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Saturday 26 March 2016

AMBODE PREACHES UNITY, TOLERANCE AT EASTER


…Says Peaceful Co-Existence Panacea For Overcoming Nation’s Challenges

As Christians in the country join their counterparts across the world to celebrate Easter, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has called on Nigerians to collectively imbibe the spirit of unity, tolerance and peaceful co-existence as panacea for overcoming the nation’s current challenges.

 Governor Ambode in his Easter message to Lagosians, said such fundamental values would go a long way in promoting and strengthening the foundation of love, peace and harmony in the society adding that the season should serve as a reminder to all of the selflessness, love, sacrifice and tolerance of Jesus Christ throughout His earthly sojourn.                              

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, the Governor said, “Remembering that foundation is particularly meaningful this Easter because our nation is facing challenges that we can overcome if we choose to, by exercising collective tolerance and be ready to make sacrifices”.

Noting that this season calls to mind the selflessness, love and tolerance which were the hallmark of Jesus Christ’s life during His sojourn, Governor Ambode said, “It is a season when we should pause and reflect on our individual and collective roles towards promoting and sustaining that foundation of love, peace and harmony in our society”.

“Therefore, we must see this period as a time that affords us to think about how we can each help to steer our nation back on the road to prosperity, by working in the spirit of togetherness.”

The Governor also restated his commitment towards making life more comfortable for the people, assuring that the state government will intensify efforts on road projects, ‘Light Up Lagos’ initiative, youth empowerment, improved and accessible healthcare services and increased public safety and security”.

While wishing Lagosians a happy Easter celebration, Governor Ambode enjoined them to continue to work with his administration “by obeying the law, fulfilling your obligations as citizens and stakeholders, and remaining vigilant, to ensure that our State remains a model of peaceful and harmonious co-existence in our dear country, Nigeria”.

Easter: Obasa Urges Nigerians To Show Love, Promote Peace; Support Government




The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has urged Christians in particular and Nigerians in general to see the Easter period as opportunity to increase their efforts at showing love and promotion of peace among mankind..
The Speaker in his Easter message to Nigerians with particular reference to Christians, also urged Nigerians not to relent in cooperating and supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) governments at centre and state levels in their efforts at putting in place programmes and measures that will enhance and improve the standard of living of Nigerians while also ensuring that they enjoy dividends of democracy even at their doorsteps..
In the message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Musbau Rasak, Rt. Hon. Obasa urged Nigerians, particularly Christians to emulate Jesus Christ who through his love for mankind decided to sacrifice his life for people to live.
"Easter is a period to share love and promote peace. Jesus Christ lived and died for peace and love to reign and we can all emulate the exemplary life of Christ by becoming promoter of peace and love. 
"No society achieve greatness and growth in the absence of love and peace, hence, the need for us to continue to show love and spread peace among ourselves ," the Lagos Assembly Speaker said.
He stated further that Nigerians also need to rededicate themselves and redouble their efforts at supporting and cooperating with the Muhammad Buhari administration at the centre and the Akinwunmi Ambode led government in Lagos State. "Government alone cannot revive the country. We need your support and cooperation always because in salvaging this country from the past maladministration, all hands must be on deck," he said.
Rt. Hon. Obasa greeted Nigerians and Christians on the celebrations of the Easter and prayed that God will continue to extend His mercies to all Nigerians.

Friday 25 March 2016

PICTURES: QUILOX BOSS SHINA PELLER'S BIRTHDAY BASH FOR K1 DE ULTIMATE


Yesterday,the boss of upscale Quilox Club,Shina Peller hosted K1 De Ultimate to a lavish birthday bash ...Here are pictures from the celebration.




Thursday 24 March 2016

See Detained Ekiti Lawmaker's Heroic Arrival To Ado-Ekiti



The member of Ekiti State House of Assembly, representing Efon Constituency, Hon Afolabi Akanni (Afo Garanto), who was detained illegally by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja for 18 days -arrived to a rousing welcome earlier today in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state....

AGATU FARMERS/HERDSMEN CLASH: IGP VISITS SCENE · Sends additional Unitsof Mobile Policemen, operational vehicles to the area



In a swift reaction to the recent killing in nine Agatu Local Government Areas of Benue State, allegedly perpetrated by herdsmen, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon E. Arase, fdc, NPM,visited the area where he assessed the extent of damage caused during the clash and the impact on the Agatu people of the State.

