Before delving into the US Family Separation Policy, it is of great important to know that public policies can be analyzed under the following instruments: policy; legal device; organisational structure; operational mechanism; and effects. Having known over a decade that the US have been in the crisis of border control as many immigrants continuously attempt to cross the US border illegally.

As a result of this, several immigration laws have been enforced in the US to checkmate the crisis. This resulted in several public policies being implemented, while some of the policies had adverse effects while some are of positive effects. This brings us to the Family Separation Policy.

A policy is no doubt a course of action designed to promote, maintain or prevent some states of affairs. The history of the Family Separation policy can be traced during President Obama’s administration. According to a former Department of Homeland Security official report to the CNN, the idea of separating families came up after the 2014 child migrant surge crisis, where Jeh Johnson, the then Homeland Security Secretary asked for all available options to deal with illegal immigration at the border, however, the idea of the separation policy was never really carried out.

During this period, hundreds of thousands of families from the US neighbouring states of Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua fled to the US to seek refuge as a result of crisis such as gang related war, natural disasters, political crises, inter alia.

The US Family Separation Policy is therefore an immigration policy introduced by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump in April 2018 which is used to prosecute as many border crossing offenses. The policy of Family Separation emerges as a control mechanism which is seen as a panacea to border crisis experienced in the US. It can also be simply explained as the executive order from the US President to separate the prosecution of immigrant children from their immigrant parents who are seeking asylum illegally.

The policy entails accelerating the process to ascertain eligibility to remain, promptly removing of those who are denied, and criminally prosecuting migrants for first time border offenses, which were previously treated as civil violations. In order to prosecute the immigrant families, their children are hence separated from the parents. This is done in such a way that the children of the immigrant parents are not charged with any crime, having known that these children did not just find themselves in the US border, therefore, they are not permitted to be jailed alongside their parents as enshrined in the US law.

Legal Device: The US executive arm of government plays significant roles to initiate executive orders so as to curtail an emerging crisis. It is therefore left for the world, publicists, lawmakers, etc to deliberate on such orders to determine its positives and negatives. In the case of Family Separation Policy, the decision was made by the US Executive.

Organizational Structure: This entails the institutional frameworks or organizations that are legally established to transmit the legal agreement, executive order and public policy into reality. The institutions involved employ different methodologies to translate the details of the policy into effect. In the case of the Separation Policy, the institutions involved are the US Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Operational Mechanism: This involves the techniques or methodologies employed to implement and operationalized the policy of Family Separation. This is the actual point of implementation by the institutions involved. This can be seen where the Homeland Security arrest the immigrants and separate their children from them as well the Office of the Refugee Resettlement creating a homely environment for the children and car.

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STERLING Bank Plc, has inaugurated a new branch amidst pomp and pageantry in Igbogbo LCDA of Ikorodu Local Government Area bringing smiles to the lips of business people, farmers and residents in the community who hitherto had to travel several kilometres to access banking services.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Comrade OlusesanDaini, Chairman of Igbogbo-Bayeiku Local Council Development Area LCDA in Igbogbo, commended the bank for building a branch in the area. He assured the bank that it would have more reasons to invest in the community in the near future given the rapid development taking place in the region, adding that this is more so because the people are widely known to be very productive and commercially oriented.
“Igbogbo is the fastest growing community in Ikorodu so there’s no doubt about the level of patronage Sterling Bank will enjoy. As you have paved the way for commercial banking in the community, we are certain your competitors will follow suit to open their own branches. My advice is to ensure your ATMs are promptly serviced at all times to lay a good foundation for your business dealings with members of the community” Mr. Daini opined.
Also speaking, His Royal Majesty, Oba SemiudeenOrimadegunKasali, the Adegboruwa of Igbogbo Kingdom applauded Sterling Bank for building and operating a branch in his community. The royal father called on the people of the community to patronise Sterling Bank, while assuring the bank that the people would do the best they could in terms of support.
“We look forward to working with you. We pray that your coming will usher in other commercial activities in Igbogbo. We want to implore you to also look at ways to support the community through your corporate social responsibility,” the Oba said.
Commenting on the new branch, Executive Director, Retail & Consumer Banking, Sterling Bank said, “Our decision to site a new branch in Igbogbo/Baiyeku Local Council Development Area is in line with the bank’s determination to bring world class banking services closer to the doorsteps of Nigerians. The new branch will further boost the socio-economic development of the area by assisting SMEs and micro-businesses with soft loans to strengthen their capacity and productivity level, thereby creating job opportunities for the youths of Igbogbo and its environs.”The full suite of Sterling Bank products and services are accessible at any of our branches spread across the country,” he added.
Earlier in her welcome address, Ms. OlufunkeUsalo, Regional Business Executive for Sterling Bank in Ikorodu and beyond, thanked the traditional ruler and the people of the community for their support during the period leading to the opening of the branch – the only commercial bank in the community.She reiterated the bank’s commitment to providing support to five critical sectors of the economy, including health, education, agriculture, renewable energy and transportation H.E.A.R.T.
Ms. Usalo assured residents of the community that the days when they had to travel to Ikorodu or Ogolonto for their banking needs have come to an end while she urged them to engage with members of staff in the branch for details of Sterling Bank’s bouquet of products available to customers in the branch. “We are promising not just good service but excellent service,” Ms. Usalo enthused.

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In this analysis, SAMUEL ODAUDU examines the impacts of the ongoing nationwide audit of detention facilities in all the six geo-political zones of the country by the national rights commission to decongest prisons, check inmates’ condition, etc. Already, some inmates have been set free by the commission in the course of the exercise.

Prison congestion and the poor condition of the facilities in the country remain a frontline issue in justice sector reform in Nigeria. That is why the current interventionist role of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) under the present leadership is very pivotal and remarkable.

One of the focal points of the NHRC since Dr. Tony Ojukwu Esq assumed office as the Executive Secretary is the commencement of a nationwide audit of detention centers between June and September 2018 in all the six geo-political zones of the country. This exercise which has taken off in earnest has started yielding fruits as some inmates have already tasted freedom from detention facilities.

Specifically, last month, the Commission carried out an audit exercise in Kuje Prison, Abuja, where it freed seven inmates by paying their fines. A statement released by the Director of Corporate Affairs and External Linkages Department, Lambert Oparah, stated that, “The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has freed seven inmate of Kuje Maximum security Prison, Abuja, who could not afford to pay their fines, as ordered by the court.

