The Eagles’ handler reeled out list of foreign based stars for next month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with the duo not making the cut.
Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has dropped England based John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses and Odion Ighalo from his list of foreign based professionals for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania.
Obi and Moses paid dearly for their inability to secure a regular place in Jose Morinho’s Chelsea as they were dropped from the team to face the Taifa Stars, while Ighalo who hit the bull’s eyes on his English Premier League debut for Watford was a surprise exclusion.
Emmanuel Emenike, Obiora Nwankwo and Haruna Lukman were handed a recall to the team, while Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, Izunna Uzochukwu, Emem Eduok, Sylvester Igboun and Moses Simon have been handed a first time call up.
Among the invited players are goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, Ahmed Musa, Joel Obi and Kenneth Omeruo for the match billed for Dar es Salam.
Others are Leon Balogun, Anthony Ujahh, Godfrey Oboabona, William Troost-Ekong and Rabiu Ibrahim.
The invited players who are expected before Monday, August 31 will join up with the 23 Nigeria topflight stars in camp.
The NPFL players in camp are Olufemi Thomas; David Obiazor, Ikechukwu Ezenwa; Orji Kalu; Solomon Kwambe ; Idris Aloma; Chima Akas; Nelson Ogbonnaya ; Samson Gbadebo ; Jamiu Alimi; Stephen Eze; Ifeanyi Mathew; Usman Mohammed.
The rest are Azubuike Okechukwu ; Lawson Ichul ; Kingsley Sokari ; Etebo Oghenekaro ; Ezekiel Bassey; Gbolahan Salami; Bright Ejike ; Tunde Adeniji ; Bright Onyedikachi and Prince Aggreh.
Full List of Invited Foreign-Based Players
Goalkeeper: Vincent Enyeama (Lille OSC, France); Carl Ikeme (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England)
Defenders: Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz 05, Germany); Kingsley Madu (AS Trencin, Slovakia); Godfrey Oboabona (Caykur Rizespor, Turkey); William Troost Ekong (FK Haugesund, Norway); Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa SK, Turkey)
Midfielders: Joel Obi (Torina FC, Italy); Izunna Ernest Uzochukwu (FC Amkar Perm, Russia); Obiora Nwankwo (Coimbra FC, Portugal); Lukman Haruna (Anzhi Machatsjkala, Russia); Rabiu Ibrahim (AS Trencin, Slovakia)
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Emem Eduok (Esperance ST, Tunisia); Emmanuel Emenike (Al Ain, UAE); Anthony Ujah (Werder Bremen, Germany); Sylvester Igboun (FC UFA, Russia); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium)
Monday, 17 August 2015
‘Osun residents must pay tax to boost economy’
The forum included traders, transporters, civil servants, clerics, artisans and students.
The stakeholders’ forum was put together by the Osun State Legislative Forum, which comprise senators, members of the House of Representatives and the state legislature.
A communique after the stakeholders’ forum said that in the light of the inability of the state government to pay salaries, the regular payment of tax was the only way the Internally Generated Revenue could increase.
The communique issued on Monday read, “In the face of dwindling revenue from the Federation Account, all Osun people must resolve to collectively ensure that there is tremendous improvement in the IGR. All the people and businesses in the state of Osun must patriotically pay their taxes and rates before being compelled to do so.”
The communique noted that due to the state’s dwindling resources many of the projects had been put on hold.
It said the state government must devise means of reducing waste and blocking all loopholes through which funds could be looted.
It added, “There is an urgent need to review the cost of governance particularly to ascertain accurately the cost of the various components, salaries, allowances and overheads encompassing recurrent expenditure of the state government.
“There should be a feedback mechanism on government policies and programmes so as to evolve prudence, transparency and accountability in fund management.”
The communique urged the state government to embrace Public-Private Partnership in areas where the state has advantage, especially in areas such as agriculture, mining and tourism.
It urged the state government to patronise more competent and efficient local contractors so as to create wealth within the economy of the state.
It added, “The state’s public and civil servants should cooperate with the government with a view to ensuring efficient and effective service delivery.”
Motorcyclists arrested for death of policeman during raid
A police corporal, Emmanuel Emefiele, has been stabbed to death during a raid on motorcycle riders on the 4th Avenue, FESTAC Town, Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the 36-year-old was among a team of policemen from the FESTAC Police Division, who raided the community around 1am on Friday to enforce the state law which forbids riding of motorcycles at ungodly hours.
