Federal Court Refuses To Reinstate Suspended Sanusi

… Hears His Suit Challenging President Jonathan’s Power March 12

Hearing in the suit instituted by the suspended Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to challenge the powers of President Goodluck Jonathan to suspend him comes up on March 12.
Though, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, yesterday refused his application to be reinstated as the CBN governor on the ground that it would be unfair to grant such an application without affording the respondents a hearing.
The embattled CBN Governor had filed the application on February 24, asking the court to make an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants from obstructing, disturbing, stopping or preventing him in any manner whatsoever, from performing the functions as the CBN Governor and enjoying in full, the statutory powers and privileges attached to the office.
Maintaining that any delay might cause irreparable and serious damage and mischief on him in the exercise of his statutory duties as the CBN governor, Sanusi urged the court to expeditiously grant his interlocutory application.
However, Justice Kolawole in refusing the application said he was of the view that the court had not only the judicial powers to declare the suspension unlawful but to order that the plaintiff be returned to perform his duties as the CBN governor .
The judge also said that the court could also, even where the tenure had lapsed order the defendants to pay the plaintiffs such remunerations and allowances on the basis that the plaintiff suspension also carried with it the plaintiff’’s stoppage of remuneration and allowances.
According to Justice Kolawole, it is unsafe, judicially speaking, to embark on far reaching interim orders which have all the attributes of a mandatory injunction without accord the defendant a hearing.
Pondering on the reliefs sought by Sanusi, the trial judge said he was constrained to grant the plaintiff’s motion ex parte.
He however said that another issue he would like to raise when defendants have been duly served with the originating summons and motion on notice was whether in the light of the third alteration Act number 20 of the constitution of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, whether the Federal High Court still has the jurisdiction to entertain issues dealing with employment, notwithstanding the questions the plaintiff had set down for determination in his originating summons.
The court therefore refused the plaintiff’s motion ex parte and directed that the motion be served on the defendants.
He also ordered that the plaintiff should serve the originating summons on the defendants together with the motion on notice as the court adjourned the matter to March 12 .
The embattled CBN Governor had supported his application with a nine-paragraphed affidavit and two exhibits attached and marked Exhibit AA1 and AA2.
Exhibit AA1 was a copy of a letter dated June 2009, titled appointment as Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria.
By Exhibit AA1, the plaintiff was advised on his office as the Governor of CBN acknowledging that as the Governor of CBN, he is governed by the Central Bank Act number 7 of 2007 and other terms of service applicable in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Exhibit AA2 is a letter dated February 19 addressed to the plaintiff by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the federation, titled suspension from office advising the plaintiff on his suspension from office, the exhibit is pursuant to the relief being sought before the court.
Sanusi, in the suit filed by his lawyer led by Chief Kola Awodein (SAN), told the court that his interlocutory application was necessary because of the issues raised in the suit and that delay might cause irreparable and serious damage and mischief to him in the exercise of his statutory duties as the CBN Governor.
He urged the court to exercise its discretion in his favour by granting the interlocutory injunctions, saying the president’s continuing unlawful interference with the management and administration of the CBN, unless arrested, posed grave danger for Nigeria’s economy and justified the court granting his application which would result in maintaining status quo ante bellum, that is, for his return to his office as the governor of the CBN.
In the affidavit deposed to in support of his application, Sanusi said in the course of his duties as the CBN governor, he discovered certain discrepancies in respect of amounts repatriated to the federation account from the proceed of crude oil sales between the period of January, 2012 and July, 2013 and that he expressed concern in respect of the said discrepancies and had cause to inform the National Assembly of the said discrepancies because they affected the revenue of the federation and the national economy.
He said the actions of President Jonathan, in purporting to suspend him from office, was aimed at punishing him for these disclosures.
He also stated that he was challenging the president’s power to suspend him from office noting that the president did not approach nor obtain the support of the Senate, based on his discussions with several senators, including Senator Bukola Saraki.
“I have been informed, and I verily believe the information given to me by Senator Bukola Saraki to be true and correct that the Senate did not give the President any support for my purported suspension and removal from office as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,” he said.
Sanusi further said that the actions of the president in suspending him from office was contrary to provisions of the CBN Act relating to the appointment and removal of the CBN governor and that his purported suspension amounted to unlawful interference in the administration and management of the apex bank and therefore illegal, null and void.
Sausi therefore urged the court, in the interest of justice, to grant his reliefs and assign the case to a judge.

