South east residents stay at home for Biafra protest.

• People living in the south east have stayed at home as ordered by IPOB
• The protest is expected to pressurise the government to release Nnamdi Kanu

Markets and usually-busy roads in the southeast are deserted as citizens stay at home to conform to the Biafra stay-at-home protest. The Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) had asked residents in the region to stay at home to protest the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu who is the leader of the group and the director of Radio Biafra. Kanu was detained by security operatives in 2015 and is being

House of Reps to contribute N50k each for Team Nigeria delegation to the Paralympics

The House of Representatives have resolved to contibute the sum of N50,000 each to the team Nigeria delegation to the just concluded Rio Paralympics 2016, as a token of their appreciation for an outstanding performance.

The lawmakers made this decision during their plenary yesterday September 21st. The House also resolved to invite the

Patience Jonathan's arrest will lead to blood shed - Niger Delta Peoples Professional Volunteer Force (NDPPVF)

The militant group, Niger Delta Peoples Professional Volunteer Force (NDPPVF) has warned against prosecution of ex-First lady, Patience Jonathan who is being investigated by EFCC 

– NDPPVF has threatened to attack the nation if Patience Jonathan is for any reason Patience Jonathan is arrested 

– A criminal investigation has been launched, one which could see to the arrest of the ex-president’s wife The militant group, NDPPVF has said its members are workers in the oil and gas industry, stressing that they will detonate a bomb at the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
NDPPVF says it will blow up the NNPC if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrests former First Lady, Patience Jonathan.

FLASH: Drama in House of Reps over budget-padding scandal

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, September 21, was thrown into a rowdy session over the budget padding allegation. 

According to a report on The Cable, the drama started after the speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara recognized Emmanuel Oker-Jev, chairman rules and business, to move a motion just as another member Aliyu Madaki was putting up his hand to be recognised.
It was gathered that Oker-Jev moved his motion in the midst of loud noise as the lawmakers

Body of bank ceos pledges to resolve forex issues with CBN

against the backdrop of the ban of nine banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from accessing foreign exchange in interbank market, the Body of Bank Chief Executives yesterday stepped into the fray  with a view to resolving the forex controversy with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The CEOs had resolved at their meeting to address the issues in a manner that will protect the stability of the industry, as well as ensure proper conduct in the optimisation of the foreign exchange market
The body,  formed under the auspices of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), comprising key operators in the banking industry,  stressed that as professionals who understand what was at stake, it would work

Okorocha wants pay cut for workers, proposes 3 work days per week

IMO State governor, Rochas Okorocha has said that he is considering reducing the number of work days in the state from five to three, to enable the government cut salaries.

Okorocha said this while briefing journalists on the state of affairs in Imo at his residence in Owerri on Friday.

He said the reduction of workdays would enable workers to attend to other activities that would generate money to supplement their monthly salaries to take care of their families.

“I encourage Imo workers to find additional things to do to support their families because of the economic situation we are facing in Nigeria.

“We are considering to reduce the working days from five to three in Imo, so that workers will use the rest of the days to work and support their families’’, he said.

Mr. Okorocha, who was not specific on when it may commence, added that Imo government

Security: Amaechi commissions NPA’s Command, Control Centre

Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi, at the weekend commissioned the Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence System (CCCIS) built by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
The facility, whose approval was given in 2013 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, is a marine operation and surveillance centre that provides necessary business intelligence for safe and efficient movement of vessels and cargoes.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the NPA headquarters, the Minister said the CCCIS would ensure improved and secured communication within the nation’s waterways. “It’s also for the enhancement of efficiency

Anxiety as police recover CBN ID, used bullets in abandoned vehicles

OPERATIVES of the Special Anti Robbery and Anti-kidnapping Squad of the Kogi State Police Command yesterday mounted  an intensive search for the occupants of two vehicles abandoned by the roadside along the Lokoja-Abuja Highway.
The vehicles, a Mercedes Benz E230 bearing registration number ABC758LT and Peugeot 307 with number plate, GWA614BR, were reportedly found close to Karara village in the state  by police operatives acting on a tip-off at about 3: pm on Sunday.
Daily Sun learnt that when a search was conducted on the vehicles, the operatives recovered in one of them, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) identity card bearing the name,  Umar Garuba and 25 expended shells of AK47 ammunition.

