Nigerian Police In Abakiliki Kill Unarmed Nigerian Man -Viewers Discretion Advised

The mail came in two parts.

The first is an SOS alert that the victim was in Hospital unconscious.Chinedu Uzor lost the battle and died this Morning.

His head was blown open with his brain tissue spilling out..

Please read what happened but please brace yourself for the next pic...

''Hello Stella, something really terrible just happened to one of my tenants, He was driving back home and he saw some guys dressed in mufti flagging him to stop, for fear that might be robbers, he sped off hoping to get to a legal checking ‎point for safety. Only to see a checking point ahead, on getting  there, he put off his car engine, and surrendered himself whilst explaining himself, the other team of police came there, met him and shot him on his head and arm at close range, as I speak to you, he is unconscious and on oxygen at Specialist Hospital Abakaliki. 

For Goodness sake, why should they shoot at someone who was unarmed and raised his hands. This same man had a similar experience last two December where some guys stopped him and he stopped and they shot at him, luckily for him he survived that by God's Grace and now this. I really won't want this case swept under the carpet, The Nigerian Police has done more harm than good to its Citizens. 

THE SECOND MAIL WHICH JUST CAME IN READS...

Attached Here are pictures of the man, his name is Chinedu Uzor‎. He died early this morning and the policemen are desperately trying to cover up their tracks and even trying to track down the witness who has gone into hiding''. 

First Bank Plc Faces Money Laundering Charge

A federal high court sitting in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria has adjourned till after vacation hearing in a three count criminal charge of money laundering filed against First Bank of Nigeria Plc by Peep ‘N’ Pick Bureau de Change Limited and seven other accused persons.

According to the said criminal charge filed before the court by Mr K.A. Salawu principal state counsel from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, a manager of FirstBank, Juliana Ifeyinwa Ochuka, First Bank Plc, Jenifer Osaseri Anasodo, Titilope Nasir Balogun, Aderonke Adedayo, Joy Ngosi Nnoruka, Caleb Chukwuka Ezeh, Oluwabunmi Afolashade Olujobi, Peep ‘N’ Pick Bureau De Change Ltd and others at large on or about 22nd of May 2014 conspired together to launder the sum of 1.9 million dollars, the source of which was unlawful and thereby committed an offence contrary to and Punishable under sections 15 (3) and 18(a) of Money Laundering (prohibition) Act.

The money whose source was unlawful was alleged to have been laundered through three different accounts open with the bank by one of the senior managers of the bank.

In an affidavit sworn to by Mrs Felicia Des-Dordes, chief Litigation Clerk in the office of the Attorney General of the federation, and filed before the court, the Deponent averred that all investigation into the case had been concluded and Mr K A Salawu in his position as prosecutor alleged that, prima facie case exists against the FirstBank Plc and all the accused persons.

Obasanjo Should Let Jonathan Be – Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has urged former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to stop attacking the immediate past President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, saying; “Dr Goodluck Jonathan is no longer the president of Nigeria, he should be allowed to live a private life devoid of mudslinging from elder statesmen like Chief Obasanjo.”

Governor Fayose said he was miffed that former President Obasanjo could choose the 11th Convocation Lecture of Benson Idahosa University (BIU) Benin, Edo State to say that “performance of Jonathan while in office will hunt the people of the South-South region for a long time to come.”

In a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Monday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor said the people of the South South had already demonstrated their approval of Jonathan’s performance while in office by voting overwhelmingly for him on March 28 despite the gang-up orchestrated by Chief Obasanjo and his allies.

“Most importantly, Jonathan’s performance as a democrat has been widely acknowledged locally and internationally, particularly by President Mohammadu Buhari, who on many occasions acknowledged the role he (Jonathan) played in midwifing a peaceful and successful transition programme, thereby averting the feared crisis in the country.

“This is in contrast to Baba Obasanjo, who tried third term when he was about concluding his constitutional two terms. And who knows whether he would have tried fourth term if he had succeeded with his third term agenda?

“The reality is, assuming but not conceding that Jonathan performed below expectation, democratic governance that he established in Nigeria is more important than any other performance that Obasanjo alluded to,” the governor said.

Speaking further, Governor Fayose urged Obasanjo to stop running other Nigerians down, saying; “We are all stakeholders in the country Nigeria. It is wrong for any Nigerian no matter how highly placed to go about carrying himself around as the only honest and lover of the country.”

The governor said; “since Baba Obasanjo has openly destroyed his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) membership card, he is free to go about seeking relevance in the All Progressives Congress (APC) without running anyone down.”

He said people living in glass houses should avoid throwing stones, adding that Nigerians know those involved in the Halliburton scandal and people who are yet to be cleared of their alleged complicity in a scam like Halliburton lacked moral rights to brand other people as corrupt.

Wizkid’s All-white Yacht Party In Durban

Four days ago, Wizkid announced on his page that he would be celebrating his birthday with an all- white party on La Vue Luxury boat at the Wilson Wharf in Durban, South Africa and he would be popping 100 bottles of champagne. The party took place yesterday, and we have collated some of the pictures from the star-studded event here:

Insurgency: Army chief inaugurates Operation Lafiya Dole

Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Acting Chief of Army Staff, on Sunday launched “Operation Lafiya Dole” as a new code name for a fresh impetus by the military to tackle the activities of Boko Haram.

This replaces the former “Operation Zaman Lafiya.”

The new code name was derived from Hausa language, which literally translates “Peace by All Means.”

Buratai announced this while addressing troops of the 103 Battalion in Konduga, headquarters of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno.

He said the objective was to transform the army professionally as well as fast track the war against the Boko Haram terrorists.

“It is the wish of the Federal Government to end this terrorism quickly in this part of the country and indeed some other challenges in the South South and other parts of the country.

“This will make us to have a very peacful country free from any insecurity,” Buratai said.

He lamented that the fight against terrorism had lasted for a very long time without much results.

Burutai said, “Consequently as from today July 19, we are here to bury the ‘Operation Zaman Lafiya’ and give birth to what we will henceforth call ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’.

“Operation Lafiya Dole is derived from the belief that we must end this insecurity. We must restore peace to all parts of the North East and other parts of the country that are affected by insurgency.

“We are going to carry this as a war and I appeal to all and sundry to give this operaton maximum cooperation.

“We will carry the civil population along, we wil also observe the principle of human rights and respect human dignity. We will not trample on anybody’s right.”

He expressed optimism that the operation will yield dividends in a very short time.

“As the insurgents have refused to understand and come to the right way we must force them to make sure that peace returns to all pa

US to trace Nigeria’s stolen funds

The United States will offer to help Nigeria’s new leader track down billions of dollars in stolen assets and increase US military assistance to fight Islamic militants, US officials said, as Washington seeks to “reset” ties with Africa’s biggest economy.