JONATHAN NOMINATES ZENITH BANK PLC GROUP MD AS NEXT CBN GOVERNOR

Few hours after suspending the controversial Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, President Goodluck Jonathan has nominated the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, as his successor.

In a letter to the Senate President, Senator David Mark, Thursday, which was read on the floor of the Senate, President Jonathan prayed the upper chamber to approve Emefiele’s nomination with dispatch saying he would replace Sanusi, whose tenure ends in June 2014.

The President also nominated Mr. Adelabu Adebayo, an Executive Director at First Bank Plc, as Deputy Governor of the apex bank. He will succeed Mr. Tunde Lemo, whose tenure also expires later in the year.

Earlier today, a statement by Reuben Abati, the President’s spokesman had announced Sanusi’s suspension with immediate effect and directed the most senior Deputy Governor of the CBN, Dr Sarah Alade too will serve as Acting Governor.

The text of the statement reads, “Having taken special notice of reports of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and other investigating bodies, which indicate clearly that Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s tenure has been characterized by various acts of financial recklessness and misconduct which are inconsistent with the administration’s vision of a Central Bank propelled by the core values of focused economic management, prudence, transparency and financial discipline;

Being also deeply concerned about far-reaching irregularities under Mallam Sanusi’s watch which have distracted the Central Bank away from the pursuit and achievement of its statutory mandate; and

Being determined to urgently re-position the Central Bank of Nigeria for greater efficiency, respect for due process and accountability, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has ordered the immediate suspension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from the Office of Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

President Jonathan has further ordered that Mallam Sanusi should hand over to the most senior Deputy Governor of the CBN, Dr Sarah Alade who will serve as Acting Governor until the conclusion of on-going investigations into breaches of enabling laws, due process and mandate of the CBN.

The President expects that as Acting Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Alade will focus on the core mandate of the Bank and conduct its affairs with greater professionalism, prudence and propriety to restore domestic and international confidence in the country’s apex bank.

The Federal Government of Nigeria reassures all stakeholders in Nigeria’s financial and monetary system that this decision has been taken in absolute good faith, in the overall interest of the Nigerian economy and in accordance with our laws and due process.

BREAKING NEWS: Jonathan suspends Sanusi

President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the immediate suspension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, reports reaching EagleNews moments ago indicated.

The President has also directed Sanusi to hand over to the most senior Deputy Governor in the apex bank, Dr. Sarah Alade who will serve as Acting Governor until the conclusion of on-going investigations into breaches of enabling laws, due process and mandate of the bank.

BOKO-HARAM: Nigeria attacks frustrate United Nations

The United Nations yesterday, accused the Nigerian government of not taking national security seriously after weekend Boko Haram attacks that left hundreds dead.

"We urge the government to do more to provide security and protection to civilians, especially in areas prone to attacks and where a state of emergency has been proclaimed," Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay, said in a statement Tuesday.

Shamdasani said her office was appalled by the violence in northern Nigeria states that left at least 150 people dead last weekend. Government officials said Islamic militant group Boko Haram carried out the attacks.

The spokeswoman said the Nigerian government was called on to "make sure that perpetrators of these gross human rights violations and killings are duly prosecuted and held responsible."

The U.S. State Department in November designated Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization.

Late January violence in northern Nigeria prompted the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to issue a travel warning advising Britons of the "high threat from terrorism."

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared states of emergency for northern states in response to heightened Boko Haram activity last year.

Nigeria Senate leader blocks Ruling Party Defections

The leader of Nigeria's upper chamber of parliament on Tuesday blocked 11 lawmakers from defecting, saying their break from the ruling party to the main opposition would not go through until a court challenge was resolved.

