An application to reverse guilty plea entered by four companies, over the alleged laundering of 15.5million dollars, owned by former First lady Patience Dame, was on Tuesday dismissed by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

The companies are Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd; Seagate Property Development & Investment Co. Ltd; Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Ltd and Avalon Global Property Development Company Ltd.

Recall the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the company, alongside a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr Waripamo Dudafa, a lawyer Amajuoyi Briggs, and a banker, Adedamola Bolodeoku.

They were arraigned on 17 counts.

While the companies had pleaded guilty to the charges, Dudafa, Briggs and Bolodeoku pleaded not guilty.

The court had accordingly, convicted the companies.

Meanwhile, the companies through their lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), had asked the court to reverse the guilty pleas of the companies and nullify previous proceedings on grounds that those who represented the company were not authorised to do so.

Defence counsel had told Justice Babs Kuewumi that the companies were not given a fair trial before their conviction because they had no legal representation of their choice at the time.

Ozekhome said that he was briefed to represent the companies after its directors had pleaded guilty inspite of not being authorised by the board to do so.

Moving his motion seeking to set aside the companies conviction, Ozekhome had argued that they were convicted “in gross violation” of the 1999 Constitution, which he said occasioned a miscarriage of justice.

He had urged that the trial be done “de novo” (afresh) and that the previous proceedings be declared null, void and unsustainable in law.

He said that the application was on the ground that the court failed to pass a sentence on the convicted companies, as the judge reserved sentence until end of the other defendants’ trial.

Besides, Ozekhome said that the companies were denied the right to cross-examine the purported directors who had pleaded guilty.

He said that they were just busybodies and interlopers, who were pressurised to come and plead guilty, adding that they had no mandate to do so.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, had in response, urged the court to refuse the application for being an abuse of court process.

According to him, it amounted to asking the judge to revisit his ruling and to assume the position of an appellate court.

He denied that the directors who pleaded guilty were not authorised to do so, saying that there was evidence that they were indeed the companies’ directors from the Corporate Affairs Commission and from the companies’ bank accounts.

In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Kuewumi held that a lower court could only reverse itself in exceptional cases where there is “a serious procedural irregularity” or where the court lacks jurisdiction.

“The main issue to be addressed in this application is whether this court can revisit its earlier decision whereby the applicants were convicted.

“Once a court gives an order or judgment, it has no legal competence to reverse itself or set aside its previous order.

“Considering the circumstances of this case, I have not been shown any valid reason to make me revisit my decision; this court is already functus officio.

“Iam in agreement with the prosecution that this application is incompetent, It is hereby refused and accordingly dismissed,” he held.

The court adjourned until Oct.17 for hearing

94 total views, 94 views today

United State President Donald Trump, had on Tuesday made a brash North Korea’s declaration after he brushed aside questions over whether his assertion that he “solved” the crisis with North Korea was premature amid reports its leader, Kim Jong Un, is trying to conceal parts of its nuclear weapons program.

“Many good conversations with North Korea — it is going well!” Trump tweeted. “In the meantime, no Rocket Launches or Nuclear Testing in 8 months. All of Asia is thrilled. Only the Opposition Party, which includes the Fake News, is complaining.”

“If not for me,” he added, “we would now be at War with North Korea!”

Trump’s brash declaration comes two days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to travel to North Korea to meet with Kim — his third trip to the rogue nuclear nation.

According to the NBC News, the U.S. officials “believe that North Korea has increased its production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months — and that Kim Jong Un may try to hide those facilities as he seeks more concessions in nuclear talks with the Trump administration.”

On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency “has concluded that North Korean officials are exploring ways to deceive Washington about the number of nuclear warheads and missiles, and the types and numbers of facilities they have, believing that the United States is not aware of the full range of their activities.”

And on Sunday, Wall Street Journal reported that “new satellite imagery indicates Pyongyang is pushing ahead with weapons programs even as it pursues dialogue with Washington.”

Yet for weeks, Trump has been trying to check North Korea’s denuclearization off of his to-do list.

Returning from his historic summit with Kim in Singapore, Trump declared via tweet, “There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.”

At their summit, Trump and Kim signed an agreement that stated North Korea would “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.” But the document did not specify exactly what that would entail.

Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn two days later, Trump again said the nuclear threat is gone.

“I have solved that problem,” he said.

179 total views, 179 views today

Senator Jonah Jang called on Federal Government to adopt the State police policy if it hopes to over come insecurity that have led to mass killings across the country.

Jang who came under a point of order during plenary Session of the Senate said as long as the Governor of a state is not in charge of security agencies in his state peace and order is not guaranteed.

Using the crisis in plateau state as a point of emphasis were many people from Barki ladi local Government were killed he said the idea of sending soldier s and policemen to mount road blocks is no longer working and should be stopped.

He added while explaining more to Senate press corps that the Plateau Governor would have leveraged on the peace he built as Governor of the state.

Going back to his call he stated that every Democracy in the world is practicing state policy and Nigeria should tow that line.

126 total views, 126 views today

A National Assembly member, Sen. Ali Ndume, said the Senate committee which suspended him on March 29, 2017 was a kangaroo one concocted by the leadership of the upper chamber.

Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, made this known at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to him, the committee that called for my suspension was not the committee saddled with such responsibility.

Ndume was suspended over his petition calling for investigation into the allegation discrediting Sen. Dino Melaye as a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

The suspension followed the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions which investigated the allegation.