A mob, consisting of the okada (motorcycle) riders and some hoodlums, was said to have resisted the policemen and in the ensuing scuffle, attacked Emefiele with a knife.
A police source told our correspondent that other policemen fled the scene, as the motorcyclists dispossessed them of their rifles.
Our correspondent learnt that the cops later reinforced and returned to the scene.
“They chased the motorcyclists and recovered the arms from their hideouts. Two of the suspects, who took the guns, were arrested. But they said they were not the ones that stabbed him. One of them said he took the gun so he could return it to the Divisional Police Officer,” he said.
The two suspects, Tari Gau and Vadiya Jonah, however denied complicity in the crime.
The men, who gave a different version of the story, said they were about leaving a suya joint when the policemen, who were in a commercial bus, accosted them and attempted to seize their motocycles.
Gau, a 26-year-old indigene of Adamawa State, who reportedly came to Lagos in 2009 due to the insurgency in the north east, alleged that one of the cops stabbed him in the hand with a knife.
He said, “My friend, Jonah, and I went to a suya joint around 8pm on Thursday. We were about leaving when the police team blocked us.
“Two of the policemen came down and asked us to disembark from the motorcycles. But because I knew many of them, I started begging for mercy. I was kneeling when one of them brought out a knife and burst the front and the back tyres of my friend’s motorcycle.
“As he was about to burst the front tyre of my motorcycle, I knelt and asked him to spare me. But he stabbed me in the hand.
“I began to cry in my language, ‘Ya sukeni, Ya sukeni.’ ”
Gau said the policemen, who did not understand that he was merely begging them, took to their heels and abandoned their rifles and the knife.
He said he and his friends picked the guns and the knife and began to push their deflated motorcycles homeward.
The suspect said he abandoned the motorcycle when he saw that the police had returned with reinforcement and arrested Jonah.
He said he succeeded in taking the rifle home, adding that when the policemen came, he insisted that his friend must be released first.
“They said they would pay me N10,000 if I could release the gun. Later, they took me to the police station where I saw my friend. They took me to my house and I gave the gun to them. They then arrested me.
“It was in the cell that they told me a policeman had died. I don’t know about his death,” he added.
He said the deceased cop had a scuffle with his friend, Jonah, adding that he (Gau)never came near him.
However, Jonah, denied stabbing the late cop, saying it was Gau who struggled for the knife with him.
“Gau took the gun and knife home after the incident, while the police came back and arrested me,” the 25-year-old said.
PUNCH Metro was told that the policeman’s corpse had been deposited in a mortuary, while the suspects had been transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Patricia Amadin, when contacted, confirmed the incident.
She said, “Case is confirmed.”
PUNCH Metro learnt that the 36-year-old was among a team of policemen from the FESTAC Police Division, who raided the community around 1am on Friday to enforce the state law which forbids riding of motorcycles at ungodly hours.
A mob, consisting of the okada (motorcycle) riders and some hoodlums, was said to have resisted the policemen and in the ensuing scuffle, attacked Emefiele with a knife.
A police source told our correspondent that other policemen fled the scene, as the motorcyclists dispossessed them of their rifles.
Our correspondent learnt that the cops later reinforced and returned to the scene.
“They chased the motorcyclists and recovered the arms from their hideouts. Two of the suspects, who took the guns, were arrested. But they said they were not the ones that stabbed him. One of them said he took the gun so he could return it to the Divisional Police Officer,” he said.
The two suspects, Tari Gau and Vadiya Jonah, however denied complicity in the crime.
The men, who gave a different version of the story, said they were about leaving a suya joint when the policemen, who were in a commercial bus, accosted them and attempted to seize their motocycles.
Gau, a 26-year-old indigene of Adamawa State, who reportedly came to Lagos in 2009 due to the insurgency in the north east, alleged that one of the cops stabbed him in the hand with a knife.
He said, “My friend, Jonah, and I went to a suya joint around 8pm on Thursday. We were about leaving when the police team blocked us.
“Two of the policemen came down and asked us to disembark from the motorcycles. But because I knew many of them, I started begging for mercy. I was kneeling when one of them brought out a knife and burst the front and the back tyres of my friend’s motorcycle.
“As he was about to burst the front tyre of my motorcycle, I knelt and asked him to spare me. But he stabbed me in the hand.
“I began to cry in my language, ‘Ya sukeni, Ya sukeni.’ ”
Gau said the policemen, who did not understand that he was merely begging them, took to their heels and abandoned their rifles and the knife.