Senate leader David Mark, a heavyweight in President Goodluck Jonathan's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been lobbying the group to reverse its decision to defect announced in a letter on January 29.

Jonathan has suffered a string of recent political blows, including a mass defection of lower house lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress (APC) that stripped its parliamentary majority.

The PDP has challenged the Senate defections in a federal court by seeking to have the seats declared vacant on the grounds that party-switches violate the will of voters.

"The matter is in court and therefore we can make no reference to it," Mark said, interrupting one of the would-be defectors, who sought to formally cross the floor.

The rest of the group then stood to have their defection officially recognised but were shouted down by Mark.

If the defections are allowed to go through, they will cut the PDP's majority in the 109-seat Senate by 26 seats, with the PDP down from 73 to 62 and the APC up from 33 to 44.

Analysts say Jonathan's dwindling support is tied to elections scheduled for February next year.

The president has come under mounting pressure from within his own party not to run and instead throw his support behind a Muslim candidate from the north.

Jonathan, who stepped up from vice-president to be acting head of state when former president Umaru Yar'Adua fell ill and later died in 2010, is a southern Christian.

He is also alleged to have promised to serve only one, four-year term after winning a popular mandate at the last elections in 2011.

All but two of the 11 senators seeking to defect are northern Muslims.

The upper house is a powerful institution in Nigeria, as all bills require approval from senators before entering into law and senators can themselves propose legislation.

Nigeria, Sudan To Develop Economies On Bilateral Cooperation

The second Nigeria – Sudan Joint Ministerial Commission meeting has ended in Khartoum, Sudan with both countries signing agreements, Memorandum of Understandings (MOU) and protocols to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas beneficial to them.

The signing ceremony which was jointly performed by the Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Nurudeen Mohammed and the Sudanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kamalaldin Ismail Saeed was preceded by a 2-day meeting of experts from both countries.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, Nurudeen Mohammed and the State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kamalaldin Ismail Saeed exchanging agreements after the signing ceremony.
In their separate addresses, both Ministers expressed satisfaction with the excellent relationship between the two governments and their people, reaffirming their willingness to further strengthen the cooperation which aims at developing their respective economies as well as the well-being of their countries.

Both leaders stated their resolve to work towards the implementation of the decisions reached at the meeting and agreed to create a committee of senior officials from both countries with the responsibility for monitoring and implementing the decision of the joint commission.

The experts held comprehensive negotiations and deliberations on the draft agreement, treaties and Memorandum of Understandings in different areas of cooperation. At the end of the meeting ten agreements, treaties and MOU’s were successfully negotiated and signed by both parties.

The first joint commission was inaugurated in November 1998 in Abuja.

Three Northern PDP Governors Heading to APC, More Defections Expected

Three more governors- two from the Northwest and one from North central- elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are getting ready to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as more Senators and Representatives are waiting for the right time to cross over to the APC The Nation reports.

There are also reports that 16 PDP lawmakers in Adamawa will be joining APC later this week.

Former Vice president Atiku Abubakar, Governor Nyako, General Buba Marwa, Marcus Gundiri and Mr. Boss Mustapha are said to have been working the phone from their Yola homes to convince more PDP members to cross to the APC.

Atiku, in particular, is said to have lined up a number of meetings with PDP bigwigs with a view to wooing them into the APC.

Some supporters of the immediate past national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur are also said to be contemplating dumping the PDP should the PDP continue to procrastinate the harmonisation of the factions in the party.

CAF Champions League: Enyimba and Kano Pillars begins title quest today

Enyimba and Kano Pillars will this today begin their campaign on the continent with ties in the CAF Champions League.

Enyimba who have missed out on the Champions League for some time now,will host Anges Des Notse from Togo today (Sunday), before travelling away for the return fixture.

The People's Elephant remains Nigeria's most successful side in the competition,having twice won the competition in 2003 and 2004.