“The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu Esq who paid the fines for the seven prisoners during the flag off ceremony of the 2018 audit of prisons and other detention centres in Nigeria admonished them to be of good behaviour and avoid any act that would take them back to prison. The Chief Executive Officer of the Commission officially paid the fines through the in-charge of Kuje prison, Deputy Comptroller of Prison (DPC), Onoja Innocent for onward transmission to the court.

“The NHRC boss said that the audit is a mandate driven project routinely carried out by the Commission pursuant to the powers of the Commission as provided in Section 6(d) of the NHRC Amendment Act, 2010 to visit prisons, police cells and other detention places to ascertain the conditions thereof and make recommendations to the appropriate authorities. The Commission’s helmsman noted that the Commission’s previous audit exercises have resulted in some reforms in the prison services in particular and the Criminal Justice Administration system generally”, he stated.

Dr. Ojukwu had pointed out that the feeding money for the inmates has been increased to N450.00 per prisoner “while more vehicles have been procured for the prisons to ease conveyance of inmates to court”.

As acknowledged by the ES, it is important to point out that there is still much to be done to improve the bad condition of Nigeria’s prisons which at the moment is not decent enough to rehabilitate criminals or inmates. Apart from health hazards it poses, it can make their criminal tendencies even worse as a result of inhuman environment. That is why there is a need to carry out urgent reform in the sector with the support of relevant stakeholders. It is on this account that NHRC prison audit exercise is applaudable.

It is instructive that the ES, based on his wealth of experience in the sector, is on the same page with the above point when he said that, those issues “have continued to undermine sustainable reform of detention facilities in Nigeria are evident in the areas of access to justice, congestion, and welfare concerns of officers who oversee the facilities”.

The National Assembly is in full support of the ongoing exercise being carried out by the Commission. For instance, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, David Umaru who added his voice in support of the Kuje Prison audit exercise observed that, “the Senate is currently considering four major Prisons Reform Bills aimed at improving the condition of prisons in the country”.

The proposed Bills, according to him, “are targeted at amending the Prisons Act to provide a Mother and Baby Unit for the care of female and prisoners who are nursing mothers and their babies among other benefits”. Senator Umaru was represented at the occasion by Senator Joshua Ledani.

In a related development, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Hon. Edward Pwajok who was present at the occasion, while commending the efforts of the NHRC on the prison audit, called on relevant stakeholders to support the commission in the discharge of its mandate “to ensure that all Bills concerning Nigerian Prisons, especially on establishing correctional, rehabilitation and reintegration for prisoners are put in the front burner for accelerated passage”.

Earlier, explaining the purpose of the exercise before its commencement, Dr. Ojukwu, through Mr. Oparah had stated that, “the exercise is in fulfillment of the Commission’s mandate to ensure that detention facilities across the country are kept in line with respect for human rights under the 1999 Constitution, and in accordance with the UN Minimum Standards for detention centers.

“Detention centers to be audited during the exercise would include those under the control of the Prisons, Police, SSS and the Military. That arrangements are being put in place for the audit of other detention centers in the control of other law enforcement agencies like the NDLEA, NSCDC, Customs, Environmental or Traffic Enforcement Agencies at both the State and Federal levels”.

Continuing, the ES highlighted under Section 6(1) (d) of National Human Rights Commission Amendment Act 2010, the Commission is empowered to: “Visit prisons, police cells and other places of detention in order to ascertain the conditions thereof and make recommendations to the appropriate authorities”.

The statement further stated that “in order to improve access, promote harmonious and cordial relationship with other arms of government, the NHRC as a matter of courtesy, informs any sister agency of an impending audit visit within a time frame.

‘’For the purposes of clarification, information to the agencies on the timeframe for impending audit is not a request for permission or approval but purely information for logistics purposes to ensure a successful audit exercise. The absence of such information could result into hitches during the exercise especially if proper logistics is not put in place thereby compounding the tight financial arrangements for the exercise’’, Ojukwu said.

This clarification was necessary because the Head of Public Complaints, Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU) of the Nigerian Police, APC Abayomi Shogunle, had earlier created an impression that the NHRC requested for permission or approval before it could carry out its “mandate of visiting police cells and detention facilities”, Ojukwu explained.

The Ojukwu-led NHRC has been commended by the Citizens Media and Development Network (CIMEDEN) – a democracy, public policy and development advocacy organisation made up of editors, public policy experts – for taking such bold steps towards implementing one of the Commission’s mandates, which is fundamental to the country’s administration of justice.

According to the Head of Media and Information of CIMEDEN, Ibrahim Mohammed, “The effort of the Executive Secretary and his team is commendable because it has put the country on the right footing in the country’s pursuit of implementation of administration of justice”, he said, expressing the optimism of the organisation that the exercise would be pursued to its logical conclusion by the Commission.

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The Police are established to perform functions such as prevention and detention of crimes, protection of lives and properties, preservation and enforcement of law and order among others.

In Nigeria, the Nigerian Police formerly the Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement agency with a staff strength of about 371,800. The Force consisting of 35 state commands grouped into 12 Zones and 7 administrative organs.

That Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with population of about 174.2 million people, is having just 371,800 police officers is worrisome. The United Nations sets approximately the world’s median of 300 police officers per 100,000 civilians. While countries such as China, India and the United States of America has about 1.6 million, 1.59 million and 0.91 million police officers respectively.

The Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris in May, 2017, while delivering a paper at a two-day National Security Summit in Abuja, disclosed that the Nigeria Police requires additional 155,000 personnel to adequately provide security for the country with her huge population.

Aside the obvious discrepancies in personnel, other problems such as inappropriate policing, poor orientation and lack of proactive/preventive measures, brutality against citizens that include extra- judicial killings and corruption have made the Nigeria Police to perform generally below the expected deliverables.

In cities like Lagos, armed hoodlums frequently strike at will, robbing, maiming and killing their victims. Sometimes houses on an entire street are raided for several hours without police coming on time to offer any assistance.

Although all over the world, crime has been a subject of concern, in Nigeria the situation is peculiar because the police that are saddled with the responsibility of protecting the citizens, are often times found wanting.

It is only in Nigeria that police when going on operation continually blow siren to alert criminals. Only in Nigeria that whenever citizens call police on phone to report riot, incident of armed robbery, the officer in-charge would confidently inform the caller that no operational vehicle is available or that no petrol to fuel the vehicle.

