A near pandemonium was averted Monday morning as protesting staff of Jimoh Ibrahim and some members of Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, gate crashed and disrupted the ongoing 5th Energy Group GMD Conference, holding at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria.
The protesters, who stormed the hall while Ibrahim was taking on his staff on a strategy lecture, launched into protest songs, demanding for their 14-month salary arrears. For 15 minutes, the drama was beamed live on AIT.
Appearing unfazed in spite of Ibrahim’s attempt to bully them by calling for security operatives to move them out, the protesters demanded that they would not bulge and the confab would not continue unless Ibrahim or his representatives dialogue with them.
Speaking after the protesters have been convinced to have a meeting with some of the Group executives, Ibrahim said he has no apologies owing the staff because they failed to generate their income after he had given them all the wherewithal, yet they expected him to get loans to pay their salaries.
“I cannot borrow to pay their salaries. It is not sustainable,” Ibrahim said. According to him, it’s only the media section of 16 companies in his conglomerate that has salary issue. However, the man many see as ‘Corporate Bully’, said he’s ready to deal with the problem from that moment.
In line with that, Ibrahim, shunned the rules of contract in corporate governance and sacked Bolu Afolayan, the managing director of Newswatch Media Ltd. He went on to appoint on the spot Mr. Demola Abimboye as the new managing director.
Abimboye, a seasoned journalist and until now editor of Newswatch Magazine, present at the conference, is expected to turn around the fortune of both Newswatch Daily and the monthly magazine.
Monday, January 18, 2016
2016 BUDGET, PMB MAKES MASSIVE REDUCTION.
President Muhammadu Buhari has made massive reductions in the revised 2016 national budget.
President Buhari addressing the Nigerian parliament. The presidency has made a massive cut in the 2016 Budget
The presidency has drastically cut its N8.09 billion provision in the 2016 budget for the purchase of various brands of vehicles for State House operations during the year
Premium Times reports that a review of the fresh copy of the budget uploaded to the website of the Budget Office of the Federation on Friday, January 15, showed a massive cut by about 83.5% in the total allocation for the vehicles.
According to the revised budget, the government will now spend only N1.34 billion to buy only five BMW saloon cars and jeeps as well as buses for use by the Presidency during the year.
President Buhari addressing the Nigerian parliament. The presidency has made a massive cut in the 2016 Budget
The presidency has drastically cut its N8.09 billion provision in the 2016 budget for the purchase of various brands of vehicles for State House operations during the year
Premium Times reports that a review of the fresh copy of the budget uploaded to the website of the Budget Office of the Federation on Friday, January 15, showed a massive cut by about 83.5% in the total allocation for the vehicles.
According to the revised budget, the government will now spend only N1.34 billion to buy only five BMW saloon cars and jeeps as well as buses for use by the Presidency during the year.
former custom comptroller general dead.
the Chief Oladipupo Kuye (rtd), the former Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been reported dead.
This Day reports that Chief Kuye died after a brief illness at the age of 81 years.
Until his death, Kuye held the position of the Otun Baba Ijo, Methodist Church Nigeria, Ijebu Ode, Diocese of Ijebu, Ogun State.
According to a statement signed by the family, “Kuye was a seasoned administrator, community and religious leader, who belonged to the prestigious Island, Lagos State. He was also a member of the Ijebu club well as other corporate and eminent religious and community societies which he genuinely used towards empowering the mankind and spread evangelism as a high class socialite.”
The statement added that the funeral arrangements will be announced later by the family.
The late Comptroller is survived by wife, children, grandchildren, cousins, in-laws, business associates and relations, especially, the Kuyes, the Odulanas and the Oloyemaruns of Ijebu Ife.
This Day reports that Chief Kuye died after a brief illness at the age of 81 years.
Until his death, Kuye held the position of the Otun Baba Ijo, Methodist Church Nigeria, Ijebu Ode, Diocese of Ijebu, Ogun State.
According to a statement signed by the family, “Kuye was a seasoned administrator, community and religious leader, who belonged to the prestigious Island, Lagos State. He was also a member of the Ijebu club well as other corporate and eminent religious and community societies which he genuinely used towards empowering the mankind and spread evangelism as a high class socialite.”
The statement added that the funeral arrangements will be announced later by the family.
The late Comptroller is survived by wife, children, grandchildren, cousins, in-laws, business associates and relations, especially, the Kuyes, the Odulanas and the Oloyemaruns of Ijebu Ife.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
NEW PLAN TO FREE CHIBOK GIRLS RELEASED..PMB
Precisely 640 days after the Boko Haram terrorists group kidnapped over 200 female students from their dormitory at Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Chibok, Borno state, the present administration has responded to the plea of the girls parents.
Leadership reports that President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, January 14, ordered a fresh investigation into the abduction of the girls.