Shi’ites demand immediate release of El-Zakzaky

MEMBERS of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) have demanded the  immediate release of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky. They said  El-Zakzaky was dying in the acclaimed safe custody of the Department of State Security (DSS).
El-Zakzaky was arrested as a result of a clash between the Islamic sect members and men of Nigerian Army that left scores dead in Zaria, Kaduna State in December 2015.
Addressing newsmen in Kaduna yesterday,  Prof. Abdullahi Danladi, who spoke on behalf of IMN said the Sheikh was being held and allowed to gradually lose his sight and die in detention.

Air Peace seeks FG’s intervention in aviation fuel scarcity

Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Air Peace, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide has sought the intervention of the Federal Government and aviation authorities in the lingering scarcity of JET-A1 (Aviation fuel) in the country.

In a statement made available to the media, Olajide said the development was a threat to the operations of airlines. She regretted that despite Air Peace’s efforts to source aviation fuel for its operations, some of its flight schedules were recently affected by the scarcity.

Olajide appealed for the understanding and patience of passengers, saying the airline had been working tirelessly to ensure its flight operations were not adversely affected by the scarcity.

Oba of Iba in Lagos kidnapped

Suspected gunmen  stormed Iba Community in Iba Local Council Development Area of Lagos State on Saturday evening and abducted the traditional ruler, His Royal Highness Goriola Oseni.

Witnesses  said, the gunmen, numbering about 16, stormed the community in two boats and announced their presence by shooting sporadically into the air.

Although details of the attack were still sketchy as at press time, it was gathered that the gang killed a member of the local vigilante and also allegedly shot and injured the wife of the traditional ruler.

After terrorising the community, the gunmen made away with the traditional ruler and left in their boats through the river.

Killing of Shi’ites: Falana demands prosecution of indicted soldiers

Femi Falana

BARELY 48 hours after the Com­mision of Inquiry into Army/Shiites clash submitted its re­port to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana has de­manded for the prosecution of military officers and soldiers who engaged in the killings of 347 Shi’ites in Zaria on December 12- 14, 2015 following the clash.

Falana, a leading solicitor to the Islamic Movement in Nige­ria (IMN) headed by Sheik Ibra­heem Zakzaky, said the leader had been detained without trial for about eight months.

“Take note if you fail to accede to our clients’ demand we shall not hesitate to apply to the High Court of Kaduna State for an or­der of mandamus to compel you to discharge your constitutional duty by charging the indicted culprits to court in line with your oath of office to “do right to all manners of people according to law, without fear or favour, af­fection or ill-will,” Falana said in a letter he wrote to the Ka­duna State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, and which was made available to newsmen in Kaduna.

The letter further stated: “The Federal Government was embar­rassed by the unlawful killing of the 34 members of the IMN by the army. In the circumstances, the National Human Rights Com­mission expressed condolence and tendered a public apology to the bereaved families on behalf of the Federal Government.

“But despite the official apol­ogy, the Kaduna State gov­ernment did not prosecute the suspects who perpetrated the unlawful killing. At the material time, Mr. Nasir El Rufai publicly condemned the brutal killing and paid a condolence visit to the IMN leader in his residence.

“In the light of the foregoing, we have the instructions of our clients to request you to prose­cute the members of the Nigerian Army who took the law into their hands by unleashing mayhem on unarmed civilians in Zaria, Ka­duna State from December 12-14, 2015. Specifically, you are requested to charge the suspects with conspiracy, willful damage to property, arson and culpable homicide not later than July 31, 2016.”

S/East, S/South Houses of Assembly reject grazing bill

THE legislators of the South East and South South House of Assemblies have rejected the controversial Grazing Bill presently before the Senate, saying that the bill should not be considered in any of the House Assemblies in the two regions.

This was even as the legis­lators have urged the Federal Government to restore the amnesty programme as a way of quelling the resurgent mili­tancy in the Niger Delta.

Arising from their joint ses­sion in Owerri, the Imo state capital, the legislators said they are going to pass a bill restricting the proposed graz­ing bill in the two regions.

Speaking during the first ever joint plenary held at the Imo State House of Assem­bly, the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Dr. Acho Ihim who presided over the joint plenary, noted that the joint session has become nec­essary because of their shared social, economic, religious and even political interest, which will afford them the opportunity to discuss their collective problems.