For the Nigeria Police to effectively police Nigerian society, it must purge itself of all the bad eggs and sanitise the system so that Nigerian people would have confidence in the police.

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NATIONAL Chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP) Chief Olu Falae, has urged Nigerians of goodwill to rise against the illegality of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government to safeguard democracy.

Chief Falae, a former Secretary to the Military Government ( SMG) under General Ibrahim Babaginda gave the charge on yesterday in Lokoja when he presented the flag of the SDP to the candidate of the party, Hon. Umar Imam for the Saturday August 11, 2018 bye- election into the Lokoja /Koto Federal Constituency of the state.

The elder statesman noted that the late Bashorun MKO Abiola won election on this platform, in an election that was adjudged  to be most freest, fairest and credible in the history  of Nigeria, but was truncated by the Military, saying, the party has to be revived five years ago to save the country from underdevelopment, ineptitude and anarchy .

          He decried the action of the men of the DSS who invaded the NASS recently as undemocratic, and a call to anarchy,  urging  all Nigerians with Democratic credentials to rise up in defence of Democracy against the APC led administration at the centre, using force to muzzle oppositions .

He added that some Nigerians in 2015 joined forces together to fight the then ruling PDP which was  allegedly enmessed in corruption and ruthlessness, lamenting  that APC in   three years   has become worse than the PDP.

The Afeniferi  Chieftain explained that the illegality of the central government has trickled down to Kogi State  where a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt Hon Umar Imam’s seat was declared vacant for decamping from APC to SDP,  vowing to pursue the case in court to a logical conclusion.

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Friday News Headlines

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Make-up mogul, Kylie Jenner looked delectable in pictures rolling for the gram, as she celebrates her 21st birthday in LA, with family and friends.

The mother of one left no tables unturn on Thursday night, when she took her sisters and mother Kris Jenner to dinner at Craig’s in LA, before they headed to hot spot Delilah’s.

Kylie looked incredible as she debuted her platinum blonde locks while wearing a stunning magenta dress which had a cut-out detail on the waist.

Having given birth to baby Stormi in February, no doubt she was enjoying a rare night out on the town with her famous family.

They all dressed in brights to celebrate her special night.

However Photos gathered from DailyMail, sure has the eyes wowing and the lips smiling.

One Word: Kylie is sizzling hawt

More photos below ;

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Nigeria is the giant of Africa, with about 520 unique languages from it’s different state, although the official language of Nigeria is English, but one need not neglect his cultural language.

According to official data,there are more than 520 Nigerian languages spoken, nine of them are extinct, some like  Hausa, Urhobo, Fulfulde, Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio, Edo, and Kanuri have most of the speakers in Nigerian states.

However, Most spoken languages in Nigeria used for communications are:

1.Hausa In the meantime, is the most common language in Nigeria. It is also often associated with the Islamic culture. According to the electronic edition of Ethnologue – 1991 SIL, for 18.5 million of Nigerians Hausa is the first language and 15 million speak this Nigerian language as the second, Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Bauchi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Gombe states are main areas that speak the Hausa language.

2. Igbo More than 24 million people in Nigeria use the Igbo language for daily communication. Citizens of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states use the Igbo language as their first language.

3. Yoruba The Yoruba language is now spoken by about 21 million people (18.9 million – the first language and 2 million as second) in Nigeria. The Yoruba language is a major language in Nigeria. The main areas that speak this language are Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Ogun, Ondo, and Lagos states and some parts of Kogi State.

Yoruba is also widely spoken outside Nigeria. Same as the Igbo language, it is so widespread abroad due to Nigerian immigrants in the UK and the USA. This makes the Yoruba language the top most spoken Nigerian language in the world.

4. Fulfulde It is spoken by the Fulani diaspora in Northern Nigeria and cattle pastorals across the Sahel. 11.5 million Nigerians speak this language (2000) and the number is increasing ( 340,000 in Sokoto). The language is spoken in daily communication particularly in Kano, Katsina, Jos plateau, Bororo, Zaria, Maiduguri, Sokoto states.

5. Kanuri One of the most spoken languages in Nigeria is Kanuri. More than 3 million people consider Kanuri to be their first language and now Kanuri is spoken mostly in Borno, Gombre, Yobe, and Jigawa States. However, there are also about 500,000 people, who although do not speak Kanuri every day but use it as a second language occasionally.

6. Ijaw This language has a few different dialects. More than 2 million people in Delta, Ondo Bayelsa, and Ekiti states speak it. Egbema, Ikibiri Arogbo, and West Tarairi languages are considered to be this language’s dialects.

7. Pidgin English Have you heard anything about this type of English? Pidgin English is a blend of English and ethnic Nigerian languages. These days, there about 30 million speakers in Nigeria and the Pidgin language is mostly spoken in the Niger Delta region.

8. Tiv It is however, another major and at the same time minor language in Nigeria. About 2 million people in Nigeria speak this language, mainly in Benue State. Moreover, the language is widespread in Plateau, Nassarawa, and Taraba states.

9. Ibibio 1.5 million native speakers who consider this language as their first, while 4.5 million of Nigerians speak Ibibio as the second language. They are all mostly located in Akwa Ibom State but the speakers can be found in Abia, Rivers, and Cross River states. Aside from English, the Ibibio language is also taught in primary and secondary schools. Also, the local language of Akwa Ibom state is used for broadcasting on radio and television programs.

10. Edo Last, but not least – the Edo language and its 1 million native speakers. They live mostly in Edo State. There is a lack of common language in Edo state, so from time to time some efforts are put by the government to regulate the situation. Edo language is also spoken in Ondo and Delta states.

Other Nigerian Languages are:

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In the clip from the new season premiere of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian run into a bit of scheduling conflict ahead of the family’s annual Christmas card photo shoot. The argument was so steamy that Kim couldn’t help but reach a breaking point.

It all started when Kim Kardashian tried to organize a photo shoot for the famous family’s annual Christmas card. However, coordinating everyone’s schedule proved to be difficult, and Kourtney Kardashian wasn’t willing to budge on her availability. Fed up, Kim told her eldest sister “no one wants you in the f–king shoot.” When Kourtney protested about working around Kim’s schedule, the KKW Beauty head fired back.

“Maybe if you had a f–king business that you were passionate about then you would know what it takes to run a f–king business, but you don’t,” Kim yelled. “So, don’t even act like you know what I’m talking about.”

As Kourtney stormed off, Kim told Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner “she’s the least exciting to look at.” The comment and overall argument left Kourtney in tears.

