Wike takes Rivers leaders on a tour to see the level of destructions Amaechi administration did to govt facilities

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike yesterday took leaders of the state on a tour of the Government House, Port Harcourt allegedly vandalised by officials of the administration of the immediate past governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Below is a press statement and more photos.

The  Governor  took the  leaders to the Residential  Quarter,  Offices and the Banquet  Hall where key furniture, televisions and electrical  accessories were vandalised  by the  former  administration.

The  prominent  Rivers  leaders on the  tour were the Deputy Governor, Dr Mrs. Ipalibo Banigo, former  Deputy  Governor,  Tele Ikuru,  former  Attorney-General  of the  , Frank Owhor,  Acting  National  Chairman of  PDP,  Uche Secondus,  Former  Minister  of  Sports,  Dr Danagogo,  Former  Minister  of  Trade and  investment,  Kenneth  Kobani and Rivers  State  PDP  Chairman,  Bro Felix Obuah. Former  Minister of  Transport,  Dr Abiye  Sekibo and Nigeria's  Ambassador to  South  Korea,  Desmond  Akawor  were also part of  the  tour.

Speaking  with  journalists  after the tour, Rivers  State  Deputy  Governor,  Dr Mrs.  Ipalibo Harry Banigo berated officials  of the  immediate  past  administration  for embarking on the vandalism  of property  of government  at the Government  House,  Port  Harcourt.

Immediate  Past  Deputy  Governor of  the  state,  Tele  Ikuru  regretted that officials of the Amaechi  administration  would stoop so low to steal furniture,  coat of arms, crested rugs and electrical fittings  in the Government  House.

He urged the  governor  to take steps to ensure  that  all those involved  in  the  looting  of facilities  in the Government  House,  House,  Port Harcourt.

Rivers  State PDP  Chairman,  Bro  Felix  Obuah  condemned  the  vandalism  of beds and furniture  at the official  quarter of the Governor.

He said: "It is unimaginable  that the beds, chairs and official crested rugs in  the  Governor’s  official  quarters  were stolen. Even the foam they left is Mouka  foam, which they used to replace the  original  foam.

"This level of looting  is embarrassing  and must not go unpunished.  It is sad that officials  of the  last administration  will go that level in their quest to  destabilise  the  incoming  administration ".

At the  Banquet  Hall of the Government House,  Port Harcourt,  officials  of the  administration  had moved away more than 500 chairs and key tables from the facility  that takes 1000 persons.

Kitchen  accessories  in the  Governor’s  official  quarters  were  also  vandalised  by officials  of  the  former  administration.

Picture 1. Vandalised  Banquet  Hall
Picture 2. Vandalised  Kitchen
Picture 3: Vandalised Television  Spot
Picture 4: Vandalised  Sitting  room  at Governor’s  official  quarters
Picture  5: Governor  Wike  showing  leaders where looted golden crested rug use to be

I'm a tricycle snatcher, not armed robber’

Operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, are currently investigating a member of tricycle-snatching gang Emmanuel Godwin, 28-year-old from Edo state, operating in Lagos and its environs. According to Godwin, he said he was just a tricycle snatcher and not an armed robber, since he does not use guns.

''I am a tricycle snatcher, not an armed robber because I don’t use gun. I steal from park and when I ask tricycle rider for a test drive and he allows me, I run away with the tricycle. The market price of a tricycle is N400,000. But I used to sell each tricycle for N60,000. I stole five tricycles and sold them to one Aye at Ijora. I also sold two to one Liwan. Aye still owes me for two tricycles I sold to him, while Liwan is yet to pay for another I sold to him,'' Godwin said.

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How we discovered N8bn currency fraud – CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday explained how it discovered the N8 billion currency fraud. In a statement issued yesterday, Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Alhaji Ibrahim Muazu said, “The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would like to inform the general public of the chronology of events that led the Management of the CBN to handover some unscrupulous staff to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for prosecution.