The visit to Washington by President Muhammadu Buhari is viewed by the US administration as a chance to set the seal on improving ties since he won a March election, hailed as Nigeria’s first democratic power transition in decades.

US cooperation with Buhari’s predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, had virtually ground to a halt over issues, including his refusal to investigate corruption and human rights abuses by the Nigerian military.

“President (Barack Obama) has long seen Nigeria as arguably the most important strategic country in sub-Saharan Africa.

“The question is: would there be an opportunity to deepen our engagement? That opportunity is now,” US Deputy Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, told Reuters.

The improving ties with Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer, came as US relations have cooled with two other traditional African powers – Egypt and South Africa.

US officials have said they were willing to send military trainers to help Nigeria counter a six-year-old northern insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist movement.

Since Buhari’s election, Washington has committed $5m in new support to a multi-national task force set up to fight the group. This is in addition to at least $34m it is providing for Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger for equipment and logistics.

Buhari’s move on July 13 to fire military chiefs appointed by Jonathan cleared the way for more military cooperation, US officials said.

“We’ve made it clear. There are additional things that can be done, especially now that there is a new military leadership in place,” a senior US official said.

Another senior US official said Washington was urging Buhari, a Muslim from the country’s North, to step up regional cooperation against the militants and to provide more aid to afflicted communities to reduce the group’s recruiting power.

Buhari has said his priorities were strengthening Nigeria’s economy, which has been hard-hit by the fall in oil prices, boosting investment and tackling ‘the biggest monster of all’ – corruption.

“Here too, he is looking to deepen collaboration and one of the things he is focused on is asset recovery. He is hopeful we can help them recover some of that,” the official said. “

In 2014, the US took control of more than $480m siphoned away by former Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha, and his associates into banks around the world.

Washington has broad powers to track suspicious funds and enforce sanctions against individuals.

Buhari Arrives Washington DC (Pictures)

Very presidential

Re: Buhari Arrives Washington DC (Pictures)

Petrol subsidy hits N1.69bn daily

Cars and people queing for petrol, at Oando Filling Station, Berger-Oke, on Lagos Ibadan Expressway.



The Federal Government now incurs about N1.69bn daily to subsidise petrol consumption, OKECHUKWU NNODIM writes

Nigeria currently spends N1.69bn daily as subsidy on petrol despite the decline in the country’s oil exports and the resultant squeeze on the nation’s revenues.

While industry experts and highly placed politicians canvass the stoppage of the subsidy regime, President Muhammadu Buhari has yet to take a stand on the issue.

Buhari had last Monday explained that he had yet to take a decision on the removal of subsidies on refined petroleum products.

The President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, was quoted as saying, “I have received many literature on the need to remove subsidies, but much of it has no depth. When you touch the price of petroleum products, that has the effect of triggering price rise on transportation, food and rents.

“That is for those who earn salaries; but there are many who are jobless and will be affected by it.”

Subsidy is a form of financial aid or support extended to an institution, business, or individual generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy.

But experts told our correspondent that the President was considering the political gains of subsidy, and stressed that this was detrimental to Nigeria’s economy, considering the whopping sum being spent daily subsidising petrol consumption.

Latest figures from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency show that the government is paying N42.35 as subsidy on every litre of petrol consumed in the country.

Specifically, the agency, in its pricing template released on Thursday July 16, 2015, which was based on average Platts prices for a day before, stated that the Expected Open Market Price or total cost of petrol was N129.35 per litre.

This is against a regulated retail price of N87 per litre. The difference between the EOMP and the retail price is, therefore, N42.35.

According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the country consumes about 40 million litres of Petrol daily.

By multiplying the volume of petrol consumed across the country on a daily basis with the current amount spent on subsidising the product, it means that the government spends about N1.69bn on subsidy daily at N42.35 per litre.

The PPPRA stated that the effective date of the approved pricing template was January 19, 2015, noting that the actual landing cost of the product was N113.86 per litre.

The cost elements that make up the landing cost include the product’s offshore cost of N102.6 per litre; trade margin, N1.47; lightering expenses, N4.18; NPA fee, N0.77; financing, N1.59; jetty depot throughput charge, N0.8; and storage charge, N3.

On the product’s distribution margin, retailers get N4.6; transporters, N2.99; dealers, N1.75; bridging fund, N5.85; marine transport average, N0.15; and admin charge, N0.15; making a subtotal margin of N15.49.

When added to the landing cost of N113.86, the EOMP of N129.35 per litre is arrived at, but the product is sold at filling stations at N87 per litre.

The Director, Emerald Energy Institute, University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Wumi Iledare, explained that the plunge in crude oil prices and the drop in Nigeria’s oil exports had led to a stiff revenue squeeze and wondered if the Federal Government would be able to sustain the billions of naira being incurred daily as subsidy.

Iledare, who is a former President, International Association for Energy Economics, said, “We cannot continue to subsidise petrol without having functional refineries. Other countries that subsidise petrol like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela have refining capacities beyond what they consume. If we refine all we consume and sell excess, nobody will call for subsidy removal. But we don’t.

“It may make political sense and the only thing they are worried about is the political implication. But this is where they have to educate the society that what they are losing as a result of fuel subsidy is enormous. These are monies that can be used to increase Nigeria’s education standard.”

Also speaking on the issue, the Managing Director, Frontier Oil Limited, an oil and gas field development firm, Mr. Thomas Dada, told our correspondent that the price of crude oil would fall further in the near future, judging by the recent historic deal between Iran and the United States.

Dada said, “I hope the President will be able to assess the issue in detail maybe when he has formed his cabinet. But I think sooner or later, we have to remove subsidy because it has never benefitted this nation but only a few people.

“Let me ask you a question, how many people are buying fuel at N87 per litre right now in this country? If you go to Abia, Niger or Adamawa states, they pay much more than N87 per litre and these are Nigerians paying this much because they need the product. So, who is actually benefitting from subsidy? He (Buhari) may have his reasons but we need to look at the bigger picture.

“Is the telecoms sector being subsidised? No. Is it not functioning? It is functioning! The coffers of the government are empty; so, I don’t know how you are going to sustain subsidy. Oil price is going to drop with Iran and the USA coming to a nuclear agreement. That means if we don’t see a $40 per barrel oil price by next year or two, then we are lucky.

“So, how will Nigeria continue to afford subsidy? We should be encouraging private sector refineries, which will be able to meet our petroleum product needs.”

The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, at a function in Abuja last week, urged Nigerians to unite against the continued payment of subsidy, stressing that it was only making a few persons wealthy at the expense of the masses.