“What I am doing is not really personal but as a beneficiary of the institution of the legislative arm of government. I have been there since 2003.

“It is my responsibility to do those things that are right in order to strengthen the institution.

“It has been very unfortunate that our institution had been diverted or derailed, not only in the legislature but also in the executive, and even the judiciary to some extent.’’

He said that when the leadership of the Senate “arranged’’ a committee to suspend him, the committee members were not even part of the decision.

“My suspension is now history. I went to court because that was wrong.

“I was not expecting any other judgment than what I got.

“As we say again, it is a kind of ego issue and the senate president and the institution have now been tailored to personality.

“If not, once the court says go and pay this man his money, they are supposed to pay me my money. But, that is not the important thing; I know that at the end of day it will come out.”

The lawmaker disclosed that the president of the senate and all the senators were aware that no senator could suspend another senator.

He pointed out that the president of the senate was only a presiding officer, who had no opinion, saying he could not have any opinion on anything.

“Once you agree to be President of the Senate, it means you have sacrificed your rights and privileges as a senator.

“My suspension was not the decision of the senate besides it being illegal, unconstitutional, and it is not even our standing order,” Ndume said.

He said that in the case of Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, who was also suspended at a time, the lawmaker was faster than him and was more aggressive than him.

“Omo-Agege filed a contempt case because he got a judgment where the court said he should be paid his allowances. So we see how it goes.

“I went to court in order to stop the abuse. Now, members are not expressing themselves; these things that are happening that have brought down the senate, it is not the view of most of the senators.

“The senate is not what it used to be. People can no longer express their opinion freely.

“Once they hand over the leadership to 10 people, in fact, one person, that person takes over the institution, personalises and privatises it.

“You see, people are not active, even the procedures on contribution of the national assembly have been distorted.

“In those days when you have your motion, you just go and give it to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business and once you register, the register is already there.

“But, these days, you can’t even be recognised to speak,” the lawmaker said.

118 total views, 118 views today

….to revisit constitution amendment for states police
……seek foreign assistance to curb menace
………Request security protection for member

The House of Representatives condemned the recent Plateau killings where over 215 persons were massacred by suspected herdsmen and declared it as genocide.

It passed the resolution declaring the killings as genocide because innocent harmless children and women were killed.

And by the proclamation, the country can now formally seek help from the international community since its military and security services have failed and unable to curb the killings.

The lawmakers also passed several resolutions when it debated the recent massacre of over 215 persons in Plateau in a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by four lawmakers.

Key and significant issues were thrown up during debate of the general principles of the motion, one of which was a submission by honorable Idris Wase Abdulahi that his was privy to top government confidentiality on the real sponsors of the killings in the country.

” I know politicians aiding these killings: I have the documents and I will submit them to the House” he said when he contributed to the debate. The position however prompted the call for state protection as a state witness proposed by the majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The House adopted the prayer among others which directed the federal government to as a matter of urgency, build orphanages and as well cater for children who are now orphans as a result of the Killings..

According to the lawmakers, government must take decisive steps to stop the killings and secure the communities that have been under persistent attacks, especially the over 52 villages currently under illegal and forceful occupation in five local governments of the state.

They directed the government to recover the the places and return to the rightful owners as to do otherwise means allowing criminals to retain the proceeds of crime.

Also as way to show seriousness, the masterminds and perpetrators of the attacks should be arrested and prosecuted, while a coroner’s inquest and forensic examination of the weapons and ammunition used to determine the cause of deaths, caliber and source of the weapons used…

Other declarations made at plenary on the plateau killings,include, directing NEMA to provide immediate relief to the IDPs to avert humanitarian crisis and demand for a special reconstruction fund. Overhaul NEMA to make it responsive and respond on time to emergencies .

The lawmakers have resolved to revisit constitutional amendment exercise to empower states to establish states police for effective community policing and maintenance of law and order.

They further warned the president to be more forthcoming on issues of killings in the country and go beyond mere verbal condemnation by taking decisive steps to five effect to sections 14(2) of the Nigerian constitution.

Debating the motion, lead sponsor, Honorable Istifanus Gyang expressed worry at the massacre of 215 persons.

He told his astonished colleagues Tuesday during debate, that nobody, including young, old, women and toddlers were spared in the Killings.

” It is condemnable, barbaric and man’s inhumanity to man’ Gyang ,who also described the act as ethnic cleansing, genocide and the worst form of wickedness and cruelty, said

He noted that the killings have taken a pattern such that when a community is attacked, it is cleansed by killing the native inhabitants, the houses burnt and destroyed, and the vacated land taken over for occupation.

Speaker by speaker who spoke condemned the act and called on government to be decisive. They emphasized the need to change the military and security chiefs and as well the security architecture of the country.

Meanwhile a group of protesters under the umbrella ,” Conveners of Citizens Action to take Back Nigeria”,CATBAN, yesterday protested alleged padding of the 2018 budget by the national assembly lawmakers .

They barricaded the entrance to the national assembly, forcing lawmakers and other workers to take alternative routes

101 total views, 101 views today

What plans do you have to curb terrorism in Africa and more specifically curb herdsmen and farmers crisis in Nigeria?

Macron

Well is just that you have all these several issues correlated and your question is related to this event.
First of all I think the main plan is an african plan and France is not the one to solve or fix African situations. So what we want to do is that we will intervene and main our presence in Africa and Sahel to fight against terrorism especially in Mali and in the region. And we will stay as long as it is requested by our friends especially Mali we discussed yesterday (Monday) about this issue.