“You guys just have really different values than me,” Kourtney later said on a phone call. “I choose to be a mother to my three kids. I’m not here looking for another job. I already work enough, more than I would like to.”

However, Kourtney’s comment set Kim off even more and Kim told her sister, “You don’t do sh-t.”

“You’re a very distraught, evil human being,” Kourtney replied. “I don’t want to see you, OK? I don’t agree with who you are as a human being.”

While Kim apologized to her sister, Kourtney wasn’t over the dispute. As a result, the eldest sibling ultimately decided to skip Kim’s baby shower for her third child Chicago West.

Here is a clip of the fight:

“I really hoped Kourtney was gonna get over herself and just show up, but she didn’t,” Kim said. “So, I don’t think she’s big on family ’cause if she was, she would be at my shower.”
Even though the dispute was a while ago, there still seems to be some underlying tension. The sisters got into a Twitter drizzle during the airing of the episode.

Take a look at the shoot that started it all!

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Nigerian Afro pop singer and songwriter, Yemi Alade is set to headline the 2018 Essence Street Style Block party.

known for unprecedented sense of style as well as and her musical prowess, she will join American counterpart Teyana Taylor.

Both ladies, will be bringing their plethora of high-energy hit songs to Brooklyn on the 9th of September from 12PM to 7PM.

She, revealed the development on her Instagram handle.

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Mothering for a working class mother can be a difficult thing in this modern time. That may not be exactly the case with a full time housewife. Our correspondent JOY IMISI examines some of the issues affecting both parties.

Quickly departing are the days when women were sit at home wives and mothers, cooking, cleaning and generally keeping the home together while the men went out to work and bring money home to support the family. In recent times a lot of women have taken up white collar jobs, as more moms than ever are in the workforce, in corporate offices, undertaking jobs that keep them more away from the home than otherwise. Women are entering, staying, or returning to the workforce following childbirth at an increasing number as they report various amounts of success in the workplace after they become mothers. As white collar jobs seems to be in short supply, some men are of the opinion that women are more favoured than men, because of their fragile nature which makes it easy for a woman to attract the sympathy of employers of labour, making more women become gainfully employed as compared to their male counterparts, or we can say it is a lot easier for a woman to get a job as she can use her feminine nature to break through any protocol even if she is not qualified. However, most women have taken up giant educational strides that accord them the opportunity to compete with their male counterparts on different grounds, therefore making some women take up the role of bread winners and front players in family provision because they make more money than their male partners. In some organisations, nursing mothers are given only three months maternity leave to nurse their babies after delivery, giving them time to heal and get their bodies strong enough to return back to work, most of which are 8-5pm jobs. Owing to this, a lot of three months old babies are taken to crèche so that their mothers can return back to work, as some women are the bread winners of their homes as we said earlier. However, in Nigeria, The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, has assured Nigerians that his ministry will collaborate with the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to increase maternity leave, from four to six months. The minister who made the disclosure at the flag off and policy dialogue of the World breastfeeding week in Abuja recently, said this will give mothers adequate time to practice exclusive breastfeeding. Mr. Adewole said the policy of new mothers returning to work before six months has remained a key barrier to exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria. Exclusive breastfeeding is the act of mothers putting newborns on strict breast milk diet for the first six months of their lives without giving them water or any other dietary supplements. Unfortunately, many Nigerians mothers, both those working in the formal and informal sectors have not been adhering to this due to time constraint. According to the minister, only 17 percent of Nigerian babies are breastfed exclusively for the first six months. He said the rate of exclusive breastfeeding has not substantially increased in the past two decades. He said inadequate maternal protection policies are partly reasons why many women do not have time to breastfeed exclusively because the duration of maternity leave is too short and urgent steps must be taken to encourage lactating mothers. However, this article is more concerned about the relationship that will exist between a child and an absent mother even from age three months considering the working mum versus the stay at home mum, because the earlier stages of a child’s life is very crucial for raising him or her, inculcating morals and values into them and playing a crucial role in their future development because a mother makes a tremendous contribution in her child’s life. A child’s life revolves around his or
her mother, or we can say a mother’s life revolves around her children. The love of a mother for her child is so beautiful, so powerful, and so sacred, it is almost impossible to capture it in words. Suffice it to say that the mother-child bond is the strongest yet the most fragile connection in the world. Nothing can destroy it, yet it is the most vulnerable as it is continually tested. From the moment a woman becomes a mother; her life takes a big turn. She no longer remains the woman whose world revolves around her. Her child, the apple of her eye, becomes her very own little universe, around which her whole life revolves. However, as much as she dotes on her child, her role in the child’s development is a critical one that is driven logically, not emotionally. A mother does not raise a child; a mother raises the future. Our correspondent spoke with Mrs. Bolanle Ositelu, A child development expert who noted that the role of a mother in the life of a child best remains unimagined as it is divinely orchestrated, but a lot of women prefer to be in the office more than spending ample time with their growing kids. ‘‘I am not saying that women should not
work because I am well aware of the nature of our economy which has forced most women out of the home but what I am saying is that a woman’s career should inevitably take the back seat the moment she steps into motherhood. ‘’One of the best things about staying at home with your children is that you can devote your time entirely to your little ones, Watch them grow, take care and comfort them and you have complete control of the household. Also, there is no unnecessary stress of meeting deadlines or attending late meetings which are quite prevalent in case of a working mother. You can spend quality time with your little ones and to a large extent monitor their general development,’’ she said. We also spoke with Mrs. Jumoke Odunsi who works full time, she said it never comes easy been a mom trying to juggle a full-time job with a family life but I have learnt to manage it because my husband’s job cannot take care of all our needs. “The kids are growing up, the market prices are going up but the salaries have remained the same, which was why my husband encouraged me to take up a paid employment. And I must say that I am actually happy as I go to work everyday, I can buy little things for my kids without asking my husband and I am also supporting him to make life very comfortable for my kids. I do not think my work has a negative effect on my kids because I was actually a stay home mum when they were much younger,’’ she said. However, Madam Julliet says she has been more a stay home mum since she got married to her husband five years ago, according to her it has been boring and she would prefer if she had a job like some of her neighbours. The mother of two noted that staying at home has made her add excess weight, reduced her self confidence and also made her withdrawn. She noted that it was not all a bag load of negative experiences because as a stay home mother it has given her the opportunity to bond with her children at a very personal stage, but she would not rule out the fact that staying at home for the last five years has done more harm to her but obliviously good to her family which remain priority to her. “I must say that the reason most women prefer to work is because the economy of the country does not permit one partner’s income to solve all the financial challenges of the family, for me my husband has done well for us but I would prefer to be a working mum to a stay home mother if given an option” she said It is therefore interesting to note that more women are willing to work, be it the working mum or stay at home mother, we can conclude by saying; do