He had said, “In 2014, Nigeria was producing on the average about 2.2 million barrels of crude oil per day, while importing most of its daily consumption of 43.5 million litres of refined petroleum products. That reliance on imports of refined products has seen unsustainable expenses on questionable subsidy payments exemplified by $8.99bn in the 18 months between January 2012 and June 2013.

“About N971bn was budgeted for subsidy payments in 2014 alone (more than twice that was eventually paid). You all recall how trillions of naira were paid out as oil subsidy in 2011, when only N254bn was appropriated. No one has been successfully prosecuted for this scam.

“I daresay that the oil subsidy regime has neither grown our people nor guaranteed stability of refined product supplies. What subsidy has achieved is create a huge hole in the budget and a new array of overnight billionaires… “It is time to tackle the corruption in the subsidy regime. We can discuss how the resulting subsidy savings will be spent to improve lives, while guaranteeing stability of supply to the domestic market. We have a President with both the integrity to responsibly manage the savings and the experience of managing special interventions based on subsidy savings.”

Akungba stool: Disowned Oba-elect accuses kingmakers of contempt

Regent of Akungba-Akoko, Princess Oluwatoyin Omosowon | credits: Saharareporters

Prince Oseni Isiaka, who was denounced by the kingmakers of Akungba Akoko in Ondo State as the Oba-elect of the ancient town, has accused the kingmakers of acting against the judgment of the court which purportedly ruled in his favoured to be the Oba-elect

The head of the kingmakers of the town, Chief Akin Osemawe, has announced on behalf of others that one Prince Sunday Adeyeye remained the authentic Oba-elect of the ancient town, calling on Prince Isiaka to stop parading himself as the Oba-elect.

However, Isiaka, in a statement on Sunday, alleged that his denial by Osemawe amounted to a contempt of court because his selection as Oba-elect was validated by a court judgement delivered on 20th December 2013 by Justice Adeyeye of Ondo State High Court sitting in ikare Akoko, Akoko North-East Local Government.

He warned Osemawe against the alleged court contempt, saying “Mr. Akin Osemawe should stop misleading the people of Akungba Akoko and the general public. His action is tantamount to contempt of court which can send him and his sponsors to jail”.

According to him, the kingmakers which include Chief Oluilegbin of Ilegbinn Quarters(Oluilegbin Akomolafe), Chief Opaka Isiaka Musa ,Chief Olubaka Ajakaye Rufus and Chief Alagure (Pa Funmilayo Omoboriota), made their stand on his selection as the Alele-elect of Akungba Akoko known and he was waiting for the state government to present him the staff of office.

However, Osemawe said Isiaka did not have the judgment that would make him the Oba-elect, noting that the court did not compel the kingmakers of the town to select him as the Oba-elect

Speaking in Akure on Friday, the head of the kingmakers of Akungba explained, “The court cannot tell us what to do. What he challenged in court is to make him a member of the Ole Ruling House and he got judgment but the judgment did not stipulate that he is the Oba-elect. The judgment has even been appealed because members of the Ole Ruling House insisted that he is not one of them.

“I am the head of the kingmakers of the town and I am speaking for other kingmakers and we have unanimously selected Prince Sunday Adeyeye as the Oba-elect. So, I don’t know who selected him in the first instance. I don’t know the kingmakers that selected him. He has been going around telling lies to the people.

“They have tried to bribe me to support him. I turned them down because I cannot do anything that is against the tradition of the town. You can come down to Akungba and sample the opinion of people of the town. They will tell you he is not their Oba-elect. “

Meanwhile, it was gathered that the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Bamiduro Dada, has held a meeting with the two parties and ordered that nobody should parade himself as the Oba-elect of the town until further notice.

Senate committees to screen service chiefs – Melaye

The non-composition of senate standing committees by the Senator Bukola Saraki-led Senate would not affect the screening of the newly appointed service chiefs when the upper chamber resumes plenary next week.

The senator representing Kogi-West senatorial district, Dino Melaye, stated this in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday.

According to him, the development would make the senate leadership set up an ad hoc committee that would carry out the work of three committees of Defence and Army, Navy and Air Force.

Melaye said, “I think the senate president will announce the names of standing committees as soon as the Senate resumes plenary next week. However, an ad hoc committee would be set up to screen the service chiefs.”

President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to send a letter to the Senate president as from July 28, informing him of the appointment of the new service chiefs and seeking senate’s screening and clearance.

It was also learnt that the screening will not be made public because of the security nature of the offices of the security chiefs.

Ex-finance director accuses NAFDAC DG of corruption

The crisis rocking the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control has taken another twist as the redeployed former Finance Director, Ademola Mogbojuri, on Sunday, accused the NAFDAC’s Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, of corruption.

Mogbojuri accused Orhii of financial recklessness, saying he had evidence of inappropriate financial transactions involving the DG.

He said this while reacting to accusations by the workers’ union in the agency that he had shown disrespect to Orhii on many occasions.

The Medical and Health Workers’ Union of the agency addressed a press conference on Saturday, during which they also accused Mogbojuri of gross misconduct and financial impropriety.

The NAFDAC’s former finance director told one of our correspondents on the phone that he had documents to prove the reckless running of the agency by Orhii, who he alleged, spent money without following due process.

He said, “I am not the one who wrote to Sahara Reporters or even petitioned the Federal Government on the crisis in NAFDAC as widely claimed. The truth of the matter is that the DG is quite reckless with spending.

“Before he joined the agency in 2009, the annual total revenue of NAFDAC was about N2.5bn and he met around N600m in the account. Now, the total internally generated revenue is about N9bn and the agency owes about N5bn in debt.

“Every month, I wrote about the financial position of the agency to the DG and supported it with relevant documents. Part of what we owe are government remittances which are about N1.4bn but he never allowed me to pay because he was scooping the money.

“Some of the companies they use to carry out the deals have collected over N6bn in the last two years. Towards the general election this year, he collected a lot of money and used it to buy vehicles, which he branded and gave to a governorship aspirant in his native Benue State. The financial recklessness of the DG has brought NAFDAC onto its knees.

“The DG swapped me, a trained accountant with a statistician, who used to head the Planning, Research and Statistics section but I never protested. The posting they did on Thursday in which they moved me to Kaduna, I have not received the letter even as we speak, so how do I say I am resuming anywhere? This is the second time I would be redeployed within a month. The impunity in NAFDAC is too much.

“They have moved other five personnel from the finance department in the last one month to cover the mess. Some people from the DG’s village in Benue State, who do not work with NAFDAC, are paid travel allowances and I have the records.”

But the chairman of the NAFDAC’s workers’ union, Isa Ibrahim,at the press conference accused Mogbojuri of demanding bribe before releasing approved monies for projects and the day-to-day running of the agency while also allegedly refusing to pay workers their entitlements on time.