EFCC Nabs Fire Service Chief for Employment Scam



Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday,March 24, 2016 arrested one Dada Olatunji, a former Assistant Comptroller General of the Nigeria Fire Service for offences bordering on employment scam.

Shekau Video Goes Viral.... DHQ Issues Statement


NO SAFE HAVEN FOR TERRORISTS - DHQ
It has come to the notice of the Defence Headquarters about the online video clips purportedly released by the Boko Haram Terrorists Leader, Abubakar Shekau or his replica in Arabic and Hausa Languages showing remorse and asking for forgiveness.

Wednesday 23 March 2016

EFCC SAYS SAHARA REPORTER IS ON ITS OWN



EFCC Clears the Air on Kafarati
The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to media reports on the decision of Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja to decline ruling in the fundamental human rights enforcement case brought before him by Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

GTBank Launches Innovative Service Delivery Channel – Bank 737


Over the last few weeks, Nigerians all over the country have been faced with the question; Whatisthe737? From billboards to hash tags and radio hypes. 

Introduced by Guaranty Trust Bank plc, Bank 737 is more than just well rhyming numbers; it’s a simple, smart, and safe way to bank anytime, anywhere and on any device. 

Imagine if opening an account was as simple as dialing a number from your mobile phone or transferring funds was as easy as sending a text message, or paying bills could be done at any time of the day, even long after banking hours.  

Imagine if you need to make an urgent transfer online and your data just ran out and you don’t have your hardware token to complete the transaction. 

Truth is, at some point or the other we have all experienced those moments when we wished banking could be as simple as ABC’s and 123’s. Well, in this case, GTBank has made it as simple as 737.

In recent years, mobile phones have made life easier! You can now shop online, watch movies, surf the internet, play games, chat with loved ones, share and download information with the simple push of a button. 


While mobile penetration has witnessed an impressive growth in Nigeria, Internet proliferation hasn’t experienced similar success, owing largely to the cost of data. Built on a USSD interface, GTBank’s 737 banking is phone agnostic and works on any type of mobile phone and does not require internet access or registration protocols. With GTBank’s Bank 737, your mobile phone is now a service channel for all your banking needs. Users simply have to dial the short USSD *737# code on any mobile device to experience a new world of simple banking. 


With Bank 737, GTBank customers can perform banking functions such as transfers to all Banks in Nigeria, check account balance, open a GTBank account, buy airtime, pay bills, BVN linking, token code generation, card less withdrawals and lots more from their mobile phones. 


Commenting on the launch of the product, Segun Agbaje, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank plc said; “The launch of this product marks another milestone in our quest to make banking truly simple for our customers. We remain firm on our objective to deliver banking products and services tailored to meet the diverse needs of our ever-growing customer base by leveraging technology to make banking faster, safer and more accessible for all our customers.” 


GTBank is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run financial institutions in Nigeria and across its subsidiary countries. The bank is renowned for its innovative financial solutions, superior financial performance, world class corporate governance standards and excellent service delivery. The bank’s latest E-payment service, known as the 737 banking, is considered a veritable alternative to in-branch banking as it offers a faster, safer and more convenient way to perform financial transactions. 

EFCC, Military Finally Release Dasuki's Aide Wednesday's Afternoon




The Federal Government has released Colonel Nicholas Ashinze, the former Military Assistant to Former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki at 2pm today.

CITY BIG BOY KENNY DUYILE BURIES MUM IN GRAND STYLE SOCIETY BIG BOYKENNY DUYILE BRINGS SOCIETY BIG WIGS TOGETHER FOR MOTHER’S BURIAL



The lively town of Ikorodu was held to a standstill last Saturday when city big boy and Chairman of Rockview Hotels in Lagos and Ondo state, Chief Kenny Duyile had a superlative burial party for her departed mother.

HERITAGE BANK PARTNERS NIGERIAN YOUTH PROFESSIONAL FORUM (NYPF) TO LAUNCH N500M GRANT TO BOOST YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS



Heritage Bank Limited has upped the ante of its support for entrepreneurship and education in the country by launching a N500 million Young Entrepreneurs and Students (YES) Grant on Tuesday in Lagos.
 
The initiative, which is in partnership with the Nigerian Youth Professional Forum (NYPF), will, according to the bank, support students and young entrepreneurs toward socio-economic freedom. 
 