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Pedestrian or foot bridges are bridges built for individuals to walk on. It is usually built across high ways, rivers and railway. A pedestrian bridge, also called a footbridge, is simply a bridge, whether over land or water, that is designed for foot traffic. Often, footbridges are constructed to give pedestrians a safe way to cross from one side of a busy road to the other. There are also pedestrian bridges built over railroad tracks, rivers, parking lots, canyons and other areas where walking could be perilous or even impossible. Most pedestrian bridges are built with timber, steel and concrete. It also has guard rails accompanied with it, some have a roof while other are open ended. The original purpose of the bridges is to reduce the high rate of accidents on high way as pedestrian some pedestals have fallen victims of accident as they attempted to cross major high ways.
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As commuters abandon FCT pedestrian bridges
In Abuja, its unfortunate that most people do not use these bridges due to fear of being robbed or out of negligence, also some say the bridges are stressful to climb and that by the time you are descending from them it appears like you have lost a pound of flesh. The FCT is a city of big, long wide roads spreading out within the expense of land so for most Abuja residents crossing through the express road posses a lot of threat to their lives. Particularly the Lugbe-airport axes, a lot of persons have been run over by careless drivers in as bid to cross the road, most of this victims were of the opinion that the cars were far away and they would be able to make it to the other side before the vehicle gets to them but unfortunately got knocked down, due to speed but we would not place all the blame on the drivers because it is a express road that would generally warrant that you drive on high speed. Having a chat with some pedestrians along Wuse District, most pedestrians prefer crossing the major roads because according to them it is faster than climbing a bridge to cross over to the other side.
Another argument raised is that the pedestrian bridges have lost their usefulness. A good example is that of Gwarimpa. Though it’s one of the most used bridges in Abuja. It is also a commercial sector. Instead of getting shops most traders prefer trading on the bridge as they say it’s easier to make profit were ‘there is crowd’ than getting a shop were you pay for and you’re not sure of making profit. Speaking with a resident by name Nonso, he said, “some people don’t use the pedestral bridges maybe because they are scared of falling. But the use of the high way is way more dangerous. I have used a pedestrian bridge and there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. But people complain that they get mugged on it. But one major reason people don’t use it is because of impatience.” According to Princewill, ‘‘I don’t use the pedestrian bridge because of the distance. Some times while getting to your destination with a taxi, you might not be dropped close to the bridge because of the spot you called. You just have to cross on your own. Even if you don’t like crossing, you just be forced to learn.”
Osinachi believes security is a major reason for the dying use of pedestrian bridge. “There are many pick pockets on the bridge especially when there is crowd towards the evening. You know some of these bridges are also markets and lodges. People sleep there, those who can’t pay for a normal apartment. We don’t know who is who. It becomes worst by 8-9pm in the night especially if you are alone. I won’t even advice a lady to follow that route. When you think about what might happen it’s just better for cross the high way.” Despite the challenges and disadvantages that associated with the use of pedestrian bridges, we cannot rule out the fact that the bridges were built for use and road safety purpose, they do not just beautify the state, they are there for our safety. It is up to the residents of the FCT to choose whether saving time is more important than saving lives, yourself and securing your future. All in all pedestrians are advised that where there are pedestrian bridges they should endeavour to use them.

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Paulee the wordsmith is a Lagos based Rap artist who speaking with Our Correspondent JOY IMISI says as a musical artist, you should spend ample time in the studio recording new songs so that your fans can identify with you.

I am a native of Edo State. My name is Paul Egbele, my stage name is Paulee the wordsmith. Far back to when I was a child I have always been passionate about music. The days of MTV, I would sit before the television and watch musical videos the whole day. I would listen to the radio like I was watching it. Music has always had an affinity with me and I remember what someone said to me some time ago, he said the way for you to identify your passion is, what is that thing you love doing so much that you are willing to do for free, I love music so much and I am willing to do it at no cost. Having lived in Festac town all my life up till date; I am a Lagos boy, husband, father and musician. How did you find yourself in music? I didn’t find myself in music, I found music in me because I have always been a music freak, music lover, although I did not actually plan to do music but a friend of mine named Stimulus who is a rapper would always discuss on the subject of music with me. According to Stimulus he was of the opinion that as long as I have a lot of knowledge about music, then I should be good at writing, so he encouraged me to start writing music. He invited me to the studio to sing on one of his tracks and that was how it started professionally. Stimulus and I have recorded a lot of music together; I featured him in some of the songs on my album and I must say that he is the catalyst behind my music carrier, which I have come to feel very comfortable with because music comes very natural to me. The first time I recorded a song was in 2013 about 5 years ago and since then I’ve just been recording because at every stage as a musical artist you should always be recording, you should spend ample time in the studio, as a musical artist people have to know you, people have to know your content, over the years I have put up over 26 songs on YouTube and people have been listening to it and giving me positive feedback. What is your genre of music? I will say I do primarily hip hop, but permit me to use the word Naija Twist because we put a part of our culture into the music so it’s not exactly like American hip hop because hip hop is hip hop because American put their culture in their music. So we tried to put our own culture in our hip hop, I try not to limit myself when it comes to the genre of music I make because I listen to all kind of music, I listen to country music, I listen to hard rock a little, I listen to rap I love all kinds of music so I love to write the unusual, I take it as a challenge and I love doing that. I major in rap music but like I said in one of my songs I did not choose the music, the music chose me, when I want to express myself this is how it comes out, it comes out as rap, if I could sing like Drake, I would have been singing. Once I have an inspiration I have I to write in any genre, I take it as a challenge and I like to do things differently,
because I do not like to limit myself to a particular genre so that whenever you hear Paulee the wordsmith you should expect to hear anything from me because my education in music is vast, so I can write all kinds of music. Tell us about your album The title of my album is SIRIUS and the concept behind this name was derived from the brightest star in the galaxy. The album was completed earlier in the year as it is officially my first studio album which is available for downloads. On the album we have 18 tracks with one introduction track, which is an intro to the artist then 17 songs that is 18 songs in total. Actually, it was produced as my MLV as I did the album in collaboration with another artist, my friend, his name is Devo, who is a singer and the reason why I did the album with him is because we work on music together, since I write and I am a strong advocate of melody in music, Devo adds melody to our music. It is like a joint album we have two solo artists who collaborated with us as a group and we are also called SIRIUS for two of us because we are two shining stars that want to shine brightest in any galaxy or any space we put our music out to. This album is actually a serious album as we are dropping the album as super dope, we are solo artist, we work together and we work with other artist. Also the album is just an expression of ever part of me, to my thoughts, my experiences and the way I see the world. That is basically what you should expect to get from the album.
Interestingly, this is my first album and this is Devo’s, first album, we are a super group that wants to get our message out there, connect with people who love our music and can also relate to it What is the message from your music? The kind of message our music carries is express yourself, that’s my number one message, how you see life, how you think , you may not be popular, you may not be correct but you are who you are and you are a product of your environment and experiences. So when you express yourself boldly people will connect to you. Some persons may like it, others may not like it but that is how life goes generally, you can never satisfy everyone. The message is express yourself because I am expressing myself on every track in different ways and then when you think of our target audience we just say anyone who can relate. There are some tracks on the album that children can relate to and we have the ones for adults who are our major target audience, in all it is an album to listen to. Other artist you aspire to work with Like I said, where I am in music now is expressing myself and I have been opportune to meet with a lot of great minds during my course of recording in and out of the studio. I am a rap artist and I admire MI, Vector, Mode 9, I have listened to their music for years, I actually draw a lot of inspiration from their music and I believe that I will work with them at some point. Challenges For anything to work in this world you need money and you cannot deny it. If I had some extra cash for studio sessions, for promoting my music, for quality production, because the level of your production is determined by the amount of money you have at your disposal am sure the challenges would be less. Also, some producer have distinguished themselves as a result they make quality music, you would need a large amount of money to work with them, the likes of Don Jazzy comes to mind, let me add that it would be an honour to work with Don Jazzy and since that is yet to be achieved it can be termed a challenge. At your spare time I write music and spend quality time with my family.
Paulee