Ibrahim, said, “On numerous occasions the DG would approve funds to carry out some projects but the directorate of finance, rather than honour the approval, would tell us there is no money. The director in question was transferred recently to another section but he refused to go. He does not obey or regard the DG or any constituted authority. Nobody should be bigger than NAFDAC. It is an act of insubordination that we must not allow to continue.

“We have been experiencing anarchy and impunity from that director over the years. He messed up the entire place and we are happy and stand by the DG for finally getting him out of the finance department.”

But Mogbojuri, who has since been moved to the NAFDAC Training Institute in Kaduna, said he was being victimised for refusing to be a part of the massive corruption going on in the agency. He said the corruption was being led by the DG.

I didn’t send list of corrupt deals by Jonathan govt to Buhari —Okonjo-Iweala

MEDIA Adviser to the immediate past Minister of Finance, Paul C. Nwabuikwu, has described as total ‘falsehood’, the claim by an online news media, Saharareporters.com that Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala handed over a “dossier of corrupt deals” perpetrated by the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Nwabuikwu, in a reaction to Saharareporters’ publication, which was also used by other news media, confirmed that the report was a sponsored attempt to discredit Okonjo-Iweala’s good works while in office.

According to Nwabuikwu, “the recent report by the integrity-challenged website, Saharareporters and some other media that former Minister of Finance, Dr Okonjo-Iweala has handed over a “dossier of corrupt deals” perpetrated by the Jonathan-led administration to President Buhari is completely false and without foundation.

“This sponsored lie is part of the political attack by the pay masters of Saharareporters against Dr Okonjo-Iweala. These attacks will continue given that these individuals are bent on a political and personal vendetta against her.

“Why are they angry? It is simply because she tried to bring integrity and transparency to the management of Nigeria’s public finances which obviously did not suit their interests.

Osun residents storm Winners Chapel for Oyedepo’s foodstuffs

Hundreds of public servants, retirees and other categories of residents of Osun State trooped to the Winners Chapel, Osogbo, on Sunday to partake of the foodstuffs sent to the state by the Presiding Bishop of the church, Bishop David Oyedepo.

The Osun State Pastor of the church, Olumuyiwa Emmanuel, had on Wednesday announced during a midweek service that truckloads of foodstuffs had arrived for distribution.

He directed members of the church to invite their friends and neighbours, irrespective of their religious affiliations.

Emmanuel said the foodstuffs were sent to assist workers and others cope with the hardship caused by the non-payment of salaries.

The pastor said, “The church has been blessed to be a blessing to others. Irrespective of their religious affiliations, we are blessed to affect the lives of others positively.

“That is the reason the church has been giving to the less privileged ones. We have been distributing food items to members and non-members. The church also distributed foodstuffs last month.

“God does not bless people so that they can be containers, he blesses people so that they can bless others and all of us must be doing that.

“Rather than acquisition of wealth, we should cultivate the habit of giving to those around us, and in return, we would receive more blessings from God.”

Emmanuel announced after the second service that anyone interested in being a partaker of the largesse should wait.

The pastor also announced that there would be free medical treatments for all kinds of ailments next Sunday even as he urged members to invite anyone that needs medical attention to come and benefit from the free services.

Few minutes after the announcement, there was a long queue of intending beneficiaries waiting patiently for the distribution of the foodstuffs.

Those on the queues were given rice, packets of tomato paste and vegetable oil. Some parents and their children queued separately in order to increase their rations.

Some of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the church for the largesse, saying the nation would be a better place if religious organisations, corporate organisations and individuals started considering the less privileged ones.

It will be recalled that the church had on June 14, 2015 doled out foodstuffs and financial aid to workers and others in need.

The Chairman, Osun State chapter, Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Elisha Ogundiya, had advised churches in the state to begin to donate foodstuffs to workers to assist them to cope with the hardship caused by the non-payment of their salaries.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Osun State, Mr. Jacob Adekomi, also said in June that labour unions in the state would soon approach wealthy Nigerians to ask them to donate food to their members.

Striking doctors, CMD exchange words in Ekiti

The Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI) has denied allegations levelled by the striking members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in the hospital, against their Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr Majekodunmi Ayodele, describing them as “spurious and an attempt to bring him to disrepute.”

FETHI in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Mr Kunle Adeboyejo, at the weekend, urged the doctors to resume work in the interest of patients and the nation.

Doctors in some institutions including FETHI are on strike over demand for remunerations, accruing from skipping of a grade level and other issues bothering on their welfare.

They had alleged that the Federal Government had approved the payment of the allowance, but that the governor had allegedly refused to pay them. ARD at FETHI had claimed in a statement, last week, by its president Dr Otutoaja Uzoma, and General Secretary, Dr Ekundayo Oladeji that the inability of the hospital management to meet their demands on the alleged financial management style of the CMD.

The hospital management, however said, “The CMD has been managing the financial resources of the hospital prudently,” adding that he had no access to staff salaries and contract funds.

It denied the allegation that the CMD had been using money earmarked for staff salaries and emolument to implement capital projects, saying “staff salaries are paid directly from Abuja to individual accounts. Also, payment for contract is done directly from Abuja for specified projects yearly.”

The hospital management said all FETHI staff including the striking ARD members had been paid May and June salaries as against their allegation of being owed salaries.

It said the additional remuneration accruing from skipping of a full grade level being demanded by the striking doctors, “has not been addressed by the Federal Ministry of Health for now. It is not true that the hospital has received any money either in lieu of payment of skipping of a grade or relativity allowances.”

Subsidy removal won’t hurt Nigerians — Utomi

Professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, tells TOBI AWORINDE that there are cabals who are benefitting massively from the Federal Government’s subsidy on petroleum products

Is it a must for the Federal Government to remove fuel subsidy?

I think fuel subsidy is a source of enormous haemorrhage from the federal treasury; a haemorrhage that is benefitting a few people — scam artists. And the marginal delivery of value to the Nigerian people is questionable because, in most places in Nigeria, we are not getting people to pay those (official) prices anyway. In essence, I am not sure we can justify what is going into it, whereas you could take the same resources to do a lot to transform the economy, and maybe invest in an environment that would create more jobs, etc. But if I were to do it, and I could, I would find a way of taking a portion of that money and paying directly via a cash transfer to the poorest of the poor so that they can use it to buy their own fuel as they see fit or subsidise their transport. The big problem is that we have chosen not to have a proper headcount or biometric data of citizens, in spite of national identity cards and programmes like that.

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Indonesia just went through a similar process of removing huge subsidies. That was the first thing that the current president, Joko Widodo, did after he was elected. And there cannot be a more masses-oriented leader than him, who is basically a small guy from a small business that rode his bicycle around and so on. He is a man of the masses, yet he realised that it was important to remove the subsidy. However, they were able, with the support of some international aid agencies, to pay money directly to the poorest of the poor. In our place, a similar strategy could be thought of. Unfortunately, we still have this challenge of ‘Where are the people? Who are the people?’ before we know it, some agents will go and share these monies and pocket them like the scammers in the oil industry are doing.