He said he and his friends picked the guns and the knife and began to push their deflated motorcycles homeward.
The suspect said he abandoned the motorcycle when he saw that the police had returned with reinforcement and arrested Jonah.
He said he succeeded in taking the rifle home, adding that when the policemen came, he insisted that his friend must be released first.
“They said they would pay me N10,000 if I could release the gun. Later, they took me to the police station where I saw my friend. They took me to my house and I gave the gun to them. They then arrested me.
“It was in the cell that they told me a policeman had died. I don’t know about his death,” he added.
He said the deceased cop had a scuffle with his friend, Jonah, adding that he (Gau)never came near him.
However, Jonah, denied stabbing the late cop, saying it was Gau who struggled for the knife with him.
“Gau took the gun and knife home after the incident, while the police came back and arrested me,” the 25-year-old said.
PUNCH Metro was told that the policeman’s corpse had been deposited in a mortuary, while the suspects had been transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Patricia Amadin, when contacted, confirmed the incident.
She said, “Case is confirmed.”
Mourinho risking Chelsea civil war with Terry axe
The Portuguese's decision to substitute his captain rather than Gary Cahill was pointed and Sunday's drubbing at the hands of Manchester City poses serious questions.
In any case, Chelsea conceded twice more with Zouma on the field; Mourinho reckons that they were the better side in the second half. There are not many who would agree with him. He argues that his decision to replace Terry was vindicated in that the Blues had most of the play after the break. Warped logic.
Mourinho, though, had found himself another scapegoat.
"He was not dancing in the dressing room and he was not having a bad reaction," he said of Terry at half-time when he took delivery of the news that he was to be subbed. "He did what everybody does. The manager says this guy comes in and that guy goes out and they all understand."
Terry - 'captain, leader, legend', as the sign reads - now just like "everybody" else. Just like Petr Cech, just like Juan Mata. Just like those players whose usefulness to Chelsea and Mourinho expired. He has ushered out of the door a good number of Chelsea legends in the three summers since he returned to the club, with Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard among them too. Terry endured. He is still, comfortably, the best centre-back in the league and maybe the world. To pick on him for a collectively disastrous first-half display was, for Mourinho, pointed.
He has been picking what is, on paper, his strongest XI. Mourinho is one of those coaches whose substitutes' bench actually looks like a substitutes' bench. There are his 11 favourites and then the rest. It does not appear that he is capable of freshening up what is already on the books.
Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill were two players whose form dipped more than most at the end of last season. Those tailspins have continued into this. Cesc Fabregas, at the ripe old age of 28, looks about ready for the Middle East or MLS given the manner in which he is dragging himself around elite football pitches.
Mourinho has not, yet, been able to bring in the players he wants but the signing of Abdul Baba Rahman could yet spell trouble for either Cahill or Ivanovic.
"He is a left-back; he can compete with Azpilicueta," said Mourinho before adding: "At the same time, Azpilicueta can compete with Ivanovic for the right-back poitison so he replaces Filipe Luis in the balance of the squad."
He is still courting John Stones, whom he sees as eventually replacing Terry. The day when Terry needs to be replaced, in Mourinho's eyes, could come around sooner than many had expected.
"I don't know if you ask many questions to [Rafa] Benitez, Andre Villas-Boas, [Roberto] Di Matteo, to the ones that never played him," he said. "I am the one you shouldn't ask because I am the one who played John every game, made him captain, recovered him from a difficult situation with other managers and I had the right to say I want Zouma on the pitch."
To be enduring such a poor start is alien for Mourinho; in his career he has never been at a club whose output was so shambolic. He has a job on his hands turning this lot around any time soon.
To endure such a start and fall out with his medical staff and then drop his captain at half-time of a crucial league game is abnormal. The pattern of Mourinho's career is well woven. He is known for his itchy feet three years into any project. A new contract extension took a lot of people by surprise despite Mourinho's constant claims that he is with Chelsea this time for the long term.
If that is indeed the case then he would do well not to take on Terry. No player is bigger than any club but Terry does more than most to challenge that thinking.
He was asked at the end of the press conference whether these players could win him the Premier League again and maybe the Champions League. "Yes," he said quickly and walked away. He could not think of any convincing words to back it up.
They are five points behind City - perhaps fatally so, even at this early stage. Five points is five points, no matter what the stage of the season.
Before the game, eager to gloss over what had been a fractious engagement with the press on Friday due to the Eva Carniero affair, Mourinho conceded to the press that his Chelsea team were, at this stage of the season, a little underdone. He gave his team a month off over the summer and played only three matches before the season's competitive football began. They have been well off the pace set by Manchester City and were brutally exposed here.