Ihim who is also the Vice President of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), said that the apparent marginalization of the two regions which is evident in the distribution of national wealth, adding that the depri­vation of the people in terms of equity, justice and fairness as well as incessant attacks on the people of the zone, grue­some murder of their kit and kin by the Fulani herdsmen killer squad even in their bed­rooms are critical issues that require genuine solution to free the zone from the men­ace.

Moving a motion titled “Alternative to Militancy and Harmonization of Southeast and South-South position on Grazing Bill Proposal’, Hon. Blessing Nwagba of the Abia State House of Assembly, said that they cannot keep silent while their constituents are being killed by Fulani herds­men all in the name of rearing cattle.

She pointed out that the cattle rearing business is a pri­vate venture, adding that those involved should take care of their business.

The lawmaker noted that the growing insecurity and culture of impunity being per­petrated by the Fulani herds­men must be checked.

In his contribution, Hon. Hilary Bisong of Cross River state said that since the people of the South-east and South-south are predominately into farming, fishery and other businesses, if the Federal Government plans any graz­ing reserves for the Fulani herdsmen, it should also pro­vide reserves for the farmers and fishermen, adding that the federal government should not think of using the people’s common wealth to settle a segment of the country.

He equally noted that the real owners of the cows are rich men who should establish ranches for their cattle as it is the practice elsewhere and that public resources cannot be used to fund private busi­nesses.

Similarly, a legislator from Bayelsa State wondered if any person from the south­east and south-south can go to the North and start farming in any land without permis­sion.

Hon. Frank Nwaka of Eb­onyi State said that the zones have suffered so much depri­vation, decimation and loss of lives, adding that no life can be exchanged for a com­mon animal, while insisting that cows should not be al­lowed to wander about as if they are sacred cows.

The Deputy Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ugonna Ozuruigbo submitted that the total rejec­tion of the grazing bill pro­posal has no option, reveal­ing that the bill when passed will have a commission with a chairman to be appointed by the President to allocate lands to Fulani herdsmen and that the persons who have forfeited their lands cannot go to court, adding that their peti­tion will only be approved by the Attorney General of the Federation for it to be given attention, while commending the southeast and south-south lawmakers for condemning the grazing reserve bill in strong terms. He said that the grazing bill has nothing good to offer to the country, espe­cially the two zones but that it will cause more communal clashes.

They resolved that the Southeast and South-South House of Assemblies should pass bill restricting the graz­ing reserves bill, while urging the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to step up action, by calling on the security agents to fish out the persons behind the atrocities meted out to the regions and provide the necessary secu­rity for the people.

The lawmakers of the two zones also resolved that task forces comprising security agents be set up to check­mate the excesses of the Fu­lani herdsmen

They also called on the southeast and south-south governments to set up panel of inquiries to ascertain the reasons behind the menace.

In the same vein, the law makers called on the Federal Government to look into the grievances of the militants and find ways of addressing their agitation.

Buhari’s hammer sends PDP’s men on the run

LIKE a floozy caught in the wrong bed, stalwarts of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP are flying off the handle seeking protective shade from the scorching beams of the coursing and jutting promontory of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti corruption war. Jagged, battered and clammed every which way, the former political overlords are in a mad odd race of their lives. From a jaunty ‘ensemble’ with faint quavers after losing power on march 28, 2015, the tempo oscillated between unaccustomed discordant whispers to dreary , nibbling indeterminate drift, and finally careened off to an eerie cavern of silence. Graveyard silence. The sinews of their simmering troubled party, the tragedy of the unexpected loss, the inability to quickly come round and pick their bits and pieces together, the droppings of faeces left on the altar of power, and the bouncing daggers of their vanquishers have all combined to try their souls. And the fury increases, putting their toes on the run.
At the last count, only the glower­ing voice of Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose can still be heard, but no longer with gaiety and radiance, as he too with all the pomp of immunity is being squeezed hard on all fronts, as if he were some parched figure in a blaz­ing desert. Gone with the wind are the arid polemics, the quixotic anger after the humiliating defeat, the virulence of hope, and that fine confidence and broken temper for resurgence in 2019 expected from the self acclaimed “ Af­rica’s largest party.” The party began to lose itself almost immediately after the crushing defeat to the All Progressives Congress, APC. Hordes of men and women in the party, many of them the shinning lights cascaded unashamedly in droves to the all conquering APC. They were like wolves, aliped neither belong­ing to the birds of the air, nor the four-footed beasts of the earth. Lamenting the near mass exodus out of their party, a member of the Board of Trustees, Chief Richard Akinjide blamed it on greed and “absolute lack of principles.” He warned that such untoward development will hardly grow democracy in Nigeria. Former Kaduna state governor Alhaji Balarabe Musa expressed regrets that things like that are still happening in the 21st century, describing the defec­tors as “ fortune seekers” who are ever ready to dine with the devil even with the incising sharpness of the knife. A former Biafra warlord Col Joe Achuzia, Retd, sounded the alarm that “little men of faith are toying with the democracy of the nation.” He told Sunday Sun that there is “an urgent and compelling need for politicians in the country to re-examine their conscience and be in the vanguard of regeneration.” He described the development as painful drawback, a moral burden which I am personally finding difficult to absorb.” As the darts flew about, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun among other chieftains of the party rekindled the musty scent of history by bobbing up the hazards of unrestrained decamping of PDP faithful to their party. Indeed some of the party members called on the party to draw the curtain against them.