The Heritage Bank Managing Director, Ifie Sekibo, in his remarks at the occasion explained that the bank’s support for the programme arises from the fact that the initiative aligns with the vision of the bankwhich is to help create, preserve and transfer wealth across generations.  
 
The Managing Director, who was represented by Obioma Emenike, Group Head, Market Strategy, added that the bank will also support the project in terms of training the beneficiaries, disbursement of the grant as well as in the monitoring and evaluation of the project’s milestones as agreed with the beneficiaries. “We have been playing strongly in the education and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME)sectors of the economy. This project syncs with our mission and vision as a bank. The age bracket of 18 to 40years for the beneficiaries also aligns with our corporate goal, just like the key sectors which include agriculture, ICT and creative industry,identified for the project are pivotal for economic growth” he said.
 
The NYPF, according to its Chairman, Moses Siasia, is a non-governmental organization conceived by a group of young professionals with the mission to promote innovative ideas for socio-economic development.
 
Siasia disclosed that the programme is geared toward assisting both aspiring and existing young entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses, and ultimately create jobs and distribute wealth in the economy.
For the students, the grant can be accessed for tuition fees to help low income students and technological research and innovation.  Students in Nigeria can access up to N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only; students in the United Kingdom can access up to GBP 3000 (Three Thousand Pounds while Students in the United States can access up to $5,000 (Five Thousand Dollars).
 
For young entrepreneurs, the grant will be available for the following target sectors: Agriculture, Creative Industry, Information and Communication Technology.  In each category, an entrepreneur with an existing business can access up to N2 million.
 
Before the latest initiative, Heritage Bank had packaged a N200m loan facility for young graduates willing to advance their dreams in small-scale businesses. It is also collaborating with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the CBN initiative, Youth Innovation Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YIEDP).
 
Sekibo also recently re-affirmed the bank’s resolve to empower more Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria, stating that part of the bank’s commitment to empower SMEs is the establishment of an SME Clinic that is geared towards helping small businesses in addressing challenges associated with setting up businesses as well as mitigating the effects of certain business decisions by such entrepreneurs.
Pix Below.....Mr. Moses Siasia, Chairman Nigerian Youth Professional Forum, NYPF; Mr. Obioma Emenike, Head Marketing Strategy, Heritage Bank Limited; and Mrs Vivian Achuonye , Director of Entrepreneurship, NYPF; at the launching of the N500 Million Young Entrepreneurs and Students, YES Grant in Lagos on Tuesday

BREAKING NEWS:N6.07TRILLION 2016 BUDGET PASSED BY SENATE



After so much buck passing, Senate this morning passed the 2016 budget. 
Delay in passing the budget has stalled execution of several projects though the one initially presented by President Muhammadu Buhari was full of errors which embarrassed him greatly and led to the transfer of key officers at the Ministry of Budget and Planning. 

OGD SPEAKS: @ 60, I HAVE NO REGRET




As you clock 60, What are some of the things you ask God to do for you that he has not done?

Initially, I said there won't be any celebration, on a second thought,the Bible says in all things, we should give thanks. There is no human being on earth that will say he has everything. The nature of human is such that we are designed to want more,the people who are rich want to be richer. It's an insatiable natural demand of Homo sapiens. Between you and I, i think God has been great,he has been wonderful, if there is anything I get worried about, it is that the quality of life of our people should have been improved much more than this. When we had the opportunity in Ogun State, there is something we believed in, it's called the ripple effect of leadership.


Some people believe that you can not do much except you grab power at the center, but I say you can make a difference where you are. If you drop a pebble in small river or big stone in the ocean you will create a ripple effect.. When we had the privilege and grace of God to run Ogun State, it is to create that ripple that will possibly affect other locations.

Without singing about it, I can bring so many examples. Sports for instance had not gotten to this level locally, we did Gateway Games 10 years ago, several states did games after that which none surpassed what we did. We used that to turn around the fortune of Ogun State. Other states too started building stadia, in fact our stadia builders were invited everywhere, they were invited to even come to South Africa to build for them. Those are ripple effects of our singular action.
When we dualized our roads,other states in South West and beyond also started dualizing, my successor has made it better with flyovers all over the place.

In education, we started the first University of Education in Nigeria, I was happy when Chief Obasanjo went there recently and said he tried to achieve that at the Federal level but couldn't. Today other Universities of Education have sprung up.