They will be looking towards having a go at the competition once again,in a bid to win it.

Meanwhile,Nigeria's other representative at the competition,Kano Pillars will be coming up against Association Sportive Vita Club of D.R. Congo.

Buoyed with the new appointment of Okey Emordi who had previously won the competition with Enyimba,Pillars will be hoping to replicate the same feat.

They will travel to Kinshasa to play the first leg before hosting the return leg in Kano.

The Nigerian Govt. and the Duplication of Mortgage Financing

By Yushau Shuaib

In a season of politics, anything happens even on the economic front. Recently President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan launched the long-awaited Mortgage Refinance Company which was mooted and proposed by the Central Bank of Nigeria sometimes in 2009.
While there is an existing Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) which promotes the growth of viable primary mortgage institutions in Nigeria, the idea behind the Mortgage Refinance Company (MRC) is said to provide the long term liquidity to afford more Nigerians to access funds to pay for their houses.
At the 9th annual retreat for chief executive officers (CEOs) of Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMIs) which was held in Abuja in December 2009, the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, acknowledged that the Mortgage Refinance/Liquidity Company (MRC) had been proposed as part of the reforms of the housing finance sub-sector, as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPY) to re-vitalize the sub-sector. He told the participants at the Retreat that the dearth of long term deposits coupled with low level of capitalization of the PMIs were key militating factors in the drive to consistently finance long-term loans on a sustainable basis for average Nigerians.
By January 2010 the CBN and operators of PMIs, had commenced work on the modalities for the establishment of the proposed Mortgage Refinance (MRC). Meetings were subsequently held between the CBN and Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria (MBAN) to discuss modalities for the establishment of the MRC. Between 2011 and 2012 several meetings were held with the modalities towards the establishment of the project.
In February 2013, CBN posted on its website a 38-page document titled: “Regulatory and Supervisory Framework for the Operation of a Mortgage Refinance Company” to unveil a draft framework on the proposed company which was part of efforts to enhance liquidity in the mortgage sub-sector.
The apex bank therefore prescribed basic regulatory requirements for the MRC’s principal line of business of refinancing credits to borrowers for the security of residential mortgage assets and other qualified collaterals. This writer just wonder what would now differentiate NMRC from FMBN which has over the years been linking the capital market with the housing industry by establishing and operating a viable secondary mortgage market to support the primary mortgage market.
In January 2014 while announcing the establishment of the company, which is now rechristened Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), President Goodluck Jonathan said the housing sector is an avenue for job creation and economic stability hence his administration’s focus on the sector. He added that the effort of the World Bank through the $300 million loan would be supplemented by those from private investors.
The new company according to its promoters is a public-private partnership which will help to deepen the Nigerian Mortgage Market and make housing more affordable to low-income earners at low-interest rate. It is being implemented as a component of the Nigeria Housing Finance Programme towards resolving access to affordable housing finance. On the other hand the existing FMBN is mandated by law to service the need of housing delivery in all parts of Nigeria by mobilizing both domestic and offshore funds into the housing sector.
In addition to the pledge of the World Bank to provide the soft International development Association (IDA) loan at a zero interest rate and 40-year tenure to the new NMRC, a large chunk of the pension funds would also be invested in the housing sector.
While one may be concerned about likely duplication of functions between the existing Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and the new Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company, the government should ensure that it creates an enabling environment for accessibility to legitimate lands, provision of infrastructure and reduction in the cost of housing delivery.
One would have expected that the new mortgage scheme, if necessary should be able to guard against money laundering, especially the unwholesome practices of cash deposits for purchase of houses. It is public knowledge that currently the major beneficiaries of the mortgage financing are the estate developers who milk their customers dry with exorbitant cost of houses. The outrageous prices leave most of the estates unoccupied, some for years, especially in highbrow areas of big cities like Abuja, Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Enugu among others. In fact in Abuja 70 percent of exotic houses and mansions in Abuja for instance have not been occupied for years.
The existing mortgage financing only cater for financial institutions and developers who annex available mortgage resources in building homes of speculative value rather than the reality on the ground. Meanwhile patrons of some of the developers and owners of big estates do not secure loans to acquire the properties but pay cash for the acquisition as investment like whose value may appreciate with utilisation. A mortgage finance system that is not accessible to individual and needy borrowers doesn’t worth its existence.
The unfathomable sky rocketing real estate prices in some cities are largely promoted by money launderers who launder slush funds in the property market. It is open secret that fraudsters too no longer hide their loots in banks because of the stringent financial regulations over huge lodgement and transfer of money.
Rather than establishing more companies and agencies to address housing deficit, it may not be out of place if government, in addition, impose and administer property tax on expensive houses that are scattered in big cities and yet unoccupied for too long. Introducing property tax will be in line with global best practices to affect the affluent in the society who deprive ordinary citizens of spaces for decent accommodations.
Any mortgage scheme that could not afford an average Nigerian to have an affordable and decent house within a short period may not be necessary because the rich and politicians know have to have their ways with the so-called mortgage financing in Nigeria.
Mr. Shuaib wrote in from Finance Estate, Wuye, Abuja. You can provide feedback to him via yashuaib@yahoo.com