But what is important to me is how the difference african governments organized themselves to fight against terrorism and get rid of these people and especially jihadism. That’s is why I do accompany and do promote the G5/Sahel Initiatives and I think as far as we are organized, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon is very important it’s Boko Haram.

I think first we have to increase the pressure. Yesterday at G5/Sahel we worked very hard on the different operations to come and I think we have to increase the operations and the pressure against this jihadists. We can fix the situation in the coming month and obviously France will remain present in France for as long as they want it. But when I look at the past months, we have increased our resource and delivered concrete results in north and west Mali with for me positive outcomes.

Now, what we have to better understand is, why many people are convinced to join these jihadists and these terrorists, that is what we discussed and this is the second part of your question, because of some times economic and ethnic crisis. And that is why it is very important to built not just the security approach but the stabilization approach at the same time, to prove new opportunities to these people and convoy two massages: your governments will take care of you, I mean provide security and secondly your governments can provide opportunities to you. And the best support is not to join crazy people and buy a bunch of guns and do crazy things. It is not opportunity to to have any more opportunities, I think is very important.

That is why I want to accompany different governments and leaders whose main objectives is precisely to provide economic projects. I would say inclusive economic and cultural projects, where you provide the way for your young people to get education, jobs as well as to be proud of what you are. I think is extremely important. Because in a certain way, what we are experiencing today in Europe is also threatened by terrorism, that is moral crisis, that is cultural crisis. So not just issue about security, that for me is the way to proceed.

31 total views, 31 views today

ACTING Director Defense Information, Brigadier General John Agim has stated that the absence of proof linking those that constitute the leadership of Miyetti Allah to the killings in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states as reason why they have not been arrested

Agim who stated this while answering questions on why the leadership of Miyeitti Alla was yet to be arrested in spite of the call by Nigerians said that the herdsmen have not owned up to the spate of killings across the Middle Belt.

Recall that various groups and individuals including Governor Samuel Ortom have called for the arrest of leadership of Miyeitti Alla for their involvement in the killings Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states.

In the words of Brig Gen Agim, “we discovered that Fulani have been suffering from cattle rustling, we arrested the bandits with the cows and returned hundreds of them to them through their state governor.

“A lot of people have been posing the question to us on why we have not arrested them, but the reason for not arresting them is that they have not owned up.

“But the issue is that no one, no matter whatever thing he feels that he has been wronged, the law of the land does not allow you to take up arms against other people, and that is what we stand for.”

Agim who spoke earlier in a press briefing, debunked the accusation of extra judicial killing of fulani herdsmen and hundreds of cattle levelled against the troops by Nasarawa state chairman of Miyeitti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, saying “let me make it abundantly clear that the Special Forces troops of OPWS did not kill herdsmen or cows as claimed by the MACBAN chairman in Laafia.”

He explained that the troops had earlier successfully carried out search operation of a suspected herdsmen militia camp at Barkin Kota in Keana local government area of Nasarawa state before the militia reorganized and attacked the troops killing two soldiers and injuring five personel including the Officer Commanding.

“While the military is not in a hurry to link MACBAN to this militia, investigation has begun to unravel those behind the death of our men.

“The military is ready to take down those who are responsible for alongside their sponsors no matter how highly placed”, Agim said.

The defense spokesman said that 46 suspects have so far been arrested by troops in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states.

He added that 27 weapons and 907. 9 rounds of assorted ammunition have been recovered Nasarawa, Benue and Taraba since the operation began.

Agim further stated that aside for the arrest made by the troops, tens of thousands of displaced persons have returned to their ancestral homes.

“It is estimated that close to 100,000 IDPs have so far returned to their abandoned homes across Benue state,” he emphasised.

23 total views, 23 views today

Though the 70 percent of the nation’s wealth emanates from Niger Delta region,
the area has very little to show for this contribution to the nation’s revenue. In
this piece, CHRIS ERIYAMREMU examines the agitation of the people for
economic inclusion.

The historical evidence that oil was first discovered in Nigeria in 1956 at Oloibiri in
the Niger Delta area by Shell-BP cannot be overstated.
By the virtue of this discovery, Nigeria joined the ranks of oil producing countries
in 1958 with a mere production capacity of 5,100 bpd in its first oilfield at Oloibiri.
In 1960, the exploration rights in onshore and offshore areas in the Niger Delta
were extended to several other foreign companies.
From 1958 to date, the oil production had risen continually to about 2.9m bpd,
however, the Niger Delta region is still a shadow of itself in terms of
commensurable development.

Nigeria however, joined the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC) in 1971 and established the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)
in 1977; a state owned and controlled company which is a major player in both
the upstream and downstream sectors.
Nonetheless, despite the creation of Federal Government agencies such as the
Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, by former President Olusegun
Obasanjo on June 5, 2000, and Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs by former President
Umaru Yar'Adua on 10 September 2008, no meaningful difference had been
made.
This is so because most of the challenges that compelled the youths of the region
into restive agitation are still walking so tall on the streets and corners of the
Niger Delta region, notwithstanding their immeasurable contribution to the
revenue of the nation.
It was on the basis of the foregoing that the President of Ijaw Youth Council IYC,
Pereotubo Roland Oweilaemi Eqs, in a presentation at the Niger Delta Youth
Association Summit, held on 1st July, 2018, expressed total displeasure over the
deliberate marginalization of the oil rich region by the Nigerian Government and
oil companies.