On the run

Recently, in a most garish manner, the irrepressible former National Public­ity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh declared his support for Bu­hari’s anti- corruption war, and offered to return the N400m he received from former National Security Adviser, (NSA) Col Dasuki Sambo, (retd). The former PDP spokesman is facing trial at the Federal High Court; Abuja for allegedly receiving the said sum budgeted for arms purchase for soldiers fighting the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east. He had earlier claimed that the money was given to him by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for media campaigns ahead of the 2015 presidential elections, but made a volte –face, offering to turn in the money as an honest citizen. To many people, it came like a bolt from the blues, folly-ridden and wisdom-lost. An account, on all scores overdrawn. A dark web over the conscience of men; the index of all complexities. And he is not alone. Ebullient PDP senator represent­ing Ogun East senatorial district, in the National Assembly, Prince Buruji Kashamu after some bruising battles with the National Drug Law Enforce­ment Agency, NDLEA, withdrew into reticent hibernation, intermittently speaking like a Janus, and finally de­scending to the depths to spawn. And what is spawned is the future of his party. He unleashed lengthy diatribe on Fayose, shooting from the hip. The jitters gripped some throats. A stamp of confused obligations and loyalties. He tears the governor to smithereens. He condemns his criticisms of the presi­dent. He said: “ He chose to elevate rabid criticisms of almost every action of the Federal Government as if that is the official policy of the state govern­ment or what he was elected to do and as if that is what will bring the divi­dends of democracy to the good people of Ekiti State. For goodness sake, the elections are over. Every reasonable politician and leader should know that what will matter at the end of the day is what you were able to do for the people and not how strident you were in criticizing anyone.” Ben Murray Bruce, a PDP senator representing Bay­elsa East is known to always lend his voice on matters of grave importance to the Nigerian nation. His hard hitting words have elevated him to an iconic politician especially on social media. Then the big hammer fell. His Silver bird group, a business conglomorate came under siege for an alleged debt of N11billion (Eleven billion Naira) and was taken over by the Assets Manage­ment Company of Nigeria, AMCON. Although the matter has been somehow resolved, the “common sense” expo­nent is only gradually bouncing back to his old known style. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s long term ally and stalwart of the PDP, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe is another special advocate of causes skewed against his party. With a tongue bearing lightning at its tip, he came to the defence of the president’s wife Aisha Buhari over allegations by Fayose that she was involved in the bribery scandal involving US congress­man, Williams Jefferson. He exoner­ated Aisha , describing the allegation as “fallacious, baseless, misinformed and defamatory” His strong defence came when APC leaders kept mum. A PDP leader in Nassarawa, Yishak Adamu criticized Fasawe for the “ unwarranted attack” on the Ekiti State governor. “We know he was involved in the William Jefferson case. But should he lead the attack while the government and APC people including the president’s wife will keep quiet. This is a case of cry­ing more than the bereaved.” Former deputy governor of Osun state, senator Iyiola Omisore, who is in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has deplored what he called “ the hounding of opposition leaders,” urging the Federal Govern­ment to “stop blackmailing opposition leaders in the country.” He called on leaders of thought in the country to stem the tide of the demonization of PDP which has triggered “massive influx of our people into APC for protection.” Former Akwa ibom state governor and current minority leader of the senate, Chief Godswill Akpabio, who launched his opposition role with much vibrancy and vitality has since lost his valve and voice, often letting out statements in the twilight of beliefs. Godsday Oru­bebe; a former minister of Niger Delta Affairs. After his rancorous display at the presidential votes count on march 28, 2015 slipped into oblivion. A few weeks ago, he washed up to merely declare that “ I regret serving this coun­try.” What of the highly vociferous PDP governors Forum? The ex governors, ex- ministers? They are all in limbo; neither blowing the “myth” nor the “bubble”, perpetually lost in the maze. Other scores of the movers and shakers of the party, whose voices in the past literally pulled the roof have suddenly caught cold. An elder statesman and Minster of Aviation in the first republic Chief Mbazulike Amechi, frowns at this development. He told Sunday Sun that “political atmosphere is drab. It is increasingly difficult to differentiate between APC and PDP. PDP men talk and behave as if they have the inter­est of APC government more at heart than the APC. They attack those who criticize the APC government. Where is opposition politics? It was not like that in our time.” The publicity Secretary of Afenifere, the Yoruba socio- po­litical group Yinka Odumakin has also deplored the practice of “dog eat dog syndrome.” He accused those involved in it of “greed and selfishness.” He said: “They want to ingratiate themselves to the present government. They can throw everything aboard to seek relevance in the government. The late Bola Ige called them “Any Government in Power” (AGIP). Any time this govern­ment leaves power, you will see them playing the same role, hailing the new government and attacking this one.”