When we came up with Free Trade Zone and Cargo Airport,several years later Lagos started its own Free Trade Zone and I hear Osun is planning its own Cargo Airport, others are going in that direction too. If you know what you are doing, you could from wherever you are create a ripple effect on the larger society without making noise about it. Those are things I look at and thank God for his mercy.

What are the things you will start doing differently as you clock 60? 

I think I just need to slow down. All my life I have been a workaholic. From Primary School to Secondary to University, as an employee, as an employer, as government worker, as a retiree. I want to learn to slow down. When you get to this age, you want to look at things from a more matured perspective,you won't fight the way you do when you were younger, it's a natural phenomenon.

In retrospect, what are the things you would have handled differently?

My usual response is, there are not many decisions that I took that I would have taken a different decision now. Because each and every decision we took while we were in government, we had universal rules, the rules have not changed and will not likely change. The rules are; this thing you are about to do or sign can it withstand public scrutiny? I will sign if only the answer is yes. The next question is.... Usually in governance you have limited resources, so you consider the level of impact, in priotizing, one situates it according to ideology which is my challenge with our country today, we don't have a clear cut ideology. If it is a capitalist system, let us know, because there are countries that have succeeded with it, if it is a socialist system or a pot pourrie let's define it.
The next question is that this decision we are about to take, is it in the interest of a few or in the interest of the larger society? We will not likely take it if it is in the interest of a few but if we persuade ourselves that the decision is in best interest of the majority,we will likely do it. So, because we ask ourselves those universal questions we are not likely to have done anything wrong 

People have said if you had handled the issue with your lawmakers differently they won't have given you hell ?

Really and truly I would still have maintained my position. Some people think that is not being pragmatic but that is part of the reasons Nigeria is not developed. There must be minimum lines one should not cross and those lines must be there and bold. One may be misunderstood yet one cannot say motives behind their actions in the public. But if you know any, you can ask specifically and I will throw more light on it.

Talking about things that you had power to do and you didn't do, On our way here we noticed that the major road that leads to your house is bad?

The Oba Eluwole Road you are talking about is a Federal road. It is the road that leads to Mosimi, NNPC depot, that is where all the tankers load for the South West make use of from the refinery they pump fuel through the pipeline there. It is a strategic depot and it is very big. It is five years since I left government, this road was not like this when I was in government, I was maintaining the road,because there was a time that NUPENG will go on strike if that road is not good because their tankers can fall after loading, with the meagre resources we ensured that we maintained the road. Maybe the government there now have forgotten or it escaped their mind.

Who are your mentors?
Obafemi Awolowo, Prof. Awojobi and my father. They have greatly influenced me, there are things they did that I modestly tried to do too. You will not know a lot about Prof.Awojobi, he died at 48,he was a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos. His thesis was on Authomatic Vibrations, Mechanical Controls. He was the 1st African man to get a Dec, it was a big deal at that time. One of the most brilliant geniuses of our time. That was my mentor, I was his boy. He was also a political activist, I was a young undergraduate who carry his briefcase and follow him from campus to campus where he goes to deliver his radical lectures. I was a research assistant to him even as an undergraduate. He was running a quiz competition called Mastermind. When I got to Unilag to study Mechanical Engineering in 1975, I went for the Mastermind quiz Competition which was a very popular NTA programme. I became the Mastermind of the Year under Awojobi after winning it five consecutive times

What is stagnating our development, is it a challenge of leadership or followership?

I think it is the combination of both. With due respect although there are a few exceptions but on a general scale. the quality of leadership has continually plummeted. My biggest challenge is weak followership which people don't like to hear, I call it naivety. I have always been shocked as to how gullible our people can be particularly on their assessment of leadership. At the beginning of my intervention, we did the Gateway Foundation to support the people because of poverty. In recent time, I have come to realize that the greatest challenge we have is the poverty of ideas that is why I have gone into things like Political Academy. I have found out that information dissemination could make or destroy a nation. As an engineer, if you ask me 15years ago to spend N50m
to publicize a N10m road, I will say it is wrong, in fact it is still wrong, it thus appear that the people who do it are the ones the society recognize and celebrate. Part of what I will tell anyone who wants to pass through this process, regrettably, is that a lot of emphasis must be placed on information dissemination. The people will go on and on to take decision and later regret it.
One of the things that amazes me about this country and I'll tell you, in 1975 back to Unilag, we started " Gowon Must Go " because he said that year was no longer realistic for handover. If I rewind, we were jubilating when Gowon's coup overthrew Tafawa Balewa. So we didn't want Gowon but he is one of our heroes today. Fast forward to 1976 Muritala Muhammed took over, with no intention to insult the memory of the dead, the history was that it was him who led the raid on CBN Benin, retirement with ignominy, fired with immediate effect people say that the destruction of the civil service started during that era, in the meantime, it is death that saved Muritala, otherwise... Then Baba (Obasanjo) came, very intelligent man, but he quickly quit when the ovation was loudest.Enter Shagari, Buhari overthrew him, we started jubilating, IBB came afterwards but he wasn't able to handover, Shonekan stepped in but people didn't like him, then came Abacha that one showed us pepper, then came Abdusallam that one did not waste time, then came Baba (Obasanjo) again, third term or no third term