He has been picking what is, on paper, his strongest XI. Mourinho is one of those coaches whose substitutes' bench actually looks like a substitutes' bench. There are his 11 favourites and then the rest. It does not appear that he is capable of freshening up what is already on the books.
Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill were two players whose form dipped more than most at the end of last season. Those tailspins have continued into this. Cesc Fabregas, at the ripe old age of 28, looks about ready for the Middle East or MLS given the manner in which he is dragging himself around elite football pitches.
Mourinho has not, yet, been able to bring in the players he wants but the signing of Abdul Baba Rahman could yet spell trouble for either Cahill or Ivanovic.
"He is a left-back; he can compete with Azpilicueta," said Mourinho before adding: "At the same time, Azpilicueta can compete with Ivanovic for the right-back poitison so he replaces Filipe Luis in the balance of the squad."
He is still courting John Stones, whom he sees as eventually replacing Terry. The day when Terry needs to be replaced, in Mourinho's eyes, could come around sooner than many had expected.
"I don't know if you ask many questions to [Rafa] Benitez, Andre Villas-Boas, [Roberto] Di Matteo, to the ones that never played him," he said. "I am the one you shouldn't ask because I am the one who played John every game, made him captain, recovered him from a difficult situation with other managers and I had the right to say I want Zouma on the pitch."
To be enduring such a poor start is alien for Mourinho; in his career he has never been at a club whose output was so shambolic. He has a job on his hands turning this lot around any time soon.
To endure such a start and fall out with his medical staff and then drop his captain at half-time of a crucial league game is abnormal. The pattern of Mourinho's career is well woven. He is known for his itchy feet three years into any project. A new contract extension took a lot of people by surprise despite Mourinho's constant claims that he is with Chelsea this time for the long term.
If that is indeed the case then he would do well not to take on Terry. No player is bigger than any club but Terry does more than most to challenge that thinking.
He was asked at the end of the press conference whether these players could win him the Premier League again and maybe the Champions League. "Yes," he said quickly and walked away. He could not think of any convincing words to back it up.
In any case, Chelsea conceded twice more with Zouma on the field; Mourinho reckons that they were the better side in the second half. There are not many who would agree with him. He argues that his decision to replace Terry was vindicated in that the Blues had most of the play after the break. Warped logic.
Mourinho, though, had found himself another scapegoat.
"He was not dancing in the dressing room and he was not having a bad reaction," he said of Terry at half-time when he took delivery of the news that he was to be subbed. "He did what everybody does. The manager says this guy comes in and that guy goes out and they all understand."
Terry - 'captain, leader, legend', as the sign reads - now just like "everybody" else. Just like Petr Cech, just like Juan Mata. Just like those players whose usefulness to Chelsea and Mourinho expired. He has ushered out of the door a good number of Chelsea legends in the three summers since he returned to the club, with Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard among them too. Terry endured. He is still, comfortably, the best centre-back in the league and maybe the world. To pick on him for a collectively disastrous first-half display was, for Mourinho, pointed.
He has been picking what is, on paper, his strongest XI. Mourinho is one of those coaches whose substitutes' bench actually looks like a substitutes' bench. There are his 11 favourites and then the rest. It does not appear that he is capable of freshening up what is already on the books.
Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill were two players whose form dipped more than most at the end of last season. Those tailspins have continued into this. Cesc Fabregas, at the ripe old age of 28, looks about ready for the Middle East or MLS given the manner in which he is dragging himself around elite football pitches.
Mourinho has not, yet, been able to bring in the players he wants but the signing of Abdul Baba Rahman could yet spell trouble for either Cahill or Ivanovic.
"He is a left-back; he can compete with Azpilicueta," said Mourinho before adding: "At the same time, Azpilicueta can compete with Ivanovic for the right-back poitison so he replaces Filipe Luis in the balance of the squad."
He is still courting John Stones, whom he sees as eventually replacing Terry. The day when Terry needs to be replaced, in Mourinho's eyes, could come around sooner than many had expected.
"I don't know if you ask many questions to [Rafa] Benitez, Andre Villas-Boas, [Roberto] Di Matteo, to the ones that never played him," he said. "I am the one you shouldn't ask because I am the one who played John every game, made him captain, recovered him from a difficult situation with other managers and I had the right to say I want Zouma on the pitch."