President of IYC, Pereotubo Roland Oweilaemi

He warned that peace will continue to elude the region, if Niger Delta people
continue to suffer this brazen economic strangulation in the hands of the Nigerian
government.
IYC president added that in spite of the series of agitations for economic inclusion
of the people, successive governments of Nigeria have chosen to downplay the
demands of the people, saying that the Niger Delta question had remains an
intractable conundrum.
Oweilaemi, who spoke on the topic “Clean Up of Niger Delta Oil Spills, Ogoni
Clean Up and NDDC Partisanship”, lamented that oil spill is a major threat to the
health of the people in Niger Delta.
“Oil spill in the Niger Delta has become a reoccurring decimal as the region has
recorded oil spills in no smaller measures in every passing year. The menace is
chiefly caused by equipment failures orchestrated by negligence of the oil
companies. However, in recent past some economic saboteurs have joined the
train in degrading the environments with the spilling of crude oil deposits on our
biodiversity”.
The IYC president revealed that “In 2017, Shell Petroleum Development Company
(SPDC) Joint Venture recorded nine operational spills of more than 100 kg in
volume from the Company's facilities in Niger Delta. Also in 2016 the Company
recorded more than eight spills from its facilities in the region. These are in
addition to spills caused by other oil companies in the Niger Delta.
Only this year, the Forcados Trunk Line operated by SPDC JV got ruptured at
Odimodi Creek in Burutu LGA of Delta State of Nigeria which emitted a large
volume of crude oil into the environment which has caused an untold hardship on
Odimodi people.
“The surprising thing is that the oil companies have refused to accept
responsibilities for these environmental abuses. Even the ones they reluctantly
accepted responsibilities, there were no compliant with the Environmental
Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry in Nigeria (EGASPIN),
Revised Edition 2002. The Federal Government on its part has aided the oil
companies in abrogating their environmental responsibilities through weak
legislations. Even the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA)
has not done much as it has no disciplinary power over the oil companies in case
of oil spill.
“It must be made known to the world that in January 16th, 2012 an explosion of a
gas rig occurred at K.S Endeavour (Panama), near the North Apoi Platform/Field,
West of the Funiwa Field in Bayelsa State, where lives were lost, while properties

worth billions of naira were destroyed by the explosion. The said Oil Field is being
operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL).
“Regrettably, up till now, the company has refused to compensate the coastal
communities affected by the explosion in spite of a subsisting court judgment that
has awarded two hundred billion naira against the CNL. In a similar vein, the
Bonga Oil Field operated by SPDC JV also spilled a large volume of crude oil into
the Nigerian coastal line on the 20th of December, 2011 to destroy the faunas and
the flora of the coastal communities in Bayelsa and Delta States. The most
regrettable part of the incidence is that the Company refused to pay the $3.6b
fine imposed on it by the Federal Government of Nigeria to compensate the
beleaguered communities”, he said.
Oweilaemi suggested that to curb this menace of oil spill, the Federal Government
needs to engage some international bodies like UNEP to take a comprehensive
study of the region to ascertain the level of damages done to the environment in
order to recommend an appropriate measure in cleaning the area.
To achieve this, all stakeholders in the oil sector need to be in partnership to
execute this project. The measure to be taken must not just be to clean the
environment but should also involve preventable steps to forestall the menace of
oil spillages.
As the restive confrontation of the youths of the area gives way to peace and
meaningful dialogue on way forward, only time would tell if the current
engagement will produce lasting peace.

9 total views, 9 views today

NATIONAL President of the National ‎Council of Women’s Societies of Nigeria, NCWS, Mrs. Gloria Laraba Shoda, has called on the Federal Government to give the association grants to enable it function effectively.

Mrs. Shoda, who made the call yesterday in Abuja while speaking to newsmen in an interview, said that since the jobs of NCWS always complements the efforts of the government, the need for the government to support the association cannot be overemphasized.

She stated that they have been getting subvention from their supervisory ministry previously, saying that it is no longer coming as a result of paucity of fund.

According to her, “We are expecting that with this 2018 budget that had just be signed into law that the ministry will be able to give us our subvention this time around.”

President of NCWS, who stated that the association has many programmes awaiting for execution, said that they can only carry out such programmes when there are enough funds.

“We are soliciting government to look into the plight of NCWS, because we are complementing the activities of what government does. If our subvention is not coming to us, government should give us grants to enable us assist women in the country.

“We are in all the states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and in all the 774 Local Government Areas. In some states, the state government gives them subvention and we are thanking those states for the assistance and we are appealing to the Federal Government to do the same” she said.

Speaking on the security situation in the country, Mrs. Shoda said that women are not happy with killings going on in the country, stating that through this, many women have been rendered widows and children orphans.

She therefore called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts, ensuring that something is done seriously to stop the killings, adding that women are always at the receiving end when such crisis happened.

“We are pleading with the Federal Government to please as a matter of urgency look into these incessant killings in the country and do something about it urgently. We are sure that President Muhammadu Buhari will bring the situation to an end” she pleaded.

Mrs. Shoda said, “We are not saying that security agencies are not trying, but we are saying that they should try more. They should come together and I think, if they can put their heads together, they will find a lasting solution ‎to what is happening in this country”

On the NCWS’s 60 years anniversary which will be celebrated soon, NCWS National President asserted that the occasion will be low keyed, adding that it is not time for jubilation and celebration.

“All we want to do is to look into our prisons and see how we can be able to free some of the inmates especially those who were charged with little fine. We will also go to IDPs and try to do something for them. Then, we will hold a programme for women, a kind of women summit and talk to them about how they can sponsor themselves in any political dispensation easily.