Reports have it that the panel that will probe the sad incident is to be named by the National Security Adviser, NSA, GeneralBabagana Munguno.
The presidential senior special assistant, media, Garba Shehu, in a statement said the panel is to uncover the remote and immediate circumstances that led to the abduction of the female students by the terrorists and also other events, actions and inactions that accompanied the incident.
Speaking earlier at a meeting attended by some parents of the abducted girls, representatives of the Chibok community and members of the Bring Back Our Girls movement at the Conference Hall of the State House, the President said he has been doing his best and promised to continue to do everything possible to rescue the children and re-unite them with their families.
President Buhari assured that he remained unwavering to his promise to bring back the girls.
“I assure you that I go to bed and wake up everyday with the Chibok girls on my mind. The unfortunate incident happened before this government came into being.What have we done since we assumed office? We re-organized the military, removed all the service chiefs and ordered the succeeding service chiefs to deal decisively with the Boko Haram insurgency.
“In spite of the terrible economic condition we found ourselves in, we tried to get some resources to give to the military to reorganize and equip, retrain, deploy more troops and move more forcefully against Boko Haram.
“And you all know the progress we have made. When we came in Boko Haram was in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. Boko Haram has now been reduced to areas around Lake Chad.
“Securing the Chibok girls is my responsibility. The service chiefs and heads of our security agencies will tell you that in spite of the dire financial straits that we found the country in, I continue to do my best to support their efforts in that regard.
“This is a Nigeria where we were exporting average of two million barrels per day at over 140 dollars per barrel. Now it is down to about 27 to 30 dollars.
“You have been reading in the press how they took public funds, our funds, your funds and shared it, instead of buying weapons. That was the kind of leadership I succeeded. That was the kind of economy I inherited. God knows I have done my best and I will continue to do my best,” President Buhari said.
Other top dignitaries at the meeting with the girls parents include; the Minister of Defence, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Alhassan, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai and the National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd).
READ ALSO: Ita Enang Reacts To Missing Budget Accusations
Speaking also at the meeting, Gen Olonisakin disclosed that in the last three months the military has freed over 3,000 people from Boko Haram captivity in the North eastern part of Nigeria.
He assured that the military has the capacity to rescue the girls, but noted that: “intelligence is delicate and we don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the lives of the girls.”
Naij.com had earlier reported that parents of the abducted Chibok school girls marched to the Presidential Villa in Abuja to protest the whereabouts of the missing school girls. It was reported that during the meeting, President Muhammadu buhari stormed out.
The Chibok girls were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists group in April 2014, when they stormed their school in the community located in Borno state, Northeast Nigeria. The incident sparked several reactions from both international communities and neighbouring countries within the West Africa region. It has not been ascertained if the girls are still alive or the particular location they are being kept.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
OKONJO IWEALA SUPPORTS ANTI CORRUPTION WAR
oNgozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former finance minister who served under Gooodluck Jonathan’s administration, expressed support to President Muhammadu Buhari in his effort to end corruption in Nigeria.
Okonji-Iweala, recently appointed as the chairman-elect of the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, made a claim on September 30 when she spoke in the United States as a guest lecturer, Premium Times reports.
The ex minister characterized corruption as the biggest hindrance to the country prosperity adding that Buhari was confronting it in the right way.
“The new president of the country who is just taking office has made it the central plan of his administration to fight corruption to root it out, and he sets about restructuring some of the key agencies where things are happening, setting example.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
“I think with that when you see example in one place, it sends the message about what should happen in other places. I think this is being confronted head on. And I think and hope that with what is going on and what we tried to do in the previous administration, bringing more transparency to way of doing business.”
The official lamented over massive illicit financial flows saying they should be blocked for Nigeria to achieve its post-2015 development agenda.
Okonjo-Iweala also spoke about her joining Jonathan’s government after working with that of Olusegun Obasanjo.
“When the opportunity came to go for it for the second time, I went, perhaps unwisely, but I went because no one will fight this corruption for us, we have to do it ourselves… But having left government, I have come under attack with people saying she’s done this or that, trying to join you in the group of the corrup Prominent F Nigerians
Regarding Buhari’s decision to head the Petroleum Ministry, she said:
“I think the president has the prerogative to do a lot of things, and this is not the first time in our country. President Obasanjo was also the president of petroleum resources in his time. I am not saying this is the best way or best practice but I am just saying for our circumstances it is not the first time.
“If that will bring more clarity, more openness, more transparency to the way the oil sector is done no problem, it’s ok. But if it will not, we have to ask questions.”
It should be recalled that Okonjo-Iweala has been several times accused of being involved in the cases of public funds embezzlement.