To be enduring such a poor start is alien for Mourinho; in his career he has never been at a club whose output was so shambolic. He has a job on his hands turning this lot around any time soon.
To endure such a start and fall out with his medical staff and then drop his captain at half-time of a crucial league game is abnormal. The pattern of Mourinho's career is well woven. He is known for his itchy feet three years into any project. A new contract extension took a lot of people by surprise despite Mourinho's constant claims that he is with Chelsea this time for the long term.
If that is indeed the case then he would do well not to take on Terry. No player is bigger than any club but Terry does more than most to challenge that thinking.
He was asked at the end of the press conference whether these players could win him the Premier League again and maybe the Champions League. "Yes," he said quickly and walked away. He could not think of any convincing words to back it up.
They are five points behind City - perhaps fatally so, even at this early stage. Five points is five points, no matter what the stage of the season.
Before the game, eager to gloss over what had been a fractious engagement with the press on Friday due to the Eva Carniero affair, Mourinho conceded to the press that his Chelsea team were, at this stage of the season, a little underdone. He gave his team a month off over the summer and played only three matches before the season's competitive football began. They have been well off the pace set by Manchester City and were brutally exposed here.
He has been picking what is, on paper, his strongest XI. Mourinho is one of those coaches whose substitutes' bench actually looks like a substitutes' bench. There are his 11 favourites and then the rest. It does not appear that he is capable of freshening up what is already on the books.
Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill were two players whose form dipped more than most at the end of last season. Those tailspins have continued into this. Cesc Fabregas, at the ripe old age of 28, looks about ready for the Middle East or MLS given the manner in which he is dragging himself around elite football pitches.
Mourinho has not, yet, been able to bring in the players he wants but the signing of Abdul Baba Rahman could yet spell trouble for either Cahill or Ivanovic.
"He is a left-back; he can compete with Azpilicueta," said Mourinho before adding: "At the same time, Azpilicueta can compete with Ivanovic for the right-back poitison so he replaces Filipe Luis in the balance of the squad."
He is still courting John Stones, whom he sees as eventually replacing Terry. The day when Terry needs to be replaced, in Mourinho's eyes, could come around sooner than many had expected.
"I don't know if you ask many questions to [Rafa] Benitez, Andre Villas-Boas, [Roberto] Di Matteo, to the ones that never played him," he said. "I am the one you shouldn't ask because I am the one who played John every game, made him captain, recovered him from a difficult situation with other managers and I had the right to say I want Zouma on the pitch."
To be enduring such a poor start is alien for Mourinho; in his career he has never been at a club whose output was so shambolic. He has a job on his hands turning this lot around any time soon.
To endure such a start and fall out with his medical staff and then drop his captain at half-time of a crucial league game is abnormal. The pattern of Mourinho's career is well woven. He is known for his itchy feet three years into any project. A new contract extension took a lot of people by surprise despite Mourinho's constant claims that he is with Chelsea this time for the long term.
If that is indeed the case then he would do well not to take on Terry. No player is bigger than any club but Terry does more than most to challenge that thinking.
He was asked at the end of the press conference whether these players could win him the Premier League again and maybe the Champions League. "Yes," he said quickly and walked away. He could not think of any convincing words to back it up.
Court dissolves Ekiti PDP Chair’s 28-year marriage
The union was blessed with two children; Toyin, 27 and Dupe, 24.
Delivering judgment in the suit filed by Faleye, the President of the court, Joseph Ogunsemi, held that the union had collapsed beyond reconciliation.
He held that the evidence by Faleye was unchallenged and incontrovertible as the respondent did not appear in court to give contrary evidence.
He said, ‘This court has no option than to grant the request for dissolution as sought by Faleye.”
He added that Olajumoke had 21 days to appeal the judgment.
Faleye (62) had dragged Olajumoke (52) to court, accusing her of being aggressive and unpredictable.
Faleye had said, “I don’t love the respondent anymore, I only appreciate my children and I don’t see any resolution in the union.”
The PDP chief told the court that upon dissolution of the union, he would allow the respondent to remain in his house for six months after which she would leave the house.
Iniesta: Pique red card made sextuple impossible
The midfielder pointed towards the moment at which Barcelona went down to 10 men against Athletic Bilbao as when they gave up on the Supercopa.
Andres Iniesta believes Gerard Pique's red card was the point at which Barcelona realised their sextuple dream was over as they lost the Supercopa de Espana to Athletic Bilbao.