“We will also educate women on how they can do business and succeed, especially in agriculture. So, we want to have a small summit where there will be resource people that will give them the technical know-how of certain things that will improve their lives” she proposed.

23 total views, 23 views today

Dr. Stella Okoli, OON is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, an indigenous group she founded 33 years ago, which has remarkably grown to have footprints in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Born in Kano, Northern Nigeria to the family of Chief Felix Ebelechukwu and Princess Margaret Modebelu of Nnewi, n Anambra State, she attended All Saint Primary School, Onitsha from 1954-1959 and Ogidi Girls Secondary School from 1959-1964, Attended Federal Science School Lagos from 1964 till 1966.

She later proceeded to University of Bradford in the United Kingdom from where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy. This academic achievement was followed by an MSC in Biopharmaceutics which she obtained from University of London, Chelsea College in 1971.

Dr. Stella Okoli’s post-graduation work experience is quite impressive. Her experience in the Pharmaceutical field is well consolidated. She initially worked in Middlesex Hospital as a Ward/ Clinical Pharmacist, followed in succession by her brief stint as a Pharmacist at Boots Chemist London. Her return home to Nigeria, saw her work at Massey Children Hospital Lagos before she joined a pharmaceutical manufacturing company Park Davies Nigeria Ltd (now Pharma-Deko Plc) as a Medical Representative and later as a sales Manager.

By 1981, her entrepreneurial drive led her into the Drug importation business. She imported both Ethical and Over the Counter (OTC) drugs to meet the health needs of Nigerians for quality drugs and by 1984 incorporated Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries, a leading producer of a wide range of drugs, over 70- lines of products and significant contributor to Nigeria’s gross domestic product.

Dr. Stella Okoli is on top of leadership challenges and is in tune with current management trends. She has attended wide ranging courses across the world, to broaden her knowledge and sharpen her leadership skill. Some of these, include The Executive Management Program at Harvard Business School Boston (1997- 1999) the implementing Strategic and Organizational Change at I.E.S.E. Business School, Barcelona Spain (1996). Management Course 2002 in Insead in Switzerland and the Chief Executive Programme of the Lagos Business School. She is also a director of the Harvard Business School Nigeria.

Beyond her quest for knowledge, she has consistently served in finding practical solutions to the perennial problems in our environment. She served as the Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMGMAN) she is an active member of many local and international professional organizations such as the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, British Chamber of Commerce, Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association as well as Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce. She received the Bullion Award for her outstanding contribution to industry and Manufacturing.

A great philanthropist and a Change Agent, she has awarded many scholarships to students in Secondary and Tertiary Institutions and donated generously to the less privileged in the society and consistently supported several non-profit organizations. Dr. Stella Okoli is the Founder of Chike Okoli Foundation. The Foundation was set up in 2006 to raise awareness on cardiovascular disease and promote entrepreneurship. To date, the Foundation has set up the Chike Okoli Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and is trained over 1,600 entrepreneurs/students in the science and spirit of entrepreneurship. It has also reached over 5,000,000 people across Nigeria on lifestyle interventions.

Dr. Stella Okoli’s great entrepreneurial strides and philanthropy has won her many awards and accolades. She is a recipient of the MON and OON awards from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, among others from several local and international distinguished groups.

Dr. Stella Okoli is proudly Nigerian and a distinguished daughter of Africa. Her doggedness, dynamism and unparalleled energy and passion in the face of daunting odds, have made her a remarkable role model for women and all classes of entrepreneurs across Africa. Her guiding philosophy is routed in hardwork, integrity and ethical leadership.

She was also honoured with the Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa) by Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

9 total views, 9 views today

President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the cordial relations between Nigeria and the State of Kuwait.

At an audience with the outgoing Ambassador of the State of Kuwait, Dr Abdulaziz Alsharrah at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday, the President said relations between both countries are important not only at the bilateral level, but also as members of the Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries, OPEC, in which they shared a common interest.

President Buhari, while thanking the outgoing ambassador for promoting good relations between Nigeria and the State of Kuwait, said he hoped that the cordial relations would translate into more active cooperation between the two countries.

Ambassador Alsharrah, who thanked the government and people of Nigeria for maintaining good relations with his country, noted that there was still room to grow the relations.

He said he found his five-year tour of duty in Nigeria very rewarding and extended his country’s invitation to President Buhari for an official visit.

23 total views, 23 views today

The advent of Internet 2.0 otherwise known as social media as a factor in global politics and governance has been of such profound significance that dozens of research studies have been carried out (though few in Nigeria) in a bid to more fully comprehend this phenomenon and properly situate it in the range of factors which interrelate to give a democracy its character.

Social media, properly so called, refer to “those forms of electronic communication such as websites through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and other contents such as videos” (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Examples such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become ubiquitous and part of our daily lives. They have been added to the bouquet of conventional media like television, radio and print like newspapers and magazines with the difference however that the content of social media is user-generated with an interactive multi-directional nature.

In Nigeria, a country with an internet penetration of 50.2% (about 98.3m users) of its population,at least 17m people visit Facebook every month, the highest in Africa. Of this number, at least 7.2m Nigerians visit Facebook daily with 97% of them accessing it through mobile phones. These are huge numbers of significance when placed side-by-side with the about 29m who voted in the 2015 elections.