“During a routine internal audit of the Bank’s Cash Destruction activities in September 2014, the CBN Briquetting Panel comprising Senior Bank Staff from different branches noticed some anomalies at the Ibadan Branch, and immediately reported this to the Bank’s Management.

On further investigation ordered by the Governor, it was discovered that a systematic scheme, which has been on for several years, was being run in which mutilated higher denomination notes originally meant for destruction were swapped with lower denomination currencies.

This practice known as interleafing, basically labels a box with a higher value than its true content.

“As soon as the Bank’s internal investigations concluded beyond reasonable doubt that some wrongdoing had occurred, the affected members of staff who are middle-level officers were, depending on gravity of offence, either summarily dismissed or immediately placed on indefinite suspension on 21 October 2014, and all handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.

The CBN has also conducted a nationwide audit of all 37 branches of the Bank and found that this was an isolated scheme at Ibadan Branch. The Bank will continue to collaborate with the EFCC to ensure that affected CBN staff, as well as their accomplices in some commercial banks, are brought to justice.”

Recall that the EFCC on Sunday said that it has arrested six top officials of Nigeria’s Central Bank and 16 other workers of commercial banks for stealing and putting into circulation defaced and mutilated Nigerian currency notes to the tune of N8 billion meant for destruction.

The Commission said that the suspects have already been taken into EFCC custody preparatory to their arraignment at the Federal High Court, Ibadan on Tuesday, June 2. The trial will run till June 4 in a bid to speed up the prosecution of the suspects by the court.

A statement signed by the Head of Media of the EFCC, Mr. WilsonUwujaren, gave the names of the suspects as: Patience Okoro Eye( Abuja) , Afolabi Olufemi( Lagos), Kolawole Babalola( Ibadan), Olaniran Muniru Adeola(Ibadan), Fatai Yusuf, Adekunle( Head, Security, CBN, (Ibadan) and Ilori Adekunle Sunday,(Akure).

The 16 suspects who colluded with the CBN officials to commit the fraud are officials drawn from Zenith Bank, FCMB, Wema Bank, Access Bank, First Bank, Skye Bank, Ecobank and Sterling Bank.

- Vanguard

Naval officer beats up FIRST Nigerian Trekker for Buhari over traffic argument in Abuja

The first Nigerian trekker who trekked for president Buhari, from Lagos to Abuja in honor of him' has been beaten up by an unidentified naval officer. According to twitter user, Elvis Iyongurum, the naval officer with 3 of his other colleagues in  Zone 1 Abuja got physical with Suleiman over issues on traffic obstruction in Abuja on June1st.

Impeached Adamawa Governor, Murtala Nyako in EFCC Custody

The former governor of Adamawa state has turned himself in to the anti-graft agency yesterday June 1st.

Murtala Nyako returned to the country over the weekend from a self imposed exile after he was impeached in July 2014, is currently being interrogated by EFCC officials in Abuja over allegations bordering on financial impropriety and gross misconduct which are the reasons why he was impeached from office.

Muslim woman wins 7 years court case against Abercrombie and Fitch

The US Supreme Court ruled in favour of a muslim woman named Samantha Elauf after seven year of her case being denied of a job because of her headscarf. The case was taken up by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after she was turned down for the job in 2008, aged 17.

"Observance of my faith should not have prevented me from getting a job. I am glad that I stood up for my rights and am happy that the EEOC was there for me and took my complaint to the courts," the 24-year-old said.

The young woman first won £13,000 when the case was heard before a federal district court, but the Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado, threw it out and ruled in favour of Abercrombie. The high court then backed Elauf, from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Nihad Awad, the national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said:

"We welcome this historic ruling in defence of religious freedom at a time when the Amercan Muslim community is facing increased levels of Islamophobia."

As well as support from Muslim groups, organisations representing Christians, Jews and Sikhs also voiced their support of Elauf.

However a spokesperson for Abercrombie has said the case will continue, claiming that the justices had not ruled that discrimination took place.