Luis Enrique's men went into Monday's match knowing they needed to turnaround a 4-0 deficit from Friday's first leg at San Mames, when an Aritz Aduriz hat-trick left their hopes of a fifth trophy in 2015 looking unlikely.
Iniesta had proclaimed before the match that Barca had every confidence they could complete a shock comeback at Camp Nou and Lionel Messi's first-half goal kept the European champions' dream alive.
However, the odds were stacked against the hosts when Pique was sent off for dissent in the 56th minute and Aduriz scored his fourth goal of the two-legged Supercopa to secure a 1-1 draw on the night and a 5-1 win on aggregate.
"It was over two games, so it was difficult to come back but not impossible," Iniesta told reporters after the match. "We tried everything but the expulsion of Pique made everything even more complicated.
"These refereeing decisions happen. We don't know what was said. Today we were infinitely better but it wasn't just one match."
The Barca midfielder, 31, does not think the clash between the Liga winners and Copa del Rey finalists casts a shadow over 2015-16 for a side which swept all before them in the latter half of last season.
"I am convinced this will be a great campaign," he added. "We must not get things confused - we'll go for the Club World Cup, our fifth title of the year, but for now we'll focus on La Liga which restarts for us on Sunday."
Andres Iniesta believes Gerard Pique's red card was the point at which Barcelona realised their sextuple dream was over as they lost the Supercopa de Espana to Athletic Bilbao.
Luis Enrique's men went into Monday's match knowing they needed to turnaround a 4-0 deficit from Friday's first leg at San Mames, when an Aritz Aduriz hat-trick left their hopes of a fifth trophy in 2015 looking unlikely.
Iniesta had proclaimed before the match that Barca had every confidence they could complete a shock comeback at Camp Nou and Lionel Messi's first-half goal kept the European champions' dream alive.
However, the odds were stacked against the hosts when Pique was sent off for dissent in the 56th minute and Aduriz scored his fourth goal of the two-legged Supercopa to secure a 1-1 draw on the night and a 5-1 win on aggregate.
"It was over two games, so it was difficult to come back but not impossible," Iniesta told reporters after the match. "We tried everything but the expulsion of Pique made everything even more complicated.
"These refereeing decisions happen. We don't know what was said. Today we were infinitely better but it wasn't just one match."
The Barca midfielder, 31, does not think the clash between the Liga winners and Copa del Rey finalists casts a shadow over 2015-16 for a side which swept all before them in the latter half of last season.
"I am convinced this will be a great campaign," he added. "We must not get things confused - we'll go for the Club World Cup, our fifth title of the year, but for now we'll focus on La Liga which restarts for us on Sunday."
Customs chief resigns, says I’ve nothing to fear
President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the resignation of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.
With the acceptance, Abdullahi is expected to proceed on voluntary retirement from Tuesday (today).
He had earlier written a letter dated August 3 to the President in which he notified Buhari of his desire to proceed on voluntary retirement from Tuesday.
Buhari’s approval of Abdullahi’s request was dated August 14 and personally signed by the President.
He thanked the NCS boss for his services to the country in the last six years.
The President’s letter was titled, “Voluntary retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service.”
The approval read, “Dear, Alhaji D.I. Abdullahi. I write to acknowledge the receipt of your letter Ref. No. NCS/ADM/HQ/P. 35802 of 3rd August, 2015 conveying your decision to voluntarily retire from the Nigeria Customs Service with effect from Tuesday, August 18, 2015.
“I note with appreciation your services to this nation, especially as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service in the last six years.
“Accordingly, I hereby approve your voluntary retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service with effect from 18th of August, 2015.
“I wish you the very best in your future endeavours.
“Yours sincerely, Muhammadu Buhari.”
Abdullahi had in his letter to the President thanked him for the confidence and trust reposed on him since he (Buhari) was inaugurated on May 29.
He said by August 18, he would be six years in office as the Comptroller-General of the NCS.
He recalled that on assumption of office, he articulated a six-point agenda which he vigorously pursued.
He said the agenda had positively impacted on the efficiency and performance of officers of the service and had drastically changed the negative perception of the service.
He listed the six-point agenda to include capacity building, introduction of e-Customs, enhancing productivity through improved welfare package, moral rebirth for discipline and integrity in service, collaboration and partnering stakeholders and international organisations, as well as fostering understanding of the Service in the eye of the general public using an intensified and a well-coordinated public relations platform.
He added that the decision to resign “is taken with a view to allowing young people to take over the mantle of leadership of the service in order to sustain and improve on my legacy.”