But it is widely believed that fuel subsidy removal will be an enormous burden on the majority of Nigerians. Is this true?

In many parts of Nigeria, if you make sure that there is availability of the product and so forth, the competition can only force prices down. The reason that people are comfortable with what they (marketers) are doing now is because there is a quasi-monopoly — an oligopoly of sorts — which is taking advantage of the ordinary citizen. But if there is competition, as you saw in telecommunications, we are going to get to a scenario where, in a short period of time, prices will drop from competition. I do believe that the net effect over a short period of time will not be higher prices, I am almost confident of that. In fact, around December last year, when prices dropped to the upper 40s (in dollars), if we had removed it (subsidy) and encouraged competition and refused to give licences without ensuring that the quality was right, prices would have to be forced down. They would have come down significantly from where they are now, if the government had given such an order.

I was in the United States last December on New Year’s Eve, when I was driving to catch a flight from the Midwest to New York. I remember that my host was shocked, positively, that petrol prices had fallen below $2 (per gallon). The price used to be about $5; it suddenly dropped to a mere $2 a gallon (about 4.5 litres). Basically, the same should happen here in the oil industry, just like it happened with per-second billing and general pricing of the telecommunications business.

The Nigeria Labour Congress, during the fuel scarcity in May that lasted for about two weeks and nearly crippled the country’s economy, warned that there was a conspiracy to remove subsidy on fuel and this could plunge the nation into crisis. What do you think?

That is absolutely incorrect. I think we like to get ourselves into these strange debates (based on) personal interests. Those who are benefitting from these subsidies are the ones pushing all kinds of people to create these kinds of arguments that they are profiting from; it is not true. People have been paying N150 and waiting in queues for hours; then you tell the person that if you remove subsidy, prices would be very high. It is not true. Simple logic shows that it cannot be that high. But so long as we ensure that there is competition, it will get lower than today’s prices, if crude (oil) prices are not going up.

Are you saying the oil marketers are the ones to blame for this disinformation?

There is no question in my mind that they are a part of it. Not all of them; there are different kinds of players in every market. You can’t paint everybody with the same brush. But there is no question that there are people who are making out like bandits and the first rule of change is that those who profit from the old order will do everything to prevent a new order from coming about.

Members in both chambers of the National Assembly had moved motions to remove fuel subsidy during the recent fuel scarcity, but the motions were voted against. Do you think the fuel subsidy removal plan can get past the lawmakers, seeing as they are obviously against it?

I am not sure where the laws of our country say that the National Assembly has to vote on the price of Bournvita, and fuel is just as much a product as Bournvita. Why should the National Assembly get involved in the price of any product, even petrol? We have had some people during the course of our history who dabbled into such things and that is part of what has caused some of our problems today. I don’t know what the National Assembly has to do with whether or not fuel subsidy should be removed.

Why are fuel scarcity and the consequent hike in prices of petroleum products so common in Nigeria nowadays?

Precisely, it is because it profits some people. Why is it not common in next-door Benin Republic, which is poorer and does not produce crude oil? Why do they not have queues (at fuel stations)?

What do you think the Federal Government should do with the resources, if fuel subsidy is removed?

This business of what it (proceeds from subsidy removal) will be used for is what is creating all these problems. The whole country is a basket. There are leakages from everywhere. Whatever government exists to do for its people, the government should do it and revenues that come to the government, whether from taxes or from royalties, should go into serving the people to improve the quality of their lives. It should go into providing infrastructure, ensuring that there is adequate regulation to enable businesses to grow and provide jobs for people. All of those things are part of what the government should do.

Looking at the inability of some states to pay the salaries of their workers, what do you think is the best option for the Federal Government to take?

I think that we need to first review and rethink our fiscal federalism. I think that the time has come to have some very clear conditionality attached to the receipt of revenues, especially debt management revenues. And what we should do in that regard is ensure better behaviour so that we do not get into this situation again.

Adelabu ‘Penkelemess’ was my political role model – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the First Republic Federal Minister of Social Services and Natural Resources, Chief Adegoke Adelabu, popularly called ‘Penkelemesi’, as his political role model.

Obasanjo made this remark on Saturday at his Hilltop residence, Abeokuta, while receiving the family members of the late Ibadan-born politician, who paid him a courtesy visit.

The said they came to intimate the former president with the 100 years posthumous birthday of the politician slated for September 3, 2015 and a foundation to be inaugurated in his name.

Obasanjo said he shared the political philosophy of the late politician, which was devoid of ethnic and tribal considerations but focused on a united Nigeria.

He noted that Nigerians were still struggling to reach the pinnacle Adelabu attained in politics.

Obasanjo, who accepted the offer to be the patron of the posthumous centenary birthday celebration of the politician, described the late Adelabu as a detribalised Nigerian.

Led by an Ibadan High Chief and a former broadcaster, Chief Tunde Alabi, the family members said they were in Obasanjo’s house to solicit his support to give a befitting ceremony to the first African Manager of United African Company.

The former President further  noted that Adelabu was years ahead of his political contemporaries, adding that he advocated a United State of West Africa before his demise, which was before the Economic Community of West African States was formed.

He said, “Adelabu was not just a historic figure, he was a reality. He was a phenomenon; he was uniquely Yoruba, uniquely Nigerian, uniquely African and uniquely a member of human race.

“What you are proposing to do, I believe Adelabu deserved it in every facet. Today, we are still struggling to reach the pinnacle or the pedestal Adelabu reached in politics, of not being swayed by linguistic, ethnic, tribal, regional, sectional consideration but by what is best for Nigeria.

“He was years ahead of his contemporaries in politics. In his life time, he was talking of United State of West Africa; ECOWAS came up years after his demise.

“In his life time, he belonged to a political party that has its base outside the Western Region, where he came from. He was not a tribal baron; he was a national politician.

“So, when you asked me to be the patron of Adelabu posthumous centenary birthday celebration,  I have no reason to say ‘no’.

“I have no reasons to say ‘no’ because, I share what Adelabu stood for. I share Adelabu’s philosophy of a united Nigeria and believe. I share Adelabu’s view of politics beyond ethnicity, beyond tribe, beyond region and I believe that in our national life, we should extol the virtues like those ones we saw in Adelabu.

“A man of the people, down to earth, absolutely down to earth and yet, a man who believed that his politics must be above ethnicity, must be above tribe, must be to unite the country while, of course, uplifting his own people.