"We will determine our next steps in the litigation," the spokesperson said.

92-year-old cancer survivor is oldest woman ever to finish marathon

Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina, finished the Suja Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon yesterday in 7 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds, setting the world record for the fastest marathon ever by a woman 90 years or older, according to the race organizers.

Despite overcoming health and emotional obstacles such as the loss of her husband in January, The 92-year-old  managed to finish her 16th marathon on Sunday to a cheering crowd. The previous record was set by Gladys Burrill at the 2010 Honolulu Marathon with a time of 9 hours, 53 minutes and 16 seconds when she was 92, but more than a month younger than Thompson is now.

"I put one foot down and then another one. Actually, I don't know. It's just I love to run," she said in an interview, when asked how she does it.

Buhari to visit Chad and Niger on June 3 & 4

In a bid to find a lasting solution to the continued attacks by Boko Haram members, President Buhari will on Wednesday June 3rd visit Niger Republic and on Thursday June 4th visit Chad where he is expected to hold talks with the Presidents of both countries.

"Buhari will go to Niger Republic on Wednesday and will spend a night there before proceeding to Chad the next day (Thursday),"  Garba Shehu said in a statement.

In a related development, President Buhari earlier today had a closed door meeting with the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki(retd.).at the Defence House in Abuja.

Police gives Ronaldo warning after he was caught urinating in the street

The 30-year-old footballer was spotted leaving Saint Tropez's exclusive club Le Quai in the early hours of Monday, before using the street as the toilet, with his actions drawing the attention of the police who immediately gave him a stern talking to.

After leaving he was caught urinating in front of an ice cream store in the upmarket old harbour area of Saint Tropez as his friends stood guard nearby.

Despite trying to hide behind a car, port security guard agents were quick to spot the star, and immediately asked him to move on from the area.

The footballer was causally dressed for his night out, wearing long navy shorts and a white t-shirt.
A pair of white trainers and a sweater thrown around his shoulders finished off his preppy look.

The star looked sheepish as he was given a stern talking to by police before walking on with his two male friends.

Kardashians and Jenners react to Caitlyn Jenner's Big Debut!

Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, just made her debut on the cover of Vanity Fair. The photos were shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz and they were taken in the 65-year-old former Olympian’s home in Malibu.

“If I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never ever did anything about it, I would be lying there saying, ‘You just blew your entire life,’” she told the mag.

Now that all five of the Kardashian-Jenner ladies have weighed in on Caitlyn Jenner‘s big debut, let’s recap all of their social media support in one place! Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Kendall, and Kylie have all posted the cover of Vanity Fair on their Instagram pages and shared messages of support for their father.

 Kim and Kendall both posted messages on Twitter as well.

See below!

''be free now pretty bird,'' Kendall Jenner tweeted

''Everyone please follow @Caitlyn_Jenner on twitter! xoxo,'' Kim also tweeted. ''Caitlyn Jenner for Vanity Fair 📷 Annie Leibovitz! How beautiful! Be happy, be proud, live life YOUR way!'' added on instagram

''We were given this life because you were strong enough to live it! I couldn't be prouder!!! Caitlyn, You are beautiful!!! 💋'' Khloe captioned on instagram


''Freedom! Stunning. #Caitlyn,'' Kourtney on IG

''now that's a cover,'' Kendall on IG

''My angel on earth! #caitlyn,'' Kylie too on IG

Marwa formally quits PDP, decides on APC in the coming days

After several political permutations, a former military governor of Lagos state, Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd), on Monday formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A terse statement issued in Abuja by Gen. Marwa’s media aide, Bello Zubairu, said “the former military governor decided to quit the PDP on personal grounds."

It would be recalled that before the emergence of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Gen Marwa was the governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Adamawa state and after the merger of CPC and other opposition parties to form the APC, thousands of his supporters from several local government areas of Adamawa state were technically denied the opportunity to register in the new party then.

Although the statement is silent on whether Marwa will be returning to the APC, it however stated that “the retired General will be making public his next line of action in the coming days.”