The President has yet to name Abdullahi’s successor at the time of filing this report.
Speaking with State House correspondents shortly after paying a farewell visit to President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday, Abdullahi said he had nothing to fear about the ongoing investigation of revenue-earning agencies being conducted by the Federal Government.
Abdullahi said revenue appreciated under his watch by 20 per cent.
He said, “The only way the NCS can move forward is by sacrifice; to give chance to others so that they can continue with the legacy that we have up in place.
“Revenue appreciated by 20 per cent from when I took over and the officers that did the work are still around and I think that the NCS, I stand to be corrected, is the only service that is fully automated in the system of operation.
“We have no fear. The time I’m leaving is the time I feel those young ones that have developed the software can manage the software.
“So, that is basically the reason.”
APC says Jonathan’s govt looted N11tn, PDP kicks
THE All Progressives Congress on Sunday alleged that about $56bn (N11.02tn) was looted during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and that the Buhari government needed to recover the funds to fulfill the change promised by the APC.
In the breakdown by the ruling party, it said $6bn (1.2tn, at the rate of N197 to dollar) was stolen by some of Jonathan’s ministers and that 160 million barrels of crude worth $13.9bn (N2.74tn) were lost between 2009 and 2012 while $13bn (N2.56tn) in NLNG dividends was mostly unaccounted for.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this in a statement on Sunday.
Mohammed’s statement read in part, “Some instances of the looting are as follows: N3.8tn out of the N8.1tn earned from crude oil (2012-2015) withheld by NNPC; $2.1bn (N413.7bn) from Excess Crude Account unaccounted for; Department of Petroleum Resources’ unremitted N109.7bn royalty from oil firms.
“Others are: $6bn (1.2tn) allegedly looted by some ministers of the last administration; 160 million barrels of crude worth $13.9bn (N2.74tn) lost between 2009 and 2012; $15m (N2.96bn) from the botched arms deal yet to be returned to Nigeria; $13bn (N2.56tn) in NLNG dividends mostly unaccounted for; N30bn rice waiver; and N183bn unaccounted for at the NDDC.”
The APC consequently lashed out at those telling President Muhammadu Buhari not to waste time probing the Jonathan administration.
The statement seems to be in reaction to a statement by the National Peace Committee, which reportedly told Buhari that probing the past administration was not a substitute for governance.
The APC, however, said there was no way the Buhari government could effectively take off if it did not recover some of the trillions stolen under Jonathan and that the party’s promise of change was based on the assumption that it would recover some stolen funds.
The statement added, “It is absolutely gratifying that Nigerians are vehemently opposed to the few who would rather have the government of the day turn a blind eye to the looted funds and, in their words, carry on with the process of governance.
“Truly, what sort of governance can go on if the billions of naira in a few hands are not recovered? In the first instance, the government needs every kobo of the funds it can muster to bring about the change it has promised Nigerians.
“Secondly, leaving such hair-raising funds in the hands of the few looters is dangerous, because they can use the funds to destabilise any government. In fact, no one will be surprised if the looters use their dirty funds to sponsor public demonstrations against the government’s determination to recover the funds.
‘’Thirdly, allowing those who privatised the commonwealth to get away is offering a thumbs-up for looting. No responsible government will do that.”
The party said that those who stole had embarked on an increasingly-bold campaign to discredit the government of the day and sabotage the funds’ recovery process, using newspaper columnists, ‘talking heads’ and otherwise respectable opinion leaders.
The APC submitted that it was necessary to remind Nigerians of the “massive looting of the treasury” that took place in the past few years, so the citizens could better appreciate the seriousness of the issue at stake.
The party said the listed “missing” funds constituted just a tip of the iceberg, adding, ‘’The level of looting that went on in other sectors is better imagined, hence the need for all Nigerians to rally around the Buhari administration to recover the loots, bring the looters to justice and to put in place measures to prevent such looting in the future.”
But the Peoples Democratic Party, in its reaction on Sunday, said the figures released by the APC were imaginary.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement, described Mohammed’s statement as “reckless, irresponsible and highly provocative.”
Metuh said, “In trying to escalate their stock-in-trade of lies, wild allegations and falsehood, the APC failed to understand that their baseless fabrications are capable of throwing an unsuspecting nation into chaos.
“The spate of fabrications by Lai Mohammed has become a sickening source of worry for well-meaning Nigerians, including those in his party.”
The PDP spokesperson called on Buhari and the APC, as a party, to call their spokesman to order before he plunges the country into crisis with wild and unsubstantiated claims.