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National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole, said Senator Bukola Saraki’s era as Senate President is over as he must be impeached by majority senators from the All Progressives Congress, in accordance with the constitution.

The Senate is due to reconvene next Tuesday, with APC laying claim to 53 Senators and PDP 48. The APC majority may increase to 55 if the party wins the two senate seats in Katsina and Bauchi in bye-elections on Saturday.

Oshiomhole said Saraki cannot preside over the senate and sustain a minority rule, with APC Senators in the majority.

Oshiomhole at a press briefing in Abuja today said Saraki must be impeached in accordance with the Constitution, adding that he would not be the first or the last President of the Senate to be impeached.

“He will definitely be impeached according to law and democratic norms; the only way Saraki can avoid impeachment is for him to do what is honourable.

“This again, led to the issue of character we saw in Sen. Godswill Akpabio who was the PDP leader in the Senate.

“Once he made up his mind to leave the PDP, even before announcing his defection, he wrote to his party as a man of honour, informing them of his resignation.

“Sen. Saraki has demonstrated neither character nor being a man of honour; once he made up his mind to leave the APC, the honourable thing for him to do is to resign,” Oshiomhole said.

“I think Saraki’s time is over; the way he has manipulated the politics of Kwara, he failed to understand that Nigeria’s national project is far more complicated.

“He will not only be impeached, we will have him defeated as a senator in his own senatorial zone by the people of Kwara who are fed up with Saraki.’’

Oshiomhole recalled that Buhari in 2015, got more votes from Kwara Central than Saraki got, adding that his defection to the PDP had no political consequences to the APC with regard to electoral issues.

He clarified that it was the armed robbers that linked Saraki to the Offa robbery in which several persons were killed and not the Federal Government as he claimed.

Oshiomhole also criticised Saraki for never acting in the nation’s interest as he claimed. He said Saraki had always been concerned about his personal interest and how he would remain in power.

“The President of the Senate raised the issue that he had always acted not on the bases of his own personal interest, but on national interest.

“The truth is that it is doubtful if he has ever acted either on national interest or in the interest of his own political party before his recent defection,” he said.

He alleged that while in the APC, Saraki connived with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to become the President of the Senate and thereby conceded the position of the Deputy Senate President to the opposition.

The chairman said that Saraki did that to obtain the support of the opposition to become the President of the Senate.

He noted that the action portrayed Saraki for who he was – a person whose personal interest always came first before any other interest, including national interest.

Oshiomhole said Saraki did not stop at that, but went further to appoint PDP senators to head strategic committees whose activities could affect the workings of government and the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.

He added that Saraki traded such sensitive positions to continue to protect himself against the wish of his party as Senate President.

According to him, the only thing that is constant in Saraki’s mind is how to remain in power even if it is at the expense of his party or the country.

The chairman disclosed that issues had been raised over whose interest the legislature under Saraki was serving, especially with regards to the budget.

He said that while Nigerians expected the APC-led Federal Government to make up for lost time this year in terms of budget implementation and addressing critical infrastructure, the Senate under Saraki was frustrating its efforts.

“The Senate under Saraki chose this period to delay the budget up to the first half of the year.

“This is to coincide with the period of rainy session to make the completion of those aspect of infrastructure, such as road, difficult.

“This was designed to frustrate the capacity of President Muhammadu Buhari to address critical infrastructural deficit,” Oshiomhole said.

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The Turkish currency, lira tumbled over 16 percent to new record lows against the dollar on Friday as strains with the United States intensified.

A defiant President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proclaimed Turkey would emerge victorious in an “economic war” with the United States as President Donald Trump doubled steel and aluminium tariffs on Turkey.

The lira’s plunge is one of the most serious economic crises that Erdogan has faced since coming to power in 2003 in the wake of a financial crisis in 2001 that brought the economy to near meltdown.

The currency turbulence coincides with the most bitter dispute with the United States since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, which so far shows no sign of abating.

Fears over contagion even pushed global equity markets lower, with some European banks coming under heavy selling pressure due to their exposure to Turkey.

The lira was trading at 6.4 to the dollar at 1600 GMT, a loss on the day of 16.4 percent. Earlier it had fallen as much as 22 percent.

“The Turkish Lira is in a state of crisis, as a result of investor confidence in Turkish assets remaining at alarmingly low levels,” said Jameel Ahmad, Global Head of Currency Strategy & Market Research at FXTM.