Countdown to 2019

As the wind of the 2019 general elec­tions blows closer, caution and appre­hension may descend to sift the ‘chaff from the grains’. In popular parlance, water will soon find its level. Those whose legs are in both parties will ulti­mately take a stand and the scales will weigh in. Brushing off the dusts from the haze, the chairman of the PDP Gov­ernors Forum and Ondo state governor Dr Olusegun Mimiko has cautioned that “ a new party would emerge from the ashes of PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, if the two parties fail to resolve their internal problems.”

Untold story of Nigerian bizman killed in Togo

WHEN Mr Emman­uel Uchenna Udeh (aka Tootoo) relocated from Aba, Abia State to Togo to do business some years ago, ex­pectations were high. As the only male child of his aged parents, he had great hopes that he would do well there and take care of them.

Those who knew him said he was a hardworking and easy going young­man. Steadiy, his rug business grew even as he fell in love with a Togolese girl. And to demonstrate his love for the lady, he opened a shop for her and filled it with goods. At 32, marriage was on his mind.

However, the bub­ble burst last month and Emmanuel’s plans went up in smoke just like his body.

Indeed, for the Michael Udeh family of Ejighinandu village, Awka Etiti in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, these are, certainly, not the best of times. Wicked fate, like a mad bull in a china shop, recently attacked the family in a heart rending manner, destroying its priceless posses­sion. On June 30, 2016, the family was drowned in the ocean of anguish and sorrow. Emmanuel was murdered that fateful day, in Togo.

Worse still, Emmanuel died in a most dehumanising manner. He was killed in the manner of the four University of Port Harcourt students in 2012. He was burnt alive allegedly through the conspiracy of his pregnant live-in lover. He was stripped naked and clubbed to unconsciousness before a crowd. Then they hung a tyre on him and roasted him like a sacrifice for the gods. His aged father is thoroughly devastated while his bed-ridden mother has not been informed because, according to his cousin, Mr Chukwuka Ezenwaka, “if she hears this kind of news, she will die.”

Why he was killed

Emmanuel died on the altar of love gone awry. Take this from Ezenwaka: “It happened that he impregnated a lady in Togo. According to eye witnesses, he really loved the girl and wanted to mar­ry her. In fact, they were living together and he even opened a shop for her. But along the line, they had a little misun­derstanding. You know, as a man, you are supposed to act or react. But instead of the lady pleading or begging, the quarrel continued. So, he told the lady that she will leave and that he will go and pack the things in the shop. Instead of the lady to ask for forgiveness, she ganged up with her brothers and they laid ambush for Emmanuel. They killed him by stoning and hitting him with clubs. Later they set him ablaze. He was the only son of his father and had only one sister. His parents are too old and the mother cannot even walk again.