Social media has increasingly become the go-to place for news and information among a huge swathe of the Nigerian populace. With traditional mediastables maintaining presence on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms, social media has become all-encompassing as news provider and interactive network where readers not only get news but can give vent to their feelings on what they read.

Related to politics is the role social media has played in governance in Nigeria. Some landmark events like the fuel subsidy protests in 2012 were organized mainly from social media. Participants were mobilized using Facebook and Twitter to pour out into the streets in major Nigerian cities to protest the increase in petrol pump price in January 2012, an action which led the Jonathan govt to buckle under pressure and announce a reduction from its proposed N145/litre to N97/litre.

Also, the Bring Back Our Girls campaign in the wake of the Chibok kidnapping started as a hashtag on Twitter and ballooned into a global movement that saw the participation of world leaders, celebrities and notable personalities forcing the government of the day to rouse itself from its lethargy and institute enquiries into the dastardly abduction.

Social media has also served to give a voice to the oppressed in a society where access to justice is often tedious. A typical example is the case of a cripple who was badly beaten-up by soldiers in Onitsha for wearing camouflage shorts. After videos of the brutality trended on social media, the military authorities took notice, court-martial action was instituted against the soldiers and the victim was compensated.

In political campaigns, Barack Obama, former US President, made history as the first American President to use social media to campaign (and win) elections in 2008, skilfully deploying social media platforms to generate interest, raise campaign funds and propagate his ‘Yes, we can’ message in the elections which broke racial barriers. Since then, politicians appear to have awoken to the immense potentials of the large aggregation of voters in the interactive space that social media provides.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan similarly made history in Nigeria as he became the first President to announce his bid for the nation’s top job in 2010 when he posted his intentions on Facebook. Since then, social media has taken on the distinctive appearance of a marketplace for political ideas and canvassers have become hugely popular on account of political views.

There are many who hold the view that President Muhammadu Buhari won the 2015 election on social media before winning it on the ballot. Perhaps the ferocity of his supporters who blanketed social media with his messages did a lot to turn the tables of perception in his favour.

Most importantly, the General’s image as a dictatorial, pro-Northern politician was given what analysts have called the most effective and comprehensive laundering ever in Nigeria’s history as a result of the blitzkrieg of propaganda which attended his campaigns. It is noteworthy that many of those online personalities a.k.a ‘social media influencers’ who participated in this propaganda storm have publicly repented and lost a lot of their following as a result of the realities which Nigerians are faced with in the Buhari Presidency today but that is a discussion for another day.

It can be said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s loss in 2015 started when they could find no answers to the massive image makeover which the All Progressives Congress candidate underwent on social media. This may seem far-fetched but when one considers the close interaction between traditional media and social media in a symbiotic relationship where the former gets the bulk of its news from trending stories in the latter, the true impact of social media vis-à-vis image, publicity and propaganda in politics will be fully understood.

Without a doubt, social media has revolutionized the way political campaigns are carried out in Nigeria. Because of the freely participatory nature of its interactions, ease of access to everyone, efficient real-time communication abilities and wide unimaginable reach, social media has completely alteredmedia calculations in political campaigning. Political reputations can be made (and lost) on social media just as it provides candidates with an inexpensive mode of passing across messages.

Question are often asked: Are the real voters on social media? Is popularity on social media a guarantee to winning elections in Nigeria? Asides the relevance of numbers highlighted above, the answers to these questions can be gleaned in several thought lines.

First, there’s nowhere else where the campaign for the possession of Permanent Voters Card (PVC) is taken more seriously than in social media circles. In endless discussions about Nigeria’s circumstances, it has become fashionable to ask ‘where is your PVC?’, several hashtags have been created to emphasize this and the awareness of the PVC being a citizen’s real power over bad governance is frightfully high on social media to the extent that online groups have been created for the sole purpose of getting members not just obtain their PVCs but also participate in on-ground mobilization of other Nigerians for the same purpose.

Furthermore, if 7.2m Nigerians visit just one social media platform, Facebook, every day, the multiplier effect in terms of information dissemination will be profound in the sense that those numbers will pass around the news they received from the platforms to others in a country where word-of-mouth in personal interactions is a highly efficient means of communication. If one considers that Facebook now appears in Hausa language and global media bodies like BBC which have social media pages also appear in a range of indigenous Nigerian languages, it can be easily seen that the illiteracy factor which would have constituted a barrier to the 70m illiterate Nigerians has been checkmated.

But perhaps the most potent factor in the effectiveness of social media in political campaigns is the rise in penetration of smartphones, the platform upon which social media are delivered to users. A report by a frontline retail outfit in Nigeria states that there are now about 21m smartphones in the country, a number just 7m shy of the total votes recorded by the two leading candidates in the 2015 elections. This number, interpreted in political terms, means a possible 21m Nigerians can be reached with political messages on several platforms including Whatsapp and other non-internet-based networking platforms. Political strategists will do well to explore these figures.

Inspite of its drawbacks like being the centre of hate-speech propagation, social media has come to stay. Its main crowd is the army of young people who make up over half Nigeria’s population who find it the most unhinderedand unlimited avenue for letting out steam in a country where their interests are often relegated in the scheme of things.
As internet penetration increases, social media is set to become the most potent force in political mobilization in Nigeria in future elections.

24 total views, 24 views today

…As Minister inaugurates project team on new FAAN office complex

Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has pledged his unalloyed commitment to actualizing the federal government’s agenda of transforming the Aviation sector in the country by putting in place all necessary facilities that would enable operators in the system perform to their optimum.