But Erdogan, who had remained unusually silent until now as the lira crisis mounted, urged Turks to take matters into their own hands.

“If you have dollars, euros or gold under your pillow, go to banks to exchange them for Turkish lira. It is a national fight,” he said.

“This will be the response to those who have declared an economic war,” he said, blaming Turkey’s woes on what he described as an “interest rate lobby” seeking to push the country to higher rates.

Erdogan had raised eyebrows Thursday when he appeared to invoke divine intervention, saying: “If they have dollars, we have our people, we have our right and we have Allah!”

Turkey remains at loggerheads with the United States over the detention for the last two years of American pastor Andrew Brunson and a host of other issues.

Trump intensified the alarm on financial markets with a new tweet on the Turkey row.

“I have just authorised a doubling of tariffs on Steel and Aluminium with respect to Turkey as their currency, the Turkish Lira, slides rapidly downward against our very strong Dollar!” Trump said on Twitter.

“Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!”

But Erdogan said Turks should not be alarmed by exchange rate movements. “The dollar, the mollar, will not cut our path,” said Erdogan, adding Turkey had alternatives “from Iran, to Russia, to China and some European countries”.

Erdogan also Friday held telephone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing economic and trade issues as well as the Syria crisis, the Turkish presidency said.

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Immediate past secretary to Ebonyi State government, Professor Bernard IfeanyiOdoh has urged Governor David Umahi to address the many economic challenges facing the country and stop dwelling much on attacking personalities.
Odoh was replying Governor Umahi over allegation that he influenced the sack of a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Chief Ogodo-Ali Moses, when he held sway as SSG.
Recall that Governor Umahi had on Thursday, while swearing-in Chief Ogodo-Ali who was reinstated as commissioner designate after about four months of his dismissal, said his offence did not merit sack but was influenced by the former SSG to sack him.
Odoh had voluntarily resigned after serving as SSG for about 30 months in Umahi’s cabinet last April and has defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, during its rally in the state last week.
Coincidentally, Chief Ogodo-Ali hails from same Ezza North Local Government Area of the state with the former SSG.
Odoh in his reaction argued that “if Governor Umahi can shamelessly claim that he sacked his commissioner on the bases of an alleged verbal communication with me, it stands to reason that his judgement is not only questionable but extremely faulty.
“Otherwise, how could a man with a sound mind entrusted with the fate of over three million people take such a weighty decision hastily, carelessly, and without due consideration?
“Excellencies(sic) are not expected to act without clarity of thoughts and logic. This is the trouble with the present government. All her policies are not only ill-conceived but ill-motivated. The present attempt at cover up is both cheap and demeaning of his status.
“The government cannot be taking on personalities in the state when practically every Ebonyian is getting poorer and broke under its watch without modest efforts to address the many economic woes buffeting the people that elected it. It is only regrettable that whilst this blame-game and buck-passing is daily on in the State, the people now live on less than $200 as it’s per capital income,”Odoh averred.
He further asserted that his Ezza clan including those on the streets and in villages know those who actually have their greatest interest at heart, alleging further that the government was only stepping its game of desperation for re-election in 2019 by mischievously trying to set brothers, unions, associations and communities against one another other.
“The choice would therefore only be that of Ebonyians to make, whether all these would be allowed to continue. I only talk policies and developmental issues and not petty politics,” he added.
The former SSG noted that it was a thing of great concern that the Umahi-led administration might not even be aware that latest economic rankings put Ebonyi in 32nd spot out of the 36 states of the federation in the per-capital-income rating and the 33rd spot in the entire federation in the Ease of Doing Business, noting that the government had, regrettably, not attracted a single investor into the state since its inception.
Odoh said investors were rarely attracted to economic environments with this kind of ridiculous ranking.
“Like I had expressly stated in my resignation letter and which some knowledgeable and reasonable members of the Ebonyi public are also already aware, there are lots of policy failures going on under the watch of the governor, which he has failed to address. The governor should therefore lay down pedestrian issues and face economic, governance and development issues,” he had maintained.
According to him, “These issues include but not limited to total collapse of public institutions of state, inoperative bureaucracy with ministries having no permanent secretaries, near closure of the local government system in the state and over-centralised control of MDAs.”
He noted that public infrastructures were all concentrated in mainly two locations – the governor’s Uburu hometown and the Abakalikicapital city – with no serious efforts being made to drive developments down to the grassroots.
He further accused the government of deliberately introducing the policies of starvation, redundancy and unproductivity in the state’s civil service while pensioners and retirees had long been abandoned to fatalistic resignation