“His corpse has been retrieved and deposited in a mortuary in Togo. Ar­rangements are being made to bring his remains home. We are appealing to the Nigerian government to step into the matter because the way they are killing Nigerians outside the country is getting out of hand. He did not steal or violate the laws of the land. He only had issues with his girlfriend which is normal. Even husbands and wives quarrel.

“They ganged up and attacked the boy on the way. The Igbo community in Togo is trying to raise money to pay the hospital bills so that the corpse can be retrieved.”

Another source said that the lady claimed that she didn’t know that her brothers would kill Emmanuel.

Imo State uncovers N700m pension fraud

The Imo State Government has said that it has uncovered a high level of fraud that has been on for many years in the state Pension Board. The fraud, the sate said was allegedly perpetrated by highly placed officials in the Board in concert with some retired civil servants.
The disclosure was made recently by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Owerri, Chief Uche Nwosu in an interview with Daily Sun.
According to Nwosu, the state government discovered the fraud following an audit panel it instituted adding that those indicted by the findings have been removed including the boss of the Board and an entirely new staff deployed to the Pension Board.
The Chief of Staff stated that the fund resulted from the accumulated pension of N1.3 billion in contrast to the authentic pension of N600 million which is an increase of above 100 per cent.
Reacting to non payment of pension arrears that recently resulted in protest in the state by pensioners, Nwosu stated that the state government was not in denial that it was not owing Pensioners. He, however, promised that the state government would by the end of this month (July) clear the arrears, noting that the state government had in recent months embarked on cleaning the Aegean stable in the State Pension Board as well as ‘ghost pensioners’ discovered during the audit probe.
Nwosu stated that the Governor, Rochas Okorocha has the interest of Pensioners at heart and that the State Labour Congress has been briefed on the government commitment to clear the Pension arrears very soon.
He also refuted the reports that the state is ‘broke’ following a recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBs) that listed Imo State as one of the states that risked bankruptcy as a result of its low Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
The Chief of Staff said that the fundamentals of the state’s economy remains strong in spite of the financial downturn in the nation’s economy. In this regards, he said that following the reorganization of the state’s internal revenue sources, the State’s IGR has increased appreciably to over N600 million a month.
He assured that the government has designed strategies that would further increase the state’s finances and make it less dependent on federal allocation.

NASS: LAWMAKERS GROUNDED

IT’S a season of change. For the National Assembly, it is over a year since it was inaugurated. While some Nigerians have adjusted to the new change regime, others are trapped in the old system. Politicians who hitherto dolled out funds to their supporters, have since adjusted to the new reality.

From the ordinary woman on the street of Abuja, to a farmer in Chibok, Borno State, as well as a trader in Ariaria market in Aba, Abia state, the lamentations are the same. The change is biting so hard that some parents in Kano and Lagos states have started exchanging their children for a bag of rice. Pots of soups are disappearing, while shops in markets are sometimes ransacked for foodstuffs. The tales of agonies know no friends or foes; everyone is a victim.

The Senate

For the National Assembly, the change is biting hard. In the past, the corridors of National Assembly were among the busiest. Beside the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, the Na­tional Assembly could be adjudged as the second government institution that has the highest number of hu­man and vehicular traffic.

There are three gates leading to the National Assembly. At each point, visitors are expected to pres­ent a tag, which gives them a tem­poral access to the expansive com­plex. The second access gate is the ‘Mecca’ of the National Assembly where visitors troop to register their presence before they are granted permission. In the past, there were days when over 500 visitors strug­gled to secure the entrance tag.

Those who frequented the Na­tional Assembly were predomi­nantly ‘hustlers’, job seekers, ‘runs girls’, family members of lawmak­ers, contractors, among others. While hustlers usually dressed up in well-knitted suits or African prints to look like celebrities, job seekers on the other hand appeared more simple. It was easy to tell the difference.

For the ‘runs girls’ who almost converted the revered highest law­making building into a red light district, their provocative dressing separated them from regular girls who were staff of the National Assembly. Those who were bold enough, approached offices of Sen­ators and were sometimes lucky to smile home with some goodies.

Almost every Senator had a special budget which catered for different categories of help seek­ers. Their offices were filled to the brim that some of the visitors had to stand for hours just to have a glimpse of their lawmakers. All that is history now since President Buhari was sworn-in on the 29th of May, 2015.