He said the APC-led government should get serious with the fight against corruption by investigating and prosecuting corrupt persons, rather than unnecessarily playing to the gallery.
No one can intimidate me, Fayose tells Buhari
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to tread cautiously and be mindful of the body language of those hailing him today.
The governor, who said he was aware of sinister plots to destabilise his government because of his strong and truthful stands on national issues, vowed to “continue to speak the truth no matter whose ox is gored.”
Reminding the President that he is not heading a military regime, Fayose added that he could not be cowed by threats from any quarters.
According to a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose urged Buhari to take the advice of the former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee, which told him to tread cautiously.
The statement said, “Opposition is one of the roots on which democracy stands and any President or governor that does not want opposition will eventually become a dictator.
“I want to state without fear or favour that I will continue to speak the truth no matter whose ox is gored.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us and no one can intimidate me or the good people of Ekiti State who freely and overwhelmingly gave me their mandate.
“Democracy as a form of government thrives on our ability to ask questions and get answers from our leaders.”
The governor urged the President to listen to wise counsel from Abubakar.
“The Peace Committee has reminded the President that he is not heading a military government and with the calibre of Nigerians in the committee, their wise counsel should not be ignored.
“These are Nigerians who don’t need personal favours from the President and he should get the message very clearly that he is being told not to act as a dictator,” Fayose said.
Fayose, who also advised the President to know that Nigerians were not interested in “any honeymoon,” but their well-being, added that Buhari’s achievements in his first 100 days so far were “harassment of Peoples Democratic Party leaders, appointment of his in-law and kinsmen into sensitive positions, selective fight against corruption and arrest and detention of INEC officials who worked in states won by the PDP.”
While declaring support for the fight against corruption, Fayose however noted that “fighting corruption should not be synonymous with convicting Nigerians on the pages of newspapers.”
Buhari seeks ‘fearless’ judges to try looters
President Muhammadu Buhari has commenced the process of identifying a few fearless and courageous judges who will be saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting persons who have been found to have stolen national resources, THE PUNCH has learnt.
Buhari had while granting audience to members of the National Peace Committee led by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday disclosed that the prosecution of the indicted persons would commence in a matter of weeks.
“Those who have stolen the national wealth will be in court in a matter of weeks and Nigerians will know those who have short-changed them,” the President had told his guests.
Our correspondent however learnt on Sunday that the prosecution would not be open to “just any judge.”
It was learnt that the President was committed to ensuring that only judges who would expedite action on the cases and would be fearless in discharging their duties would be enlisted for the prosecution.
A source confided in our correspondent that that was one of the assignments Buhari gave to the Prof. Itse Sagay-led Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption which he set up on Monday.
The source said it would not be necessary to set up special courts to try corruption cases since efforts were already underway to identify judges that would key into the President’s dream of ensuring that no looter was left unpunished.
He said, “We do not need to entertain any fear that the prosecution of corruption-related cases will not be fast enough because many of our courts are already weighed down by many cases.
“The truth of the matter is that not all judges will be considered to take up the cases of those who have stolen our commonwealth.
“As a matter of fact, one of the assignments the President gave the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption led by Prof. Sagay is to identify fearless and courageous judges that will handle the cases.
“The idea is to ensure that the judges who will handle the cases will not be just any judges. They must be those who will expedite actions on the cases and discharge their duties with courage.
“You can see that with this development, the issue of special courts for corruption cases may not come. It is about special judges.”
Our correspondent also gathered that Buhari was already considering withdrawing national honours from any individual found to have looted the nation’s treasury.
It was learnt that the President’s position was that the nation should not be seen to be honouring any fruadulent person.
“The President will not hesitate to strip any corrupt person of national honour. Can you honour a person for milking the nation dry? It is irrelevant how long such persons have been bestowed with the national honours, they will be stripped of them,” the source said.
When contacted, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said it was reasonable that anybody found to be corrupt should be stripped of national honours.
Adesina however said such withdrawal of national honours would not be done until affected persons had been convicted by competent courts.
“Although it has not been considered, it is reasonable that those found guilty of corruption should be stripped of national honours bestowed on them. However, this will not be done before conviction,” the presidential spokesman said.
While announcing the establishment of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption on Monday, Adesina had said its brief was to advise the present administration on the prosecution of the war against corruption and the implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
He said the committee was also saddled with the responsibility of developing comprehensive interventions for achieving the recommended reforms.
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