But Baba said he never wanted third term?

Ooookaaayyy! Let's save that for another day. But I was his governor, let's leave that for now.As I was saying that has been the trend. In 2010 it was the man with no shoes that everybody wanted, in 2014, he was clueless. It was time for change. Change has now come, now I read on the internet,Bring Back Corruption. That is the consistent behavior of our people. And we have not learnt a single lesson. We have not developed the habit of dissecting our leaders and see what they stand for so that the people who need the information can read it from the media and make informed decisions. We are all behaving like the Roman mob with little or no capacity for proactive thinking . I'm not been abusive because we are all guilty.

We will not make progress until the informed media begins to x-ray leadership. Look at the one calling himself leader of the South West, educated people are following him. You can see progressively that there is a decline in the leadership we are getting

You may say we report what we see but I think, it should be much more than that. Even if you have to report what you see or hear, don't report what is not right and leave it at the discretion of the readers. That is not patriotic enough, you can do that in a civilized society but our people are largely uneducated and unexposed, you really have to show more than a passing interest.

What were your projections before you clocked 60, have you met them all?

I can only say that for my business. We thank God we can say we have achieved our goals and objectives. When we started my company Kresta Laurel some 25years ago, Nigerian companies in that business were unsung. We benchmarked against international companies with best global practice. Today it is the only ISO certified company in Nigeria.

On the other hand when we started Gateway Foundation it was to support and assist the people. Part of our focus was not to see anybody crawl simply because they couldn't afford wheel chair. Today it is an aberration to see anyone crawling in Ogun State.

Part of what gives me joy that was misinterpreted was how we were able to engage and transform street boys to sports men. Just like the Mike Tyson story but people said we were breeding area boys. Testimonies of those people humbles me. We also trained them to do paving stones and gave them space and materials, we compelled OGROMMA to patronize them.
In 2004, I approached the the Federal Government to do the 40km Abeokuta-Sagamu road as well as the Lagos-Ibadan road at my OGROMA price. I was given permission for the Abeokuta-Sagamu road, I completed it in less than two years. 12 years after the Lagos Ibadan Express road despite the high cost spent,it is yet to be completed. The ripple effect is that roads are now completed in record time. Amosun has done his flyovers in record time, the issue I have with that is the exorbitant cost. We created that template.

My first book was called "OGUN STATE THE LAND OF MY DREAMS" and I call it the land of the sleeping giant but today clearly the giant is awake and ready to devour even his neighbors. Those are the milestones we set out to achieve and God made it possible.

Let's share your growing up years, what was the experience like, who were your contemporaries in school?

As the son of a reverend gentleman, grew up with the principle of 'remember the son of who you are'.Generally I was a good boy. All through primary school, I can't remember being caned, I was caned once in secondary school because the whole class was making noise., my father never caned me but he caned everybody else,while in class one and two I was living with Chief Gabriel Otunla my Principal, so I escaped the seniors. At Baptist Boy's High School (BBHS) we were trained to be leaders, when you are there, you challenge yourself with the feats achieved by the old students. I was also quite popular with quiz competition at that stage. Alao Babasanya, John Soares,Kayode Soyinka who was one year my junior now Publishing Africa Now magazine, we were also good at soccer at that time.