“He appealed to his numerous supporters and well-wishers who have been calling him for direction from across the country to await his next move”, the statement added.

Signed...
Mallam Bello Zubairu
Spokesperson

Mexico's president changes asset declaration in wake of Reuters report on land deal

Under pressure to detail his personal wealth, Mexico's president has made changes to his declaration of assets following a Reuters report that cast doubt on how he acquired one of his properties near Mexico City.

President Enrique Pena Nieto released the annual update to his declaration of assets late on Sunday, days after a Reuters report showed he purchased a 1,000 square meter plot of land in the town of Valle de Bravo that he has declared as a donation from his late father.

Opposition lawmakers from left and right have demanded that Pena Nieto make a full declaration of his assets, which total at least $3 million.

The new declaration added notes explaining why Pena Nieto had described the purchased property, as well as another 24,000 square meter plot of land, as donations from his father.

"The price was paid by my father, Enrique Pena del Mazo, who determined that the properties would be in my name, and it is for that reason that the same are declared as donations," the note said.

A public registry document that Reuters obtained shows that Pena Nieto purchased the property. There is no reference to his father in the document.

Lawyers consulted by Reuters said the incorrect asset declaration constitutes a false statement to authorities.

They said that, under Mexican law, even if his father gave him the money to purchase the property, he could not declare it as a donation, pointing to articles 7610 and 7620 of the Civil Code of the State of Mexico, the region where Valle de Bravo lies.

Presidential spokesman Eduardo Sanchez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The 48-year-old president has been under pressure in recent months over conflict-of-interest scandals centered on properties that he, his wife Angelica Rivera and Finance Minister Luis Videgaray acquired from government contractors.

The latest declaration also changed references to the values of three properties Pena Nieto acquired in the 1980s.

In his prior statement of assets, the properties were incorrectly valued in so-called old pesos, which undervalued them by a factor of 1,000. The amended declaration values the holdings in new pesos. Mexico revalued the peso in 1993, which lopped three zeroes off the currency.

The declaration made no reference to the exchange rate at the time of the acquisitions, nor inflation since, making it hard to specify their real current worth. The three-page document does not state where the president's properties are located.

- Reuters

Photos: Garba Shehu's first day on his new job

The SSA to Buhari on Media and Publicity shared photo of himself on first day on his new job May 1st.

''Garba Shehu hits the ground running today his first day as Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to president Buhari,'' he said.

Fayose Begs Buhari To Save Him From Impeachment

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are in a state of alarm over an unlawful conspiracy initiated by members of the All Progressive Congress (APC), to remove Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose from office.

Fayose who has been in a continuous clash with members of the State House of Assembly acquired an authorized court order that barred the members from beginning the impeachment process.

Uche Secondus, who is The Acting Chairman of the PDP, addressed a group of elected lawmakers at a party gathering in Port Harcourt this morning. He stated, "that the Ekiti lawmakers "are presently camped at a location in Osun in preparation to be moved to Ekiti."

Thereafter, Mr. Secondus said the party considered it a criminal act if the Ekiti lawmakers are permitted to move forward with their intentions.

"We call on President Buhari to intervene. As a Party, we will not sit down and watch democracy being derailed. We have been working on deepening democracy for the past 16 years. We must continue to deepen it and I call on you to deepen democracy."

Mr. Secondus called on the Party to end throwing blame at one another and instead for them to all together head the task of rebuilding the Party.

He stated that PDP intends to upgrade its research and communication units so that it can be an adept opposition Party.

President of the Senate, David Mark, said that with unity between party members and cooperation between leadership of the party, PDP will be better able to give the ruling APC a tough fight.

Ambode's first day on the Job

The governor of Lagos state, Akinwunmi Ambode shared photo of himself in office and wrote, "My first day in office!"

What did governor Ambode do on his first day in office?