In the last one year, human and vehicular activities in the Na­tional Assembly have drastically reduced. The second gate of the National Assembly which was hitherto Abuja’s version of Mecca now witnesses less human pres­ence. Except for days when there are major events in the National Assembly, the visitors’ car park is seldom filled to capacity.

For Senators, it is a season of lamentations, gnashing of teeth and uncontrollable regrets. Some Sena­tors who spoke with our correspon­dent in confidence, revealed that they were yet to pay off bank loans they acquired in funding their cam­paigns. They said with the current economic downturn and hardship, some banks have reviewed the in­terest rates without their knowledge and added that they may lose some of their properties used as collateral if they are unable to pay back the loans before end of the year.

A Senator from the South-south who was first elected in 2011, la­mented: “In my state, it is very ex­pensive to win any election. It is not like the north where you can give out some money and get elected. In 2011, I took a bank loan and before end of that year, I was able to pay it off. When I got to the National As­sembly, I was fortunate to be a vice chairman of a good committee. In no time, I understood the business of the game and I recovered even everything.

“But it appears as if I made a mis­take by coming back here. Some of us did not know that Goodluck Jonathan will not be re-elected.
So, I went back to the same bank through my account manager and I took a loan, hoping I will pay back like I did before. My brother, as I speak, my allowance here can­not take care of my family, chil­dren school fees abroad, constitu­ents and other small things. I am not even talking of projects in my place and the bank loan is waiting for me. Things have changed, but Nigerians do not know this fact. They think that we still have ac­cess to o much money.”

Many lawmakers who were hitherto tagged ‘Father Christmas’ by their constituents have suddenly become ‘akagum’. Those who in the past, had small budgets to cater for constituents who frequented their offices, have reneged. Some of the lawmakers have changed their phone numbers to avoid their constituents or old friends from calling them. Others have resorted to the use of their personal exit doors which were in the past, sel­dom used.

Through the lenses of the secu­rity cameras in their offices, they gauge the number of visitors in their offices. Worried that they may be unable to meet their needs, they simply use the private doors to escape, while their visitors spend hours waiting for them.

In an interview with our cor­respondent, the Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi from Ekiti state could not hold back the frustrations of Sena­tors. She revealed that as a result of the cash crunch that has hit the Up­per Legislative Chamber, lawmak­ers who hitherto paid school fees for their constituents or meet their other financial needs can no longer do so.

She said: “It is not a rumour. Funds are not forthcoming. Sala­ries of lawmakers are paid late. What can we do? Yet, the people out there have been poisoned to believe that all the funds in the country are here. When you cannot meet their demands, you look like an evil person.

“The truth is that we are the near­est to the people. Because we are federal legislators, we are expected to be better than the others. But where will the funds come from? When you put on your phone in the morning, you get demands from wives who just put to bed, children who cannot pay their fees, leaders that are very ill and you were able to give. Now, you can longer give. I have to tell my people that I can no longer pay their school fees. We used to assist some of them pay their school fees.”

House of Representatives

The dividends of democracy appear also distant from the Lower Legislative Chamber. For members of the House of Repre­sentatives, it is a season of lam­entations and regrets. While the hardship in the Senate may still be tolerable, the situation in the House of Representatives is bit­ing.

In the 7th House of Represen­tatives, it was a season of mega harvests. Ministers who served in former President Jonathan’s government were free givers. During oversight functions, huge sums were budgeted to cater for the needs and other ‘logistics’ of lawmakers who were sometimes ferried around in chartered planes and exotic cars. At the end of the oversight functions, lawmakers were handsomely rewarded and everyone was always happy.

That was not all. The cur­rent governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal, who served as Speaker of the House of Rep­resentatives between 2011 and 2015, played the role of Father Christmas to lawmakers. Those from the ruling and opposition parties were accommodated. Ev­ery weekend, lawmakers would file to the office of the Speaker to receive small sums for the week­end.

In the House of Representa­tives, it was a tradition for law­makers to distribute bags of rice and other goodies to their office staff and friends during festive seasons. Trucks loaded with bags of rice and rams were frequent sights during festive periods. For those who were very benevolent, they gave out cash gifts to people. It was a season everyone looked forward to.

In the past, it was a misnomer for lawmakers to get