At the university, we had Prof. Adekolahe taught us Structural Engineering,it was a compulsory course, naturally the class is always filled up, he had a bad leg, so he will slip into the class quietly sit down and repeatedly tell us that not all of us will graduate that they are trying to reduce the number of engineers they turn out. After his class everybody will sit and be looking at each other sadly considering the consequence of what the man had said.
Then we had Prof. Awojobi 'the genius' we all feel inferior to him. He comes to class with just chalk and duster, no lecture notes, he will go on and on. Something strange about him, he considers that not everyone is as gifted as him, and nearly everyone will pass his course, contrary to the case with Prof Adekola. That experience made an impression on me that we cannot all see things from the same perspective, and that everyone have their good side that must be emphasized and the bad side that must be deemphasized.

At the end of the day the first class students became lecturers and the third class became governors (laughs). A lot of our friends ended up in Shell.

I had the privilege of using two scholarships from Federal Government and UAC. All the people running the biggest churches in Nigeria today were in Unilag - (Adeboye, Kumuyi Adekoya.) Tunde Bakare and I were there together. It was quite memorable.

What is the greatest lesson life has taught you at 60?

The realities of life is quite different from some of the things we were taught in school. Life is quite complex yet very simple depending on what you want from life. You must determine what your value system are,what gives you joy and go for it.

I have interacted with you for over 12 years I find it strange that you are perceived differently outside what do you think accounts for this?

Chief Obafemi Awolowo offered free education, he lost the election because the campaign was used against him, they told the farmers that he wants to use education to deny them their children's assistance in the farm. After his death, he became the best thing to happen to us. Our hero.

If they say who is the best governor in Ogun State, people will likely say Bisi Onabanjo but we have forgotten that he was jailed (for corruption) by Buhari for 100 and something years when he came out he became hypertensive, diabetic and almost blind.

There is something that must change about human nature. I think I was becoming larger than life and some people felt they should bring me down. It was a well orchestrated, well funded campaign. A newspaper was even floated just for that purpose, it was closed after it achieved its purpose. Regrettably, I got all manner of advice, they'll say I must allow them to abuse me, while I concentrate on my job. I didn't know that people were believing the tales by moonlight. At that time photoshop application was not popular, somebody edited an image making me look like juju man and people believed. If it were to be now people would have doubted it. I think I was getting too strong for some people. It has not gone away, they are still scheming.

At 60, are you planning to be preaching the gospel?

There is no time I don't preach the gospel If I have gone ahead to build a church, how are you sure that is not where I plan to end up?

What is the vision behind the establishment of Political Academy?

Beyond touching lives materially, I have discovered that most people don't have information. I call some of my friends educated illiterates because they don't have information. You see them arguing blindly. I decided to establish the academy to enrich the knowledge of people. The courses are short, some three days, one week or two weeks. The first thing we teach is history of Nigeria. What is the mission of the Royal Niger Company.? How did Nigeria came into existence? What was the intention of Lord Lugard?What led to the civil war? Are those factors still there? What led to the Zango-Kataf fight? Why are the fulanis fighting if  we don't know these basic things,when anything happens you won't even know what to say.Why do Emirs specially invite northern civil servants who have risen to the Director level? Why don't they write petition against themselves? People need to understand the what, why and how of processes to change their perspective and expectations. That is the reason why we established this institution to educate them.

What does power mean to you?

Power is sweet when not used. But in this type of environment, power is used to facilitate and ensure that the people get quality living.

What is interesting about being 60?

I don become old man be dat (laughs) it means you have moved to the elders circle. It thus mean you will have to be more matured with the way you reason and react to issues.

You believe so much in the next generation, which also reflected in your government. With your experience over time, will you say the youths have failed you?

No, I will not say the youths have failed me. When you consider the people who have behaved below expectation, they are the ones I can call the loud minority. On my 50th birthday, on my way to church, I got a copy of Insider Magazine that said I was arrested with my wife with a huge sum of money at Heathrow Airport, before I knew what was happening President Obasanjo had ordered an investigation through Dr Christopher Kolade, the High Commissioner to UK then and he discovered that it was false, he invited and gave me the report. Insider magazine was found guilty, N5m damages was awarded against Insider. He started running everywhere. Of course that was not reported.

INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR AUTOMATED LICENCES



 Warns against collection of fee to obtain licence

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon E. Arase, fdc, NPM, has ordered the extension of the deadline for the on-going revalidation of Tinted Permit, Police Character Clearance and Firearm Licence from 18th March, 2016 to 31st May, 2016.

Judge Berates EFCC for Intimidating Court Chides Agency for Attempting to Stall a Case Involving A Foreigner




An Abuja High Court Judge, Justice Peter Affen has berated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly intimidating his court and for attempting to stall a case involving it and an Austrian Security contractor, Mr. Wolfgang Wolfgang Reinl who sued the anti-graft agency for N2b for allegedly detaining him since last year without trial.