“On behalf of the family who asked me to accept this and having accepted this, I will do my utmost best to contribute to making that day you have chosen to celebrate the birthday a success and also to use it to remind those who may like to forget that there was, even before independent, men and Nigerians like Adelabu, who believed in the unity of this country, who lived for it and indeed died for it.”

Aregbesola denies plans to sack 10,000 workers

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has described as unfounded the claim by the Peoples Democratic Party that his administration has concluded plans to sack no fewer than 10,000 workers.

Aregbesola made this denial in a statement issued on his behalf by his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, and a copy of which was made available to our correspondent on Sunday.

The governor said the PDP sponsored many lies to pull down his government but added that the opposition had been failing in their alleged plots to instigate the people of the state against his government

He said, “The so-called plan to sack 10,000 workers is in the imagination of the Peoples Democratic Party. Discerning and decent people have come to the inevitable conclusion that when PDP makes any allegation, you must quickly dismiss it as being in its character to fabricate falsehood in order to confuse the unsuspecting masses.

“But the relevant question that must be asked is: has PDP’s notoriety in lying helped it achieve anything in the state of Osun? The answer is a big No. And that is because the ordinary Osun people who understand perfectly the positive impact of the Aregbesola administration have left PDP behind in its lying act.

“This latest falsehood is part of its calculated move to misinform workers, confuse them and demoralise them. Nowhere has the Aregbesola administration signified any intention to sack any worker.”

The governor also said that the opposition party failed woefully in its plot to capitalise on the workers’delayed salaries to instigate them against the government by sponsoring series of protests.

Reacting to the allegation that he had refused to sell the helicopter bought by his administration for surveillance, he said this showed that the PDP had run out of ideas hence their advice that the chopper which he said was being used for security operations be sold.

Soldiers as presidential guards endangers Buhari’s life – Ex-DIG

A retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Adebayo Adeoye, has called for the immediate restoration of the Department of State Services personnel to the Aso Villa to provide close bodyguard protection for President Muhammadu Buhari.

The former DIG noted that the use of soldiers as Presidential guards could expose Buhari to danger and jeopardise his life.

Buhari had on Friday recounted his experience at the Eid praying ground where he was almost mobbed by youths who were anxious to see him, adding that a man with a knife could have attacked him during the tense moment where he managed to escape from the crowd.

Adeoye in a telephone interview on Sunday stated that the incident at the Eid praying ground showed that the soldiers guarding him did not have the requisite experience and skills to protect him.

Adeoye observed that Buhari had to board his official car through the rear left passenger side where the Aide-De-Camp sits, to escape the mob.

The retired police chief said the soldiers guarding the President exposed him to danger by their poor crowd control skills, adding that the DSS operatives would have better protected him because they were trained for such scenarios.

He said, “DSS operatives should be returned to the Villa quickly. They should not endanger the life of the president. Anyone advising the president to use soldiers for his protection didn’t mean well. The president’s life was in danger at the Eid praying ground,  he was almost mobbed by the crowd and I hope such a thing would not repeat itself.

“The DSS  should be allowed to protect the President, military are not trained for crowd control or close bodyguard protection.

But a former FCT Commissioner of Police, Lawrence Alobi stated that soldiers in mufti could be used as part of the outer layer of presidential security, while the DSS should rather be used for intelligence-gathering.

He disagreed with Adeoye’s stance that the DSS operatives were trained in crowd control, noting that it was only policemen that had such training.

Alobi said, “The President’s security is a collective duty, police should be used for crowd control, DSS should be used for intelligence-gathering and soldiers in mufti could be used for peripheral security because there are different levels of security for the President.

“DSS personnel are not trained for crowd control, only the police can do that. Military intelligence officers in mufti could be used (to protect the President), but soldiers in uniform should not be used, it gives a wrong impression. This is not a military government, so soldiers should not be used, we should not militarise our democracy.”

Ambode restates commitment to grassroot sports development

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Saturday reiterated his administration’s commitment to develop grassroot sports in the state, assuring the people that sports in general would receive adequate attention in the next four years of his administration.

The governor gave the commitment at the finals and closing ceremony of the 2nd Lagos International Badminton Classics, which took place at the Row Park Sports Centre, Yaba.

Ambode said the state government would improve on grassroot sports association as a means to ensuring that it becomes a veritable tool for employment.

He pledged that his administration would continue to sponsor the International Badminton Classics, adding that the gains recorded by past administrations in the state would be improved upon.

“I want to also commit that in the next four years, Lagos State will continue to sponsor this particular international tournament in addition to other sports that the Lagos State Government has been sponsoring.

“We are excited that the past administrations have always focused on sports development. One of the things I had promised Lagosians is that we would continue in the path of past administrations to take sports to the next level,” the governor said.

Amobode added that efforts would be made to expand the next edition of the championship to enable more countries to participate while the prize money would also be increased.

“Our administration is committed and we are signing on with other sports lovers and sponsors, that the next edition is better than this. My understanding is that we have over 24 nations here present in this tournament. I know next year, we are going to expand it and then we would also increase the prize money and also ensure that the best of badminton comes to Lagos,” he said.

Jonathan should apologise for bad governance – APC

The All Progressives Congress has called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to apologise to Nigerians for the kind of “bad governance and leadership” it administered on the country during the six years he spent in office.

The party also called on the Peoples Democratic Party to eat the humble pie and apologise to the people for the way it mismanaged the country for the 16 years it ruled the country, saying their apologies would be the most honourable thing to do.

A statement on Sunday by the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Ondo State, Omo’ba Adesanya, noted that instead of making excuses, the PDP should be remorseful and apologetic for plunging the country into the mess it found itself.

The statement partly read, “Jonathan and PDP brought this country into disrepute, domestic and international odium, economic crisis, insecurity, unemployment, unprecedented corruption, abuse of state apparatus, infrastructural decadence, poverty, and many other issues.

“But instead of being remorseful and apologetic, the party, through its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, has been making defenceless excuses and arguments, saying President Muhammadu Buhari is slow, that APC is not prepared for governance or that we are not keeping to our promises.

“This is laughable because Nigerians are already in sync with the current administration. The President should be commended for his dogged approach to blocking all leakages and apprehending looters.”

The statement added that the process of rescuing the country from the level the PDP government left it might take time and that there would be need for patience.

It added, “You cannot hit the ground running without carefully observing and removing the entire banana peels littering the ground to avoid a dangerous crash. We advice Metuh and his party to be patient. In a matter of time, after all that is being planned by this government has mature and the results start coming out, Nigerians will be able to know who has come to serve them and who has taken them for a ride for 16 years.”

Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Ondo State, Mr. Banji Okunomo, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, urged the APC to stop acting like an opposition party, saying it should rather focus on how to deliver on the promises it made to Nigerians.