According to one of the allegations she stole $1 billion while serving as the finance minister. There were also allegations that her family was planning to open a multi-million dollar hospital in Abuja. The official denied the reports.
Okonji-Iweala, recently appointed as the chairman-elect of the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, made a claim on September 30 when she spoke in the United States as a guest lecturer, Premium Times reports.
The ex minister characterized corruption as the biggest hindrance to the country prosperity adding that Buhari was confronting it in the right way.
“The new president of the country who is just taking office has made it the central plan of his administration to fight corruption to root it out, and he sets about restructuring some of the key agencies where things are happening, setting example.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
“I think with that when you see example in one place, it sends the message about what should happen in other places. I think this is being confronted head on. And I think and hope that with what is going on and what we tried to do in the previous administration, bringing more transparency to way of doing business.”
The official lamented over massive illicit financial flows saying they should be blocked for Nigeria to achieve its post-2015 development agenda.
Okonjo-Iweala also spoke about her joining Jonathan’s government after working with that of Olusegun Obasanjo.
“When the opportunity came to go for it for the second time, I went, perhaps unwisely, but I went because no one will fight this corruption for us, we have to do it ourselves… But having left government, I have come under attack with people saying she’s done this or that, trying to join you in the group of the corrup Prominent F Nigerians
Regarding Buhari’s decision to head the Petroleum Ministry, she said:
“I think the president has the prerogative to do a lot of things, and this is not the first time in our country. President Obasanjo was also the president of petroleum resources in his time. I am not saying this is the best way or best practice but I am just saying for our circumstances it is not the first time.
“If that will bring more clarity, more openness, more transparency to the way the oil sector is done no problem, it’s ok. But if it will not, we have to ask questions.”
It should be recalled that Okonjo-Iweala has been several times accused of being involved in the cases of public funds embezzlement.
According to one of the allegations she stole $1 billion while serving as the finance minister. There were also allegations that her family was planning to open a multi-million dollar hospital in Abuja. The official denied the reports.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
I HAVE HAD ENOUGH..KUNLE AFOLAYAN CRIES OUT..READ WHY
Kunle Afolayan at AMAA 2015
In an interview with NollywoodNewsNow, Kunle Afolayan disclosed that he has had enough awards and he is looking forward to when his cast and crew would benefit from these awards.
He said “I feel great, I feel good that these awards are coming but what I’m looking forward to is for my crew and cast to benefit from these awards. I have had enough of awards, now, for me, it’s about making films for the people. Yes, reasonably, the awards add to the marketing and publicity of the film but my technical crew put a lot into the productions.”
The Air France ambassador further disclosed that if he had his way, he would submit his films for awards but still excited that Sadiq Daba was recognized.
In an interview with NollywoodNewsNow, Kunle Afolayan disclosed that he has had enough awards and he is looking forward to when his cast and crew would benefit from these awards.
He said “I feel great, I feel good that these awards are coming but what I’m looking forward to is for my crew and cast to benefit from these awards. I have had enough of awards, now, for me, it’s about making films for the people. Yes, reasonably, the awards add to the marketing and publicity of the film but my technical crew put a lot into the productions.”
The Air France ambassador further disclosed that if he had his way, he would submit his films for awards but still excited that Sadiq Daba was recognized.
Kunle Afolayan said “If I have my way, I won’t go out to submit my films for awards, because whether we like it or not, awards come with a lot of politics. So, if you can’t handle the shock, don’t go there. Today, I’m excited. Sadiq Daba was overwhelmed to get the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and I want to commend the organizers of the AMAA for a beautiful outing here in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. No doubt, it’s a better edition and with the partnership with Facebook, the mileage was good and the experience spectacular. It’s a unique experience.”
It could be recalled that Kunle Afolayan’s movie “The Figurine”, bagged five major awards at the African Film Academy and also experienced tremendous success in Nigerian movie theaters.
It could be recalled that Kunle Afolayan’s movie “The Figurine”, bagged five major awards at the African Film Academy and also experienced tremendous success in Nigerian movie theaters.
UNILAG BED BUG SAGA...NIGERIANS RE-ACT
Today, students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Yaba, Lagos shut down their school in protest of the continuous presence of bedbugs and mosquitoes in their hostels.
A good number of the students had come out in the early hours of Monday to express their disgust over what they called “proliferation of bedbug-infested mattresses in the halls of residence.”
Some of the aggrieved UNILAG students outside their hostels, with their mattresses hung on the gate.
The protesters shut the school gates for several hours, making vehicular movement to and out of the school campus difficult.
They were also said to have hung their beds on the school’s main gate, grounding activities on campus.
Some Nigerians have taken to social media to lend their voice to the issue. Read some of their tweets below.
Those against the protest.
Trust Nigerians to make fun out of the situation. Below are some funny tweets.
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