Escaped prisoner who cops feared had fled to Spain caught in Nottingham

Haroon Ahmed, 26, who is serving time for armed robbery, casually walked out of HMP Dovegate near Uttoxeter last week. Detective launched a nationwide manhunt for the fugitive with fears he may have gone abroad. Today, cops confirmed the offender had been arrested in near Nottingham and returned to custody. Ahmed reportedly said he wanted to escape jail to "test out the security".

''I thought 'I'll give it a go'- and walked out of the door. That's how easy it was. That's how easy it was,'' he told a Sunday newspaper.

It was rumoured that Ahmed had flown to Marbella on the Costa del Sol following his escape last week. A statement from Staffordshire Police issued today said:

"Haroon Ahmed, who is from the Derby area, was arrested this morning in the Nottingham area and has been taken into custody. We would like to thank the public and media for their help in sharing our appeals to find Ahmed. Our social media posts reached just under 300,000 people."

He had been missing since around 4.15pm on Wednesday, police said.

Police said his whereabouts while on the run will form part of the police investigation.

50 Cent just gave a perfect explanation for why people shouldn't buy Jay Z's Tidal

Rapper 50 Cent is the latest musician to speak out against Jay Z's $9.99-per-month artist-owned streaming music service, Tidal. During an interview with Los Angeles radio station REAL 92.3, the rapper was asked his thoughts on the controversial Tidal.

"They probably could've did something more exciting if they reached out, because the people you saw there don’t even own the rights to their music,'' he explained. ''So they can’t say it’s gonna come out of Tidal. It has to go everywhere. Why would you actually buy Tidal to get something that would be everywhere else?" 

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Why Nigeria does not have national carrier — Chidoka

The out-going Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka has revealed why he could not midwife a national carrier for Nigeria before the expiration of his tenure, just as he identified and explained some of the problems bedeviling the Aviation ministry and its parastatals. Chidoka, while presenting his aviation score card to stakeholders in Lagos, said that none of the domestic airlines currently operating domestic flights in the country can become a national carrier because they are privately owned, adding that a national carrier must have a diverse ownership structure .

The minister said attempts to make Aero Contractors a national carrier in 2011 failed because the minority shareholders refused to agree to restructure the ownership. He added that Aero was chosen because of its indebtedness to the Federal Government through AMCON, its safety records, the size of its fleet, operational coverage and availability of electronic ticketing.

He also said because the Aero Contractors experiment failed, the ministry’s panel set up to look at the viability of a national carrier advised that Nigeria should explore the multiple carrier option instead of the single national carrier option.

Chidoka revealed that for any airline to transform into a national carrier “it must have International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification, it must have evidence of technical partnership and must meet minimum fleet size, equipment and diverse ownership.”

According to him, “for you to be a national carrier, the ownership structure should be diversified. The airline should not be a family business operated by one man and his children. Private investors should have equity in the business, the books must be open for scrutiny and auditing and there must be transparent financial dealings and agreeing to restructure the ownership through the sale of shares on a 60/40 basis.

“The airline must have a strong and reliable technical partnership that will constantly guide the airline on the path of safety and profitability. This must be accompanied by International Air Transport Association (IATA) International Operational Safety Audit(IOSA) certification which is done periodically. The airline must have the right fleet size in order not to put unnecessary pressure on few air planes which will lead to quick wear and tear.”

The minister also explained why the Ministry of Aviation has not been very effective in discharging its function of overseeing the parastatals under the ministry. Chidoka said “The Ministry of Aviation has eleven departments. Two of the eleven departments are focused on the provision of technical Aviation services. Current staff strength in the ministry stands at 560. “

“32.96% of the staff serve in the two technical departments while the remaining are split amongst the non-technical departments .The staff pooling system of the federal civil service limits the ministry ability to build and maintain a group of technical experts to manage the affairs of the civil Aviation industry.” “The pooling system should be modified to accommodate the technical expertise required in certain areas. The ministry staff strength is skewed towards service areas as against technical aviation related areas.