He said, “They are taking Nigerians for granted and they do not know that Nigerians are already losing their patience to want to see the promised change which they used in cajoling Nigerians into electing them into power.

“From its inception, the APC has been showing that it is not ready for governance as it cannot even put its house in order. So, for the period they were in the opposition, in a way, their mentality or psyche has been assaulted, and that is why they keep behaving like an opposition party. We want to see them manifest their campaign promises.”

Emir Sanusi In Tears, Says Leaders will pay for their deeds

The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sunusi, on Sunday cried during his speech at an event in the state.
The emir, who paused for about two minutes while crying, was advising Nigerian leaders to be prepared to account for all their actions before God.

Speaking at the Africa House of the Kano Government House, Mr. Sanusi, an outspoken former governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank, told a packed audience which included the Kano State Governor, Umar Ganduje, that power was a responsibility bestowed on leaders at all levels and for which they would account.

He commended Mr. Ganduje for his love and concern for the wellbeing of the Kano Emirate Council, saying that the gesture will help build a strong relationship between the council and the state government.

The event, called Hawan Nassarawa, is held to signify the end of eid-el-fitri festivities and is done to allow political leaders unveil their programmes and policy statements to the traditional leaders.
Earlier, Mr. Ganduje said his primary task was to complete projects initiated by his predecessor and former boss, Rabiu Kwankwaso, before he would commence new ones in the state.

Buhari’s Cabinet: 33 Ministerial Nominees Fail Corruption Test-tribune

INDICATIONS emerged at the weekend that the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to announce ministers after nearly two months of assuming office is not unconnected with the alleged malfeasance, fraud and misappropriation of funds traced to most of the ministerial nominees.
The revelations by investigation teams reportedly revealed shocking security reports on the alleged fraud and misappropriation of funds by 33 nominees short-listed by President Muhammadu Buhari, with only three said to have passed the corruption test.

Informed sources told Sunday Tribune that out of the 36 ministerial nominees penciled in and those submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) hierarchy and sent to the DSS, EFCC, ICPC, CBN, the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) for forensic screening, only three nominees came out unscathed.

President Buhari had insisted that he wanted to appoint people without corruption baggage that could taint administration and inhibit his anti-corruption drive. 

Sunday Tribune gathered that the president was dumbfounded as to the mind-boggling amount of money quantified in several transactions cutting across several sectors of the economy, including oil and gas, finance, power, governance and infrastructural commitments, where the persons involved failed the nation, thus contributing to its current decadence.

Consequently, President Buhari is said to have rescheduled the new date for the submission of his list of ministerial nominees to the Senate for approval to September, during which it is hoped that he would have prepared a new list that will be screened and those that scaled the integrity huddle, presented for confirmation.

A source said: “Buhari has said anybody with skeleton in the closet will not work with him irrespective of the role he or she played. If such persons are around him, it means he may be pressurised to compromise his principled stance”.
“So they are trying to push him to a corner, because the truth is that they cannot seem to read or understand his body language. They have now seen that Buhari is ready to sacrifice anybody for Nigeria to move forward”, the source stated.

Fayose: Buhari Forfeited Half His Salary? I Am Ready To Forfeit All Of Mine

House of assembly and start fumbling, like it was in the days of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Such things can’t happen again.

“And that brings me to the fact that Ekiti is gone for good from the hands of APC. Even if Senator Bola Tinubu [the leader of APC] becomes the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, they will lose in Ekiti, because they are not on the ground here. The kind of politics I play is that wherein I tie myself to the people, not the people tying themselves to me. If you look at the processes of the botched impeachment, what happened aftermath, was a defence put up by the people, not even me. We, however, thank God. It was the Lord’s doing.”

He said Nigerians voted the ruling party because they wanted change but rather that meet their expectations, Buhari has been playing to the gallery.

Fayose said the pace of the current administration is “too slow”, dismissing the impression that his state received any form of bailout from the federal government.

“The people said PDP was not doing it well, they voted us out. Okay. PDP was not doing well, let us see what APC has to offer. But for me, they have not started well. This pace is too slow and they are playing to the gallery too much,” he said.

“Apart from other issues like the north/south dichotomy, religious sentiments and change in itself, one of the key reasons, in terms of policy and in terms of needs, why Nigerians voted for President Buhari is security. They want to be secure.

“Everybody was shouting “bring back our girls”, the APC was shouting that Jonathan had no capacity and that the moment Buhari comes in, within 30 days, Boko Haram will be inside the River Niger. Rather, Boko Haram is now spreading their tentacles and growing in confidence. Both opposition and the government must stay together to fight insurgency, but I need to remind them that they were the people politicising this thing.

“So, it has come to the fore. But it is a different ball game now: governance and opposition. When they were in opposition, they could be using propaganda to deceive the people, bamboozle them and use the press to their advantage. But you cannot use propaganda to lead the people. Look at an instance: they came out to say that they had done a bailout. To whom did they give the bailout? Are they also bailing themselves out? Nobody has bailed Ekiti out. We have only got our legitimate allocation which is tax from NLNG.

“It was Ekiti’s basic entitlement under the allocation procedures. I got N2.1 billion and my wage bill is N2.6 billion. So, when you now say bailout, a bailout that cannot pay one month’s salary, how do you explain that? I said about a week ago that there’s no issue of bailout and I cannot be telling the APC-led government that that they are deceiving Nigerians and playing to the gallery. The so-called bailout issue is playing to the gallery. So, to me there’s no issue of bailout. When Jonathan was there, this tax from NLNG went straight to the federation account.

“Today, they are in power, they can say whatever they have to say. Jonathan is gone, they should leave Jonathan alone and face the act of governance. They said PDP cannot do it well; they are there now. They should, please, try their best for us and leave propaganda.

“Another thing is that the president and vice-president announced that they will forfeit 50 percent of their salaries. That is also playing to the gallery. I can forfeit everything, because salary is meaningless. I’m ready to forfeit all of my own… the whole salary, not half, because we know the truth. We know where people in government make money.

“The president should go a little bit further and forfeit other benefits he enjoys. For instance, all the benefits of the state house in Abuja and protocol. There are a lot of benefits that will accrue to the president in terms of travelling, in terms of sitting allowances and other allowances that are due the president. He must cut the cost, because the benefits are more far-reaching than salary. The president’s salary is N1.1 million. Is the president telling us that he has forfeited N550,000 to Nigerians to change our fortune? No.

“Even my own salary is about N700,000; I’m ready to give it out without complaining and I’m not going to announce it on the radio or television. And, interestingly, you cannot forfeit it by words of mouth, because there is nowhere you will post it anyway in the revenue mobilisation law. You can take it and use it to promote the cause of Nigerians, but don’t tell us you are ready to forfeit half of your salary and it’s a big deal. No, it’s not.

