat came from the Social media and the triumvirate of Ibrahim Babangida, Oluseun Obasanjo and Theophilus Danjuma, he realized he has only one person to run to: The Don Corleone of APC. And he doubled backwards to accommodate him for the sake of 2019.

Part of the new deal is the promise of a joint ticket in 2019.

The sudden bid to placate the southwest is actually a bid to please Tinubu. Only recently, Tinubu has taken Kola Abiola to Buhari for a closed door meeting, in what analysts believe is a lobby for appointment.

But it appears that Tinubu has to do more, even though he has pledged full allegiance to Buhari. The Ekiti election appears to be a litmus test for his current loyalty, even though he said he will not rig any election for anyone. This is understandable because the APC candidate, John Fayemi, belong to the people that Buhari attempted to empower against him.

Finally the activities of the nPDP are becoming worrisome to the party. Currently, it was gathered, Muslims among them met in Mecca and are wooing 5 APC governors, 28 senators and 70 House of Representative members to jump ship. Their exit will signal intra party collapse-all due to back politicking by the presidency.

Abiola: Government consults on how to placate Igbos

By

Uche Mbah

-

June 13, 2018

0

By Uche Mbah

The apparent success of the recognition of Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, the late Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, has sparked off search for the placation of the Igbos to corner their votes in 2019. It has been widely believed that the honor bestowed on MKO and Gani Fawehinmi were geared toward wooing the Yoruba race for the 2019 election that Buhari has declared himself a major contender. Though there has been euphoria in the south west over the award, the general consensus is that the South west are aware of the political undertone of the awards, but decided to use the opportunity to get as many demands in as possible. Already, the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has Take Abiola’s first Son, Kola, to a closed door meeting at Aso Rock; a move that analysts believe is geared towards the possible appointment into his government. It is believed that Tinubu wants to use the Euphoria to get the most out of a presidency that sidetracked him after he helped bring it to power.

But it does not necessarily translate to votes in 2019.

Meanwhile, fired by the perceived success f the awards, high level consultations are on to determine what will sway the south east the way June 12 had swayed the South west. The region has more difficulties since there is a general apathy and belief that the Presidency has a rabid hatred for the region. Even Humphrey Nwosu, the National electoral commission Umpire that mid-wifed the aborted June 12 election results was not honored but was invited to witnessed turncoats like Babagana Kingigbe honored. He politely jetted out of the country and sent apologies.

It becomes difficult as every possible move revolves around the Biafran question, which the government of the day does not want to hear of. “It was one of the topics on the agenda in the last Security council meeting, but they seem not to have made any headway towards a resolution, ”a presidency source told this magazine, citing the fact that there has become increased presence of infrastructural development, but that is not making the desired impact.

Recall that the Igbos have been at loggerheads with the presidency resulting in various military operations. This has resulted in the disappearance of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. The Igbos has been marginalized in appointments by this government.

Indications are that the South east may be jettisoned for the appeasement of the South-south, a people that has the capability of armed mischief.

Breaking: Fernando Hierro Named As Spain Coach

By

Akinwale Kasali

-

June 13, 2018

0

By Akinwale Kasali

Spain on Wednesday named federation sporting director Fernando Hierro as its World Cup coach to replace Julen Lopetegui, who was sensationally sacked after his appointment as Real Madrid manager.

“Fernando Hierro will assume coaching responsibilities at the World Cup in Russia,” the Spanish football federation announced.

The 50-year-old Hierro’s only real coaching experience came when he was in charge of second division Spanish outfit Oviedo for one season.

Hierro is a Spanish retired footballer and coach who is currently the manager of the Spain national team after previously holding the role of Sporting Director. He is mostly known for his spells with Real Madrid and Spain, appearing in more than 500 official games with the former and representing the latter on nearly 90 occasions, while appearing in four World Cups and two European Championships.

Equally at ease as a central defender, sweeper or defensive midfielder, he had the ability, at his peak, to combine solid defensive play with a near-unlimited passing range and surprising goalscoring talent, which made him one of the world’s most sought-after players. With Real Madrid, he won five La Liga and three UEFA Champions League trophies over the course of nearly 15 years.

Hierro was born in Vélez-Málaga, Province of Málaga. After beginning his football career at local club Vélez-Málaga he had a very brief youth spell with neighbouring CD Málaga, where he was told he was not good enough for the sport, which prompted a return home. He eventually made his La Liga debuts with Real Valladolid, being bought by Real Madrid in the 1989 summer after two solid seasons.

At Real, Hierro scored zero goals in 37 games in his first season, and eventually had his position out of the the field advanced by coach Radomir Antić, continuing his good performances with the addition of goals – in three seasons combined he netted an astonishing 0 league goals, 21 alone in 1991–92, a career-best.^[4]^[5] During years, he often partnered club great Manolo Sanchís in the centre of the defense, being instrumental in the conquest of five leagues and three UEFA Champions League trophies and being named captain after the latter’s retirement.

On 24 March 2002, Hierro scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 home win against Real Zaragoza, although the ultimate leader would be Valencia CF. He was released at the end of the 2002–03 season alongside club manager Vicente del Bosque,under rather unceremonious circumstances; having appeared in 497 top division matches over the course of 16 seasons (105 goals), he then chose a lucrative move to the wealthy but developing Middle East football industry, joining Qatar‘s Al Rayyan Sports Club