The Minister made the vow while inaugurating a Project Team for the construction of the proposed new office complex and staff quarters for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, in Abuja.

Sirika said it’s an irony that the Authority that has the mandate of building and managing airports in the country does not have a befitting office complex in the federal capital, just as its staff lack adequate and befitting residential quarters. This he, said has had the tendency to impede on their performances.

He said that the decision to construct the office complex and residential quarters through the Public Private Partnership, PPP, arrangement was to ensure that what would be delivered would be of a quality that represent value for money.

Addressing the Project Team members, the aviation minister charged them to ensure that the most suitable designs for the office complex and staff quarters where respectively delivered.

Among the team’s terms of reference is to identify and confirm the proposed location for the office complex and staff quarters and recommend means through which the Public Private Partnership can be fast-tracked.

He disclosed that the team also has the mandate to source for, and identify prospective PPP partners, and to also consider an unsolicited proposal by a firm, Elysium Integrated Development Company to invest Twenty-Seven Million Dollars ($27M) in a mass transit ground transportation structure at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

Sirika urged the team to be diligent and speedy in carrying out the assignment and directed that his office be briefed on a weekly basis on the progress of the task given to them.

Responding, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and leader of the project team, Engineer Saleh Dunoma said the team identifies with the Minister on his commitment towards addressing the infrastructure gaps in the sector, and promised that the team will be meticulous and swift in carrying out their assignment.

Dunoma said that the team members view the assignment as another call to national service which demands commitment and efficiency.

Membership of the team is drawn from the Ministry of Transportation (Aviation), FAAN, the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission, ICRC, Federal Ministries of Finance, Justice and Budget and Planning.

29 total views, 29 views today

Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has taken a swift on both Federal Government and Police Service Commission, PSC, over the ill-treatment meted on some Police officers which led to the recent protest by some officers in Maiduguri.

The TUC President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama in a statement made available to Nigerian Pilot, said “If what we read in the dailies and saw on the televisions are anything to go by, we consider it unfair and inconsiderate on the part of leadership to deny security officers who have left their families to stake their lives for our peace and security”.

He lamented that the unfortunate thing is that Nigeria has since become notorious with everything that hinders growth and development, adding that in saner climes, the welfare of security operatives are not taken for granted.

“The reverse is the case here. An unpaid armed officer is a danger to himself, family, community and the society at large. It demeans us as a country that our security officers buy their uniform, shoes and other accessories. They do not have even decent accommodation. When you deny them six months allowances what then will motivate them in the war front?

“Since the insecurity in the northeast began we have lost hundreds of them, if not thousands. Though their entitlements have not been paid to their families but they have been asked to vacate the barracks. Children are out of school and the widows are left homeless and hopeless. Such irresponsibility on the part of Police Service Commission, PSC, is probably the reason for cases of road blocks and illegal duty where money is extorted forcefully from Okada and Keke NAPEP riders, and even the general public. We do not support extortion in any form, but how does government and police authority expect these officers with family to survive for six months without salary?

“It is important to note here that the responses by Spokesmen in government and security arms have not been encouraging. It was a slight for the Force Spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood, to have denied the reports and simply said the policemen visited the Borno State Police Command headquarters to enquire about the delay of their allowances, even when they sang war songs and shot sporadically. Most times they worsen a very bad situation.

“The excuse of late passage of budget is weak. It does not go down with us. It is a perilous undertaking to delay the salaries of armed security officers. Under no circumstance should the police force be made to suffer, most importantly those that are working in war zones. It is not only the police are facing ugly challenge. The soldiers and others will join the protest soon. While we demand prompt payment of all entitlements, we also call on the federal government to probe into the matter and punish those that have caused the national embarrassment.” He said

26 total views, 26 views today

Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, has denied claims that the Anti-Open Grazing Law was responsible for the herders’ crisis in state.

The governor reacted to the claims on a television political programme that, “anyone alluding that this law (Anti Open-Grazing) is responsible for this crisis is just doing that out of mere mischief or completely out of ignorance.”

The governor’s comments come one month after the Defence Minister, Mansur Dan-Ali, called for the suspension of the implementation of the anti-grazing law.

Dan-Ali had on June 5, made the call after a security meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

To the minister, the non-implementation of the prohibition against open-grazing would help address the killings in the north-central state.

But the governor strongly disagrees with the minister and insists there is no going back on the laws made in the state.

He argued that if the ban on open grazing is responsible for the killings, then there should not have been killings in Adamawa, Plateau, Delta, Edo, Kaduna, Zamfara and other states where there is no such ban.

“Is there any law in Adamawa? Is there any law in Kaduna State? Is there any law in Plateau State? Is there any law in Edo State? Is there any law in Delta State? Is there any law in Zamfara State where killings are going on far more than what is even happening in Benue?”

“It is wrong for anybody to say that enacting a law has aggravated crisis in any place. Since I came in, we have enacted over 15 laws for the land. It is for good governance,” he said.

26 total views, 26 views today

French President, Emmanuel Macron was yesterday conferred with the honorary citizenship of Abuja by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello.

Bello, while handing over the Key to the City of Abuja to President Macron, who is on his first visit to Nigeria since his election in May 2017, said the visit demonstrates the strong friendship and cordial relationship between the people of Nigeria and France.

Nigerian Pilot reports that President Macron’s Boeing 777 Republique Francaise aircraft touched down in the Presidential Wing of the Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at exactly 15.09 hours local time.

He was received upon arrival by the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama.