Newspaper Headlines For Today Wednesday 23/03/16

VANGUARD 
Implications of CBN’s Monetary Policy reversal 
Detained Ekiti lawmaker released by DSS 
Ese Oruru vs Yunusa: A test case on relationship between Arewa, Urhobo God is angry with Buhari, he is incompetent, clueless – Fayose Alleged N35bn fraud: EFCC arraigns Tompolo in absentia 
Customs re-imposes ban on rice importation
NATION 
Fuel scarcity…An unending scourge Jobs, cash coming as govt plans N350b revival pill 
Troops kill 58 Boko Haram fighters in Borno 
Fed Govt probes sexual assault claim at Queen’s College 
Senate receives 2016 budget, AGF audit reports 
Two buried alive in Ondo for alleged N130,000 theft
31 killed in Brussels attacks claimed by IS......Buhari, world leaders condemn attack
THISDAY 
FG to Raise VAT, Release N350 Billion 
Budgeted Expenditure CBN Tightens Liquidity, Raises MPR to 12%, CRR to 22.5% 
FG Sets up Panel to Probe Alleged Sexual Assault at Queen’s... 
Rivers Rerun Polls: How NYSC Member, Samuel Okonta, Was Killed FG to Disclose Amount Recovered from Looters Soon 
Buhari, APC Caucus in Crucial Meeting 
UK Offers to Help Nigeria to Investigate Terrorism, Money Laundering Cases 
Nigeria Dragged Before ICC over Zaria Killings 
Nigeria’s Government: Living the High Life
PUNCH 
APC panel to resolve Kwankwaso, Ganduje’s fight 
Gunmen kidnap Kaduna Pastor, demand 100 million naira 
Judge’s absence stalls arraignment of ex-Amnesty boss, others 
Nigerian doctors in US list conditions to relocate home 
Lagos probes pupil’s floggings by principal, teachers 
Fayemi shuns Ekiti Assembly’s summons over N852m UBEC fund Police get new AIG, 10 commissioners 
N45.9bn fraud: EFCC to try Tompolo separately 
34 killed in Brussels terror attacks Presidency to deactivate redundant social media pages 
Still on oil price crash 
National Assembly to pass 2016 budget today...

STERLING BANK RATED TOP 10 GLOBALLY





-LEADS IN NIGERIAN MARKET


Sterling Bank Plc has been rated by Lafferty Group among 100 banks from around the world. The group’s approach to rating is to use publicly available information to judge against key quantitative and qualitative criteria such as strategy, culture, customer care, brand promise and financial performance.




According to Michael Lafferty, Chairman, Lafferty Group “banks that score well on Lafferty Bank Quality Ratings tend to trade at a premium price to their tangible book value”.



In an update to investors and analysts on the Ratings, Yemi Adeola, Managing Director/Chief Executive, stated:


Our Bank has remained resilient in a turbulent operating environment; and Lafferty Bank Quality Ratings has provided an objective view on the fundamentals of our business, by rating us 10thin the world, top 3 in Africa (after Capitec and Barclays Africa) and the top bank in Nigeria. In spite both regulatory and macroeconomic headwinds, we have maintained strong capital and liquidity positions. I am pleased that an external and independent party has validated the Bank’s reputation as a well- run, sustainable institution which further lays credence to our valuation in the equities market relative to competition.


While we welcome the external validation of our business model, we remain committed to building a strong brand with a pervasive culture of innovation, good corporate governance and excellent service delivery.




Lafferty Group


Lafferty Group is a major provider of knowledge services to the banking industry worldwide from benchmarking research and Councils to professional education.

Tuesday 22 March 2016

REVEALED! CAUSE OF MUSICIAN NOMORELOSS' DEATH




Lagos— Multi-talented singer and comedian, Olumuyiwa Osinuga popularly known as Nomoreloss is dead. Nomoreloss, who is known for his hit songs, ‘Iyawo Asiko’ and ‘Let Them Say” died yesterday morning at an undisclosed hospital in Opebi, Lagos.