7 dead, 1,000 injured as heavy snow hits Japan

The heaviest snow in decades in Tokyo and other areas of Japan has left at least seven dead and more than 1,000 injured across the country, reports said Sunday.
As much as 27 centimetres (10.6 inches) of snow was recorded in Tokyo by late Saturday, the heaviest fall in the capital for 45 years, according to meteorologists.
The storm hit Tokyo on the eve of its gubernatorial election.
Observers say the heavy snowfall may affect voter turnout in the city of 13 million people.
As a depression moved along the Pacific coast Saturday, the northeastern city of Sendai saw 35 centimetres (13.8 inches) of snow, the heaviest in 78 years.
Local media said at least seven people have been killed in snow-linked accidents — mostly crashes after their cars skidded on icy roads.
In central Aichi prefecture, a 50-year-old man died after his car slipped on the icy road and rammed into an advertisement steel pole, a local rescuer said.
Public broadcaster NHK reported at least 1,051 people were injured across the nation, many of whom had slipped on the ground or fallen while shovelling the snow off their roofs, NHK said.
More than 20,000 households were without electricity early Sunday while airlines cancelled nearly 300 domestic flights a day after more than 740 flights were grounded Saturday.
Nearly 5,000 people were stranded at Narita airport Saturday as traffic linking the airport to the capital was disrupted, NHK said.
Further snowfall is expected Sunday in the northern part of the country, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
AFP

Nigeria faces questions over 'missing' oil money

Africa's biggest oil producer Nigeria is facing questions about where billions of dollars in oil money is going, amid suspicions of fraud and it being syphoned off to fund election campaigns.

The issue has been rumbling on since September, when the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation of withholding $49.8 billion in oil revenue.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who steps down as central bank chief in the coming months, later revised his figures down to $12 billion, sparking claims of political pressure.

But this week he again claimed that the state-run NNPC owed the central bank money this time $20 billion from the $67 billion earned from oil between January 2012 and July 2013.

It is now up to NNPC... to produce the proof that the $20 billion unremitted either did not belong to the federation or was legally and constitutionally spent, he told a parliamentary committee.

Nigeria produces about two million barrels of oil per day, and crude exports account for about 80 percent of government revenue.

Government figures indicated it earned some $49 billion in export revenue in 2012, down from $54 billion the previous year.

Some of the funds go into a rainy-day fund, called the Excess Crude Account (ECA), to ensure the government budget is financed in case world oil prices fall sharply.

Last year, as global oil prices held above $100 per barrel, revenue above a benchmark of $79 per barrel set by the government and lawmakers went into the fund.

According to the latest central bank figures, the ECA held $11.5 billion at the end of 2012, but this had dropped to $2.5 billion in January this year.

The reduction comes at the same time as a decrease in foreign reserves.