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Despite the benefits developed and developing countries are gaining from the initiative of Public Private Partnerships(PPP) in the provision of infrastructure for the past two decades, Nigeria is not yet ready to embrace it to attract Private investment in the provision of the highly needed infrastructure projects.
This is largely due to the country’s harsh policies which investor consider toxic and risky for their investment. PPP is a system where government all over the world leverage on the private sector finances and managerial knowhow to provide infrastructure that is the exclusivereserved of government for public usethrough equitable risk sharing process. , while the private investor earn a fair return on their investment over time.
But like any business investment, the decision to invest in a country will depend on the fact that the environment must be conducive with the assurances of the returns, since the funds though long term and relatively cheap are deposits from orphans and widows, retirees,etc whichmust be paid as and when due.
The general World Bank survey’s over the years to gauge the interest of international investors in the power sector in developing countries shows factors responsible for influencing the decision to invest by the private operators. These factors are equally applicable to other infrastructure sectors also.
These are as follows,
Government and Legislative processes:
1. Administrative efficiency- lead time to get necessary approvals and licenses
2. Judicial independence-degree of perceived from government influence.
3. Country ranking in Transparency International Corruption Perception Index.
4. Regulations that clearly define and allow exit for investors in infrastructure.
5. Reliance on competitive bidding process to select project investor or purchaser.
The Economy:
1. Investment grade credit rating for long-term foreign exchange debt.
2. Cost and available tenors to borrow in domestic banking market.
The sectors Current Status:
1.Consumer payment discipline and enforcement.
2. Availability of credit enhancement or guarantee from the government, multilateral agency, or both.
3. Ability to vertically integrate with the other segments of the chain (for example in power sector, upstream generation or downstream distribution, gas supplies, power exports and so on ).
4. legal frame work defining the rights and obligations of private investors.
5. Sector in transition to a competitive market structure.
6. Independence of regulatory institution and processes from arbitrary government interference .
The Political Economy:
1.Tenure and stability of elected officials in political process.
2. Negative perceptions and resistance to private investment among members of civil society (Trade unions, NGOs).
So governments who want to attract private investments must create environment that will meet the above World Bank standard for private investors to invest.
Base on the above, the World Bank has created a global criteria for ease of doing business as a guide for investors willing to invest in a country.
In Nigeria, looking at the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index it is very clear that the investment environment is toxic to private investors. In the World Bank annual review of ease of doing business report of 2018, Nigeria is ranked as the 45th on the Global scale. The position that is a marked improvement from 169 in 2017 is still below average in the Sub Sahara African Countries. This recorded improvement is mostly in the areas of business registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), online applications and constructionpermits. In the same period Nigeria recorded poorly in access to and reliable of electricity, which constitutes the major cost of doing business in Nigeria.
In the same report,Muaritius was ranked 25th position in the ease of doing business in the Sub-Sahara African (according to the World Bank ease of doing business Report of 2018). This is closely followed by Rwanda 41, Kenya 80, Botswana and South Africa 82.
Nigeria’s celebration of 145th position in ranking is of no moment compare to other economies.Nigeria needs to work harder in the midst of the toxic climate which no investor can endure.
The recent bickeringbetween the Minister of Power, Works and Housing Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola and the Operators of Electricity Distributions companies in Nigeria is a testimony of how toxic the investment environment is for private investors.
As a certified PPP specialist, I consider such bickering over a contractual relationship as toxic. The privatization of Power Sector is considered as the only successful Private Sector engagement in the provision of public infrastructure in the country. Critiques of the privatization faulted the process but at least there was a contractual agreement between government and the private operators. The private operators invested over $1.4bn to acquire the Discos, this money which was 75%/ 25% debt and equity was paid to government before taken over the Discos in 2013 with the understanding that both parties in the partnership will comply with their obligations. Top on the list of the obligations of government was to provide a tariff that will cover the cost of producing power, power as you know is cost intensive.The second obligation is a guaranteed quantity of power to be distributed by the Discos among other things. As at this point in time none of these obligations has been fulfilled by government, almost five years in the privatization of the power sector, leaving the sector in this same situation of pre privatization. This is largely due to the inappropriate polices of government in handling the power sector outside of the agreement with the private operators.
Government has jettisoned the various contractual agreements the private operators signed with BPE (Bureau of Public Enterprises) and politicized the sector to the point of issuing out orders through the regulatory body Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which are not feasible for the smooth operations of the Discos at this time in the life of the privatization.
The recent nasty engagements between the Minister of Power Works and Housing and the Discos is another wrong move of interfering in a business that is contractually entered into by BPE and the operators.
This clearly shows that government is not ready to create a safe environment for the operations of the Discos by the private investors. These kind of interference is considered toxic by investors who feel there is no sanctity of contracts in Nigeria, especially changes in policies irrespective of the contractual agreements.
This continuous interference by the Honourable Minister by way of directives to NERC to issue out unpopular regulations is making the regulator a willing tool in fighting private operators. NERC as a regulator is considered to be independent giving consumers, operators and other stakeholders the confidence in the business. But in this situation, they are seen to be acting the script of government at the disadvantage of the operators in the power sector.
This interferences is seen as an attempt to weaken the institutions in the power sector and also the Bureau for Public Enterprises(BPE) who midwifed the privatization of the power sector in Nigeria. This if not checked, will contribute to the loss of confidence in future privatization exercise by BPE. This also contributed to the loss of interest by private investors to invest in Nigeria as is the case with the non response to the sale of Yola Disco and other NIPP Power Plants in the country recently advertised by BPE.
To get private investment attraction in a country is beyond institutions and legislation, it is about government will and adherence to the rule of law that is why, in Nigeria even with the establishment of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission(ICRC) since 2015 to regulate PPP, it is stocked with PPP projects in the pipelines. From the above World Bank gauge and Ease of Doing Business Index and the recent interference by the Minister of Power ,Works and Housing in the power sector clearly shows there is no serious commitment from government in utilizing the benefits of PPP in Nigeria.

Joseph Tsavsar
Certified PPP specialist, Certified Independent Director and Member of Institute of Directors(MIoD).
Senior partner, PPP Projects consults Ltd, Abuja.

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Nigerian Peoples Congress, NPC, has resolved to pick its presidential and vice presidential candidates for the 2019 presidential election from the North-East and South-East geographical zones of the country, respectively.
This was revealed in a statement in Kaduna by the national chairman of the party, Barrister Suleiman Akasawua, stating that the decision was aimed at ensuring justice, fairness, equity and to give a sense of belonging to each and every geographical zone concerning leadership of the country.
He enjoined all Nigerians to take necessary steps to participate actively in the forthcoming general elections by ensuring that they had their permanent voter cards.
Akasawua called on security agencies in the country to remain neutral in all political disputes so that they would continue to enjoy the trust and cooperation of Nigerians,adding that the country was passing through very bad times and all hands must be on deck to salvage the situation.
The national chairman also condemned the recent invasion of the National Assembly by the Department of State Service, DSS, early this week.

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Senate minority whip, Senator Philip Aduda (PDP-FCT) has debunked media reports on his alleged planned defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, describing it as false and unfounded.
Aduda, while fielding questions from Senate correspondents on the report, said it was nothing but figment of imagination of those behind it, as he had no such plan, more so since he had been in PDP since 1998.
“No, I have not defected; I am in Peoples Democratic Party. I am not planning to defect; body and soul, I am in PDP. I am a bona fide PDP member and I am a leader in the PDP and not only being a leader in PDP, but a loyal member of the party from my ward to national level.
“I have heard the trend on the social media and also all sorts of stories on the alleged defection but it is false. People have called me from all over the world and even my constituents. I want to thank those who expressed concern about my political career and future.
“We must continue to build not only institutions but parties. And as such my ideology is with the PDP and I am still a member of the PDP,” he said.
On the sudden defection of Senator Godswill Akpabio to the APC, he said though Akpabio is his friend, his defection to the ruling party could not influence his decision to remain with the PDP.
“You should know that politics has nothing to do with friendship and as such, we have our political differences.
“For me I want to re-iterate that I worked very hard for the people of FCT and nothing will hamper me from working for the people of FCT. So, Akpabio has his reasons for leaving PDP but for me, I will continue to serve the PDP and I am loyal to my party,” he stressed.

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