Speaking to newsmen on the visit, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Denys Gauer, stated that the visit underscores the very strong relationship between France and Nigeria.

Furthermore, Mr. Gauer disclosed that France has ongoing security and political partnerships with Nigeria especially in the fight against Boko Haram. He however noted that the current visit would focus on economic and cultural cooperation. He would also dialogue with Nigerian youths.

To this effect, the French President after his meeting with the Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari, would proceed to Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital for other aspects of the visit.

In his words, “France has had strong security cooperation with Nigeria with regards to Boko Haram insurgency but the current visit would focus on culture business and youth. He hopes to dialogue with Nigerian youths.”

President Macron, it could be recalled, has been to most francophone countries as well as Ghana. Nigeria is the second anglophone country he is visiting.

29 total views, 29 views today

Federal Executive Council has awarded a N206 billion Naira contract for the construction of link roads to the Second Niger Bridge.

The contract was awarded to Julius Berger and it is expected to be completed in 42 months.

The link roads include the ones on both the Asaba and Onitsha ends of the bridge, totalling 12 kilometres

The Council also approved a contract for exploration and consultancy on data generation regarding certain minerals.

The Minister of State, Mines and Steel, Bawa Bwari, told State House correspondents that the contracts are targeted at generating data on minerals such as gold, industrial minerals, earth material and iron ore.

He said the contracts are to be given to four companies at the cost of N12.7 billion.

“With this, we will encourage both local and foreign investors to come in.

“Our major challenge is the bankable data, most mining companies will not want to come into your country when they are not sure of what they are going to meet,” he said.

59 total views, 59 views today

National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has congratulated the management and
staff of the Guardian Newspapers as it marks its 35 years anniversary, as one of the major flagships of journalism in Nigeria.

The party particularly commends the Guardian Newspapers for upholding its motto, “conscience nurtured by truth”, a watchword, which has remained eminently manifest in its strong editorial policy and the credibility of reportage in all its titles.

According to PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, “over the years, the Guardian newspaper, as one of the pioneer media houses in Nigeria has remained committed to developmental and investigative journalism, positive opinion moulding and the entrenchment of democracy and good governance in our country.”

The PDP recalled the pivotal roles played by the Guardian and other media houses, during the military era, leading to the return of democracy and for which it was shut down for 18 months and its editors jailed under obnoxious military decree 4 of 1984.

“While we rejoice with the Guardian as it attains this milestone, the PDP also commends all spheres of the Nigerian media, as the fourth estate of the realm, for their resilience and commitment towards national unity, development, stability and protection of democratic tenets, particularly at this this trying time.

53 total views, 53 views today

GUNMEN believed to be Fulani militiamen on Wednesday stormed Kola, a predominantly farming community in Guyuk local government area of Adamawa State, killing five people, local sources say.

Lemuel Bappa a resident reported that three persons, including a woman were shot dead at about 2am in his presence, and several residential buildings torched.

State Police Command has confirmed the attacks, saying the command was informed of an attack by gunmen “around Mararaba Kola in Guyuk”, says PPRO, Othman said, “first information report from the Divisional Police Headquarters stationed in Guyuk, indicated that some herdsmen with locally made guns attacked and
burnt seven houses in Kola”

He said furthe, “the Herdsmen said to be armed with locally made guns attacked Kola, burnt down seven houses killed a woman and four other men;

“Two other victims, a woman and a man sustained gunshot wounds:

“Those injured in the attack have been taken to the hospital for treatment and the dead to the mortuary for autopsy,” the report stated.

As things stand, police have swiftly responded to restore normalcy to the area even as five of the attackers have been apprehended by local vigilantes, reports indicate.

However, angry youths in the area, are said to have staged a protest thereby barricading the roads leading into Guyuk, a development which obstructed vehicular movements in and out of the council, Nigerian Pilot gathered.

15 total views, 15 views today

Nigeria Men’s Senior Basketball team Captain, Ike Diogu has said they would get better before the FIBA Basketball World Cup billed for China next year August.

Diogu explained that he was impressed with the skills and grit displayed by his colleagues in the just ended qualifiers decided at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.

He singled out Mbamalu Bryant, Uzoh Benjamin and Jordan Nwora for praises and expressed confidence the team is in capable hands.
‘I am Nigeria, I love Nigeria and love being captain of this team. My goal is obviously to leave this the team in a better shape than when I first joined.

‘The guys I played along with; especially in last year’s Africa Championship; Bryant, Uzoh and now Jordan, these guys are going to be the future and I am just happy that I get to play with those guys and also that the future of Nigeria Basketball is great,’ Diogu said after the competition.

Nigeria finished with a 6-0 record in the first round of Group B winning 6 games, Rwanda (3-3) and Mali (4-2) while Uganda have been eliminated (1-4).

Only top three teams from each group advance to the second round. Others are: Tunisia, Cameroon and Chad in Group A; Angola, Egypt and Morocco in C while Senegal, Central African Republic and Cote d’Ivoire qualify from Group D.

Africa is the first region to know all of its teams that will battle it out in the 12-team second round of the African Qualifiers.In the second round, teams in Group A will merge with C while teams in Group B will merge with D.

The first legs of the second-round tournament will take place during the fourth window (September 10-18), with the return legs to follow during the fifth window (November 26-December 4) and the sixth window (February 20-28, 2019).

The five best out of the 12 will qualify for the first ever 32-team FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China from August 31-September 15, 2019.

12 total views, 12 views today