“They should be able to take decisive steps to advance the cause of Nigerians beyond sentiment.

“They’ve been there almost two months and they had about seven weeks before swearing-in. Yet, they’ve not been able to give us direction that they mean well. I’m speaking this way because I’m in the opposition, I’m not in their party.”

Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba On The Brink - Petition To GMB

The recent strike actions plaguing the health industry has done more harm than good not only to the reputation of the health institutions and those who are charged with the responsibilities of providing quality health care services to the public; but has also seen those on the inside lose confidence in the system and amongst their rank and file. It’s a situation of utmost quagmire and the forces at play are either unperturbed or simply enveloped in self-aggrandizement to realize that everybody’s business is nobody’s business in the end and failing to take charge of the situation will only result in further divergences in opinion. It is with this pitiful purview that the current situation at the Federal Neuro Psychiatry Hospital, Yaba is presented to the public. 

To say that The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba (FNPHY) is in deplorable condition would be an understatement! A casual walk through the facility will quickly produce an image of derelict infrastructure and equipment. Consulting rooms are accidents waiting to happen with few broken chairs and torn upholstery. There are no functioning ACs and the fans move as though powered by snails. The heat is quite unbearable, it’s little wonder how the Doctors manage to keep sane. The tension however, is palpable. Patients are sometimes made to stand during consultation because the alternative is to sustain injury to person and clothing while perched on the death traps casually referred to as chairs. For the doctors, this poses another level of threat because one doesn’t need a degree in psychiatry to understand the dangers in having a psychiatric patient towering over you during a consultation session.

Though much effort and compromise has been invested in righting these wrongs, sadly frustration has been the only recompense for the doctors in concern. It is at the recent turn of events that the Association of Resident Doctors in the Hospital decided to cry out to the public; for them to be the judge and weigh in this situation. 

Federal Neuro-Psychiatry Hospital, Yaba; asides being an institution meant to care for the mentally ill, is also a training centre where residents undergo training to become specialists in this discipline. As a medical training establishment, there are certain expectations placed on FNPHY either by law or through customary practice. These expectations or practices have far reaching effects on the residents, who are direct recipients of these activities. Some of these effects are social, developmental or welfare related and to a large degree shape the careers of these Psychiatrists in training. Many waters have passed beneath the bridge and it will be fool hardy to catalogue all the issues doctors have gone on strike for over the past 2 years. However, the recent strike action at FNPHY was precipitated by the following occurrences- inadequate security as there are limited security personnel to provide protection of lives and property, deplorable work conditions, refusal to pay the doctors a monthly allowance approved by the Federal Government since January 2015 and finally; refusal to disburse money to fund the doctors training courses in other hospitals, which forms a key part of their overall residency training.

The interesting thing however, is that unlike other strike actions in recent times, these grievances are not aimed at the government but rather at the management of FNPHY. manipulated in this case for culpability, includes the Medical Director and other top members of the hospital’s management team. The reasons funds released by the Federal Government for specific purposes has not been remitted as expected is the first issue vexing the doctors on strike. Second, is the call for intense scrutiny into the management and its functions; especially with regards to the approved funds in question.

It was said that despite an increment in budgetary allowance for personnel of over 200% from January 2015, the management of FNPHY cut off training for all courses claiming that the Government never allocated funds for training and it was only as an act of good will that the Hospital had been partially sponsoring training courses in the past.

We urge you to recall; last year when doctors went on a nationwide 2 months strike and the Government consented to their demands. One of the demands successfully granted was for Medical Doctors to skip a grade level as other health workers were already doing. The skipping was meant to commence January 2015 and hospital management all over the nation have slowly started to implement the policy except FNPHY. The Medical Director categorically stated that he was waiting on a circular from Federal Government to nullify skipping. Under what auspices will a policy passed into law and already being implemented by other member bodies in an organisation suddenly change to favour a contrary motion? Further, the management of FNPHY insisted that when Federal Government paid the allocated money into its account, it didn’t come with a memo to implement skipping. However, a circular from the former Head of Civil Service of the Federation referenced HCSF/EPO/EIR/63755/T1/192; keeping with a court judgement on the approval of the skipping policy had been sent to the Management and Board of the FNPHY.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) Yaba hereby crave the indulgence of the relevant agencies and all well-meaning Nigerians to wade into the matter. To conduct a detailed probe into the issues that plague the institution vis-a-vis misappropriation of funds, documented evidence of ghost workers, the plight of the mentally ill (though of no apparent political significance, but is of extreme public health importance for dangers posed to themselves and others) and many other issues that cannot be fully explicated.

The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba wishes to appeal to the general public most especially clients/ patients and families who have been denied affordable medical care to bear with them as their industrial action enters its 5th week. The Doctors are saddened by the hardship this industrial action has caused their clients/ patients and though painful, has to be done because they have been pushed to the wall by the relentless actions and negligence of the Medical Director Dr Rahman Abolore Lawal. All attempts to logically resolve the issues have met a brick wall.

The above mentioned issues are the reasons the resident doctors in FNPHY have been on strike and the hospital management have showed no signs of budging. Rather, acts of victimization and assassination of character have become the order of the day. We blame the government for all of Nigeria’s problems, what about now that the government has done its part…. The doctors simply want their rights and the rights of their patients upheld.

Mods please help push to front page so the necessary authorities can see this.

$182m Halliburton Scandal: Buhari Orders Preparation Of Case-file

By Kingsley Omonobi, Abuja
As President Muhammadu Buhari travels to the United States (US) today to engage President Barack Obama in talks on economic, security, financial and anti-graft issues, it has emerged that he has ordered the preparation of the case-file that would lead to the prosecution of the indicted persons in the $182 million Halliburton bribery scandal.

buhari talkSunday Vanguard gathered that the President’s directive followed the requirement by the US government of evidence to show that Buhari was ready to prosecute the suspects in Nigeria for their roles in the bribery scandal before it could partner other European countries in releasing the $141million dollars allegedly looted from Nigeria and lodged in various overseas banks.

According to top security sources, Buhari, based on the outcome of investigations by the panel set up to look into the scandal, is scheduled to tell Americans officials during this week’s visit that all those indicted, including former Heads of State, a former Vice President, two former Group Managing Directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, will face prosecution to defend themselves.

To further convince the US officials that the kangaroo trial that took place during the Jonathan administration, which saw a former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to the President being arraigned and then let off the hook following alleged connivance of certain government institutions, will not re-occur, the President will tell them that private legal practitioners, who cannot compromise because of past government patronage, will be commissioned to handle the case.

It will be recalled that the recent directive by Buhari to reopen the Halliburton bribery case led to the discovery that the $26.5 million plea bargain money released by the oil servicing firm as part of efforts to shield the company from prosecution was not in any government account.