Last May they stood at $48 billion but are now at about $42.7 billion, according to CBN data.

Its unfortunate that the government has indulged in a spending jamboree without any noticeable improvement in the standard of living of the people,  said Lagos economist Abolaji Odumesi.

The ECA is meant to protect Nigeria in the event of price shocks but the  purpose for setting the fund aside is now being defeated, the former banker  told AFP.

Those in government are not thinking of tomorrow. They are not bothered about what becomes of the economy if the ECA dries up and there is drop in the international price of crude.        

Nigerias influential governors forum, led by Rotimi Amaechi of the  oil-rich Rivers state, has accused the federal government of unilaterally  taking money from the account.

The group even went to court to challenge Jonathans withdrawal of $1 billion for a new Sovereign Wealth Fund, set up to invest the savings from the difference in budgeted and actual oil prices.

Suspicions abound that the money has been used to weaken states controlled by the opposition, which has been boosted by the defection of dozens of members from the ruling party.

Amaechi, who switched from Jonathans Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress last year, has long argued that his state is being short-changed.

For their part, the NNPC and the government say the money has gone to legitimate projects and that oil theft and vandalism have contributed to the reduction in revenues.

There is a widespread consensus that oil-theft, or bunkering, is a problem in Nigeria.

Estimates range up to 150,000 barrels per day being stolen, robbing the exchequer of about $6 billion a year.

Anti-corruption campaigners allege the money may have been diverted to fund the 2015 election campaign, which looks set to be the closest since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999.

The Jonathan administration is merely syphoning money to prosecute its re-election agenda, said Debo Adeniran, of the non-political, non-profit Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders.

It is absurd that at a period when our oil is sold $30 above the benchmark price, the foreign reserves and excess crude accounts are going down.

The only explanation for this abnormality is that politicians and officials are stashing money for elections.    

Adeniran praised Sanusi for blowing the whistle on what he called a monumental fraud, but said it was wrong for the NNPC to have spent the money  regardless of how much was involved.

The NNPC has been a haven for corruption and inefficiency in this country, he said.

It does not have the power to spend any money without appropriation. 

AFP

Jonathan:We’ve done alot for Sokoto ..It’s a lie,says APC

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under his leadership has done so much worthy of the support of the people of Sokoto State.

Jonathan was speaking in Sokoto on Saturday while formally receiving former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, who defected to the PDP recently.

“Towards farmers’ enhancement programme, we accessed 282 farmers directly under the Gross Enhancement Support (GES) scheme. And I was personally here to inaugurate the Almajiri Integrated School with the Sultan,” Jonathan said.

The President added that the PDP would continue to lead Nigeria to greatness because “it is the only party that is stable and it will continue to uphold the tenets of democracy as well as respect the rule of law at all levels.”

Promising to change Sokoto state , Jonathan further said that the federal government under the Party would continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

But in a swift reaction, Inuwa Abdulkadir, the Interim Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) of Sokoto State said that Jonathan’s visit to the state is a political jamboree.

“Since Jonathan became president to date, we have never seen the President coming to Sokoto to commission any project that has direct bearing on the lives of the people of Sokoto state,” he retorted.
For Abdulkadir, who is an immediate past Minister of Youths and Social Development,it is amazing that the President took his time off serious government business in Abuja at a time that he should have concentrated on conferring with security chiefs to see how best they can arrest the insecurity situation in the country.

“It is unbecoming of a president and disservice to the people of Nigeria who elected him as their president. We believe that his coming to Sokoto is nothing but to ignite some crisis and the people of Sokoto are very much aware of that but they will be calm,” he said.

Abdulkadir added that the people of the state were unshaken about the visit. “We are sure that the visit will not translate to any electoral value for the PDP. And in fact, one thing about which we are happy for the visit is that it will expose those who claim to have any PDP in Sokoto state. Secondly, it will expose (those) who are being recruited and paid to undertake a callous kind of political agenda against the people of Northern Nigeria.

“We will see those who are invited from Niger and Kebbi to populate the gathering in order to give the president a befitting rally to start imposing his political agenda against the Northerners. We are very much aware of the recruitment in Kebbi and Niger states, including some governors,” he alleged.

Abdulkadir also alleged that SURE-P funds were being used to facilitate the arrangements even as the youths recruited under the programme had not been paid for months.

“We are also aware that all the arrangements are being facilitated through the funds of SURE-P because the young people that were recruited sometimes last year have (not) been paid their allowances in the last five months.”

He appealed to APC supporters and the good people of Sokoto state to be calm and go about their businesses.

Gambian President appoints Nigerian as Chief Justice

President Yahya Jammeh has appointed a Nigerian as Gambia's Chief Justice after sacking the only woman to have held the post, his office said today.
Emmanuel Fagbenle takes the role of "acting chief justice", according to a presidential statement, after Ghanaian-born Mabel Yamoa Agyemang was "relieved of her appointment" without explanation last Monday.
The brief communique gave no biographical details for Fagbenle, although he has been cited by local media as presiding over many high-profile cases in recent years and was sworn in as a Court of Appeal justice five years ago, according to a government release dated from 2009.
Agyemang replaced another Nigerian, Joseph Wowo, who became mired in a bribery scandal in July last year and was jailed on a string of corruption charges in January.
She had been practising law in Gambia since 2004, when she was appointed as an expert appeal court judge after working in her native Ghana.
The president regularly reshuffles his cabinet and judiciary in what many observers say is a sign of insecurity and runs several key ministries himself, including defence and religious affairs.
Jammeh sacked five cabinet ministers in August as part of a ruthless shake-up of the government which saw his justice minister lose her job.
Jammeh, who has ruled mainland Africa's smallest country with an aura of mysticism and an iron fist since seizing power in 1994, vowed ahead of his swearing-in for a fourth term in 2012 to eradicate corruption.
In the same year, former information minister Amadou Scattred Janneh was sentenced to life in prison for treason for distributing T-shirts which featured the slogan "End to Dictatorship Now".
A sliver of land nestled within Senegal, Gambia has over the years also seen the arrest and jailing of a number of senior military and police officers for crimes relating to treason, drug trafficking and corruption.

Controversial River State Police Commissioner,Mbu Re-Deployed

The controversial Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mr Joseph Mbundu has been removed and reassigned to Abuja by the Police Service Commission (PSC) with immediate effect.

The PSC in a statement named Mr. Johnson Tunde Ogunshakin of the Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos as the new Police Commissioner for Rivers, while Mbu is now Police Commissioner in charge of the FCT.

Mbu has been at loggerheads with the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and supporters of the APC following the struggle for the control of political in the State between the Presidency and Amaechi.

It will be recalled that the controversial Police Commissioner had severally been accused of bias against political parties other than the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) as on several occasions allowed PDP sympathisers to hold rallies while denying opposition parties same privilege.

This has prompted calls from several quarters for the removal of Mbu as he has become a political police commissioner instead of being apolitical as a public officer.

At a point,Mbu withdrew policemen from providing security for the State Governor,Rotimi Amaechi.

Mass Defection In Kano Assembly As 26 Lawmakers Dump PDP For APC

The defection wind blowing across the country hit Kano State yesterday as 26 members of the State House of Assembly announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), leaving only five out of the 31 members of the Assembly in PDP.

Though the Speaker of the Assembly , Alhaji Gambo Sallau, as well as a three other members were absent during the declaration, a member of the Assembly, who represents Bagwai/Shanono constituency, Alhaji Lawan Safyanu Gogori, decided to stay in the PDP.

This came as six out of the nine members of the defunct All Nigeria’s Peoples Party (ANPP), who were automatically APC members after the merger, remained in the party while the remaining three defected to PDP.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors at the occasion, Hon. Rabiu Saleh Gwarzo, who represents Gwarzo constituency, said they decided to defect after consulting with their supporters and based on their conviction that the APC has the interest of Nigerians at heart. They also cited the motivation given by the achievements of the State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as reason for their defection.

The defectors include the deputy speaker of the house, Alhaji Isyaku Ali Danja; former speaker, Yusuf Abdullahi Falgore, member representing Rogo constituency; Assembly majority leader, Engr.Hamisu Ibrahim, representing Makoda constituency; deputy majority leader, Alhaji Yusuf Babangida Suleman, representing Gwale constituency as well as the Assembly chief whip , Alhaji Abdullahi Iliyasu Yunusa.

Source:thewill

5,000 PDP MEMBERS DEFFECT TO APC

It was a massive defection early today in Imo as 5000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dumped the party and jumped on the band wagon of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The defection ceremony, which was held at the Orlu Township Stadium in Orlu Local Government Area, was witnessed by National Leaders of the APC: the National Vice President South-East, Dr. Anyim Nyerere, National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, Senator Chris Ngige, among others.

Dr. Louis Obodo, one of the PDP chieftains, who led members of the Integrity Group, a political pressure group, to join the APC, said his decision to dump the PDP was as a result of the goodwill and success of the APC- led administration in the state.

He said he was endeared to the APC by the ideals of the party, which he said has promoted internal democracy and raised the hope of level playing field for members, “I left the PDP because of injustice which is not in the APC.”

Receiving the defectors, the state Interim Chairman of the party, Marshal Okafor Anyanwu, congratulated them for embracing change and progressive ideals.

He also charged them to remain focused and steadfast in the party, giving assurances that the APC guarantees equal opportunities for all members.

Indian arrested for selling liquor in Saudi Arabia

An Indian national was arrested with 144 bottles of homemade liquor on the streets of the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, according to a media report today.

A police patrol apprehended the expatriate red-handed with 12 cases of liquor in his car near Malaz intersection in the city.

Police searched the car after getting a tip-off from an unidentified caller, who complained the man was selling liquor at various points in Riyadh, the Arab News reported. It did not say when the man was arrested.

Police found that the car used to distribute the liquor was hired from a rental company and the man had failed to return it on time. The company had reported this delay to police.

The man is facing charges on two counts - manufacture and sale of liquor and the use of a stolen car.

He confessed to the charges, police were quoted as saying by the daily.

During their investigation, police found the place where the liquor was brewed and the dealers responsible for its distribution.

Last year, an African school van driver was caught in Riyadh with a large consignment of locally-brewed liquor.

Alcoholic drinks are banned in Saudi Arabia, where the punishment for drinking is a public lashing.

Nigeria police rescue kidnapped Indians

Nigeria's secret police on Friday said they had rescued three Indians who were kidnapped from a cargo ship off the coast of Equatorial Guinea.

The three were seized on board the MV San Miguel on 3 January and taken to the Bonny Channel area of the oil-producing Rivers state, in southern Nigeria.

The department of state services (DSS) said they were rescued in a joint operation with Nigeria's military on Thursday.

"On 31 January, the three Indians were handed over to the Indian High Commission and the country of their employers (Equatorial Guinea Embassy) respectively," said DSS spokesperson Marilyn Ogar.

"No ransom was paid for their release," she said in an emailed statement.

Five of the suspected kidnappers have been arrested but the hunt was still on for the ringleader and other members of the gang, Ogar added.

News of the kidnapping came after a Greek-owned oil tanker, the Kerala, disappeared off Angola in a suspected piracy attack earlier this month.

Kidnappings of oil workers have been commonplace in the Niger Delta region by armed indigenous groups demanding a greater share of revenue from production.

Seizing crew from ships in the Gulf of Guinea has usually been linked to the theft of cargo from vessels.

The International Maritime Bureau said in its annual global piracy report, published on 15 January, that piracy fell to its lowest level in six years in 2013.

Piracy off the Horn of Africa was down more than 90% from its peak in 2011 but an increase off the coast of west Africa was a cause for concern.

West African piracy made up 19% of attacks worldwide last year. Nigerian pirates accounted for 31 of the region's 51 attacks - the most since 2008.