The staffing needs to be re-adjusted to enable the ministry beef up the staff numbers in the technical aviation areas which is the organisation’s core focus”. The Aviation Ministry boss further disclosed that the problem with the ministry is not the removal of the minister but the frequent posting and transfer of the permanent secretary. This, he said, had created room for politicians and contractors to take over the ministry.

On the survival of airlines, the Aviation Minister said that he would not subscribe to a situation where airlines are allowed to die before efforts are made to rescue them, adding that the regulator should be proactive to intervene in any airline the moment it notice any sign of problem. “There is the need to set up Aviation corporate governance and enterprise Risk framework to reduce the probability of aviation corporation failure due to moral hazard.” Chidoka said.

The Minister further said that he had appealed to Pension Commission (PenCom) to set aside 3 per cent of pension fund to invest in aviation, adding that when this is done it would help to grow Nigerian airlines. Chidoka harped on the need to give Nigerians seeking participation in the aviation industry first right of refusal. Specifically, he said Nigerians should be allowed to operate   In- flight catering services.

He said he did not give approval and would advice incoming minister not to give approval to any foreign company seeking approval to operate in the country, adding that when Nigeria In-flight catering company; Airline Services Limited(ASL) tried to operate in Britain ,it was frustrated . He explained that the British authority asked ASL to seek the cooperation of customers first before coming to them, while the customers asked ASL to get approval from the British airport authority.

- Vanguard

Tattoos gone wrong: 'My boyfriend thinks they are staring at him'

According to what Daily Star shared on its website, 'My boyfriend thinks they are staring at him.'

Governor Emmanuel's Inter - Denominational Thanksgiving Service, Uyo, May 31

The Akwa Ibom State Governor Mr Udom Emmanuel on Sunday May 31 led the people of the State to an Inter - Denominational Thanksgiving Service at The Ibom Hall Ground in Uyo.

The Immediate past governor Chief Godswill Akpabio and wife, other former governors, serving and past political office holders, royal fathers, groups and different sections of the state were on hand to worship and praise God.

Scroll down for more photos:

Governor Emmanuel and wife, Martha,  Fmr Gov Akpabio and Wife, Unoma singing at Thanksgiving Service

 - The Governor Emmanuel

Kim Kardashian confirms her second pregnancy in her new Glamour Mag cover story!

The 34-year-old reality Tv star has opened up about her second pregnancy for the first time for her Glamour magazine cover story in the July 2015 issue. Sharing the news with the Mag, Kim Kardashian said, when asked on being pregnant again:

''We are so beyond excited.''

On stepdad Bruce Jenner's transition:

''No matter what, we love Bruce. I’m so proud of him for being so brave. I know he feels great that his whole family does support him. I feel for people that don’t have that support. There’s such a high suicide rate in the transgender community, which is heartbreaking. No one should feel alone. I was like, ‘If you are going to do this, you cannot look a mess.’ I went shopping. I’m helping him pick glam teams. He has to look good—or she has to look good. When he becomes she, which will be in the near future and remain that way full-time, I’m prepping her to have the best wardrobe and hair and to feel really good about herself. I know she would want that.''

On protecting daughter North from fame:

''I mean, I chose this life, but North hasn’t. When she was born, I would just pray, ‘I hope you can handle this life.’ But since she’s our daughter, I know that she can handle it. When we take her out, there will be tons of paparazzi; I say to everyone, ‘Hey, I've got the baby with me. Please don't say one thing to me.’ They’ve actually been OK.''

Fani-Kayode congratulates Femi Adesina, says he's brilliant and formidable

Mr Fani-Kayode has congratulated the newly appointed presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, describing Mr Adesina as a brilliant and formidable man who can handle the job and wishes him well.

''I congratulate Femi Adesina on his appointment as the Sp. Advisor on Media to Pres.Buhari. Femi is brilliant and formidable. I wish him well,'' he said.