Stop Eating Fulani Cows- IPOB Orders Igbos



The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has asked Igbo to boycott Fulani cattle to avoid cases whereby Fulani herdsmen would infiltrate their towns and villages to kill them and rape their women.
Vanguard

ALL IS SET,GBENGA ADEYINKA SAYS "IBADAN MUST TAKE THIS SUNDAY"



Ibadan Hots up for Laffmattaz season 5 this weekend 
Preparation is in top gear as the premiere city of Ibadan hots up for frontline Comedian Gbenga Adeyinka1st's easter show Laffmattazseason 5 tagged "The Legends, The Raves and I" scheduled to hold on the 27th of March (Easter Sunday), 2016.

PICTURES: WHEN VALENTINE ADETUTU FAGBEMI BECAME ABODERIN


Former Miss Valentina Adetutu Fagbemi wedded Samson Odunayo Aboderin at Winner's Chapel, Ajala, Ijaiye-Ojokoro. Reception at KIO Events Centre. Ijaiye Ojokoro, Lagos in 12th March. Here is congratulating the couple.
Sponsored by the brides father,Elder (Prince) Adesoji Fagbemi





HERITAGE BANK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LINKS FINANCIAL LITERACY TO ECONOMIC GROWTH




Financial literacy has been described as a strong catalyst to financial inclusion and wealth creation that will aid the nation’s economic growth. 

GERMANY STANDS BEHIND NIGERIA ON WAR AGAINST TERROR



WE ARE ON YOUR SIDE TO TACKLE BOKO HARAM
– GERMAN DEPUTY DEFENCE MINISTER
The German Deputy Defence Minister, Dr Ralf Brauksiepe has said that Germany is on the side of Nigeria to curtail Boko Haram insurgents. He pledged his country’s total commitment to the Nigerian Armed Forces in their quest to defeat the violent terrorist group in country. Dr Brauksiepe disclosed this when he visited the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja to further boost the German – Nigeria’s military bilateral relations.

CCT SPEAKS ON CASE WITH ORUBEBE



Our attention at the Code of Conduct Tribunal has been drawn to recent publications from some section of mass media, indicating that the Federal Government has withdrawn charges against former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Godsday Peter Orubebe.

EFCC Arraigns Man for N14.8m Fraud



The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on  March 21, 2016 arraigned  one Sani Abubakar, and Bishong Obi Akatcha(now at large) before Justice M.G Umar of the Federal High Court, Gombe on a 3-count charge of conspiracy, forgery and stealing to the tune of N14,850,000.00 (fourteen million, eight hundred and fifty thousand naira).

N687m Scam: Court Affirms Jurisdiction to Try Akpobolokemi



A Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere has dismissed an application by a former Director -General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi challenging its jurisdiction to entertain his trial.

Read What Tinubu Said About Buhari On Saturday...








On Saturday, Former Lagos State governor, Senator Ahmed
Bola Tinubu was conferred with Honoris Causa Doctorate
Degree of Business Administration (DBA), by the Usman
Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
According to LEADERSHIP, immediately after the
conferment, Tinubu spoke about President Muhammadu
Buhari's agenda for Nigeria.
He said, “To make those changes is not going to be easy. To
turn around a bad situation is not easy. It is very, very
easy for those who are greedy, for those who are looking
for instant money in their pockets and reward in their
stomach to think that change is easy.

Newspaper Headlines Today Tuesday 22/03/16




NATION 
Seven ex-governors, others to lose loot kept in Dubai 
Youth Corps member shot dead during Rivers rerun poll 
APC, PDP trade blame over bloody Rivers rerun 
Queen’s College girls defend teacher over sexual assault claim 
Ese Oruru: Court grants Yunusa bail.

Monday 21 March 2016

Sterling Bank’s Profit Rises From 14.3% to N10.3bn




In spite of the regulatory headwinds and downturn in the Nigerian economy, Sterling Bank Plc recorded growth in virtually all its performance indicators for the year ended December 31, 2015, pushing up profit before tax by 2.5 per cent to N11.0 billion. Similarly, profit after tax rose by some 14.3 per cent to N10.3 billion due to a higher retention of organic capital compared to the previous period. 

'Promasidor Quill Awards Is Open To All Journalists In Nigeria’



Promasidor Quill Awards is not meant for journalists based in Lagos and its environs alone but for all qualified writers across the country.
Mr. Andrew Enahoro, Head, Legal/Public Relations, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, who said this in an interview in Lagos on Friday advised journalists in every part of the country who have quality write ups and are yet to upload their entries for the awards to do so before the deadline of April 14, 2016