Nigerians react to Femi Adesina and Shehu Garba appointments

Nigerians have reacted to President Buhari's appointments of Femi Adesina and Shehu Garba as his media spokesmen minutes after the announcement was made publicly.  Some are in favor while others are against, questioning the essence of having two presidential spokespersons. The tweets read below:

Your salaries have been paid, Fayose tells APC lawmakers

Ekiti State government and the 19 All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmakers were yesterday engaged in a war of words over media report that the embargo placed by the state governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose on the salaries and allowances of the legislators had been lifted.

Apparently irked by the development, the lawmakers in a statement accused the government of sponsoring the report.

The government described as falsehood the lawmakers’ position, adding that the legislators duly acknowledged their payments last week.

But the aggrieved APC lawmakers in a statement by the Media Adviser to the Speaker, Mr. Wole Olujobi, said the report was mischievous and lacking the basic tenet of journalism. The statement reads;

''It is shocking that those behind the media report chose not to believe us but overzealously believed the purported sources that thrive in falsehood, lies and propaganda while working for the government. The reporter in one breath said his investigation revealed that the lawmakers had been paid, yet he reported that both Fayose and the lawmakers did not confirm the report as they refused to talk to him. If this were the case, then who were the sources that confirmed to the reporter that the lawmakers had been paid? To make matters worse, contrary to the reporter’s claim that we did not talk to him, we told him that we have not been paid. Apart from getting this fact from us, the speaker’s media aide told him the same and so we are surprised that the reporter is claiming that he received no information from us. In fact, as at Saturday night, the alerts we received from our bank were deficit alerts and so we wonder where the reporter got his story. It is unfortunate that just because the reporter wanted to file an exclusive report for his paper, he went ahead to report this falsehood motivated by blackmail.''

Salary and favour

''Let us even agree without conceding that we were paid our lawful entitlements, what favour does the governor do to us by that after illegally cutting short our tenure by seven months and putting us in harrowing inconveniences in addition to his brazen rape on the constitution of Nigeria? Must payment of our legal entitlements prevent us from defending the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which we swore to protect? Where are the indications of payment when embargo is placed on our accounts by the governor? Even those who should know in government are wondering where the reporter got his story because there is never any payment to the lawmakers. This is irresponsible journalism at its worst and it is unfortunate.''

Government's position

However, the government in a statement issued yesterday by the State Commissioner for Finance, Chief Toyin Ojo said:

''We would have remained silent in deference to the agreement reached at the last Monday meeting in Akure that all parties should maintain silence on the outcome of the meeting, especially because the lawmakers said they do not want their leaders to know the outcome of the meeting. However, since the lawmakers have chosen not to abide by this agreement by first issuing press statement to deny and reveal what was discussed in the meeting, and now going to the press to say that they have not received any payment, the government does not have any other option than to tell the public the truth and set the records straight. The government is by this press statement putting the records straight since the money paid to the lawmakers belong to Ekiti people.''

Payments made in cheques

''The payment was made in cheques because the lawmakers pleaded that their accounts should not be credited directly so as to avoid the banks from making deductions for loans taken from the banks. Saying that they have not been paid is quite unfortunate and unbecoming of honourable members of the State House of Assembly and this is sad. We will want to keep our fingers crossed and we wish to caution the lawmakers to adhere strictly to the spirit of the agreements. Governor Fayose’s good gesture, aimed at ensuring peace in the State should not be abused.''

President Buhari condemns saturday’s attack on Borno

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has strongly condemned the Saturday’s attacks on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital where no fewer than 11 persons were killed.

Buhari in a statement signed by Garba Shehu, the presidency media officer, extended his condolences to the families of the victims.

He affirmed that his administration “will not tolerate wanton and wilful destruction of life by criminal elements that are bent on anarchy.”

Buhari further promised to use all available resources to curb terrorism on the Nigerian soil.

President Buhari described the terrorists as “cowardly murderers that target innocent people” and called local communities to continue their vigilante activities.

He also vowed to motivate the Nigerian soldiers by effectively funding them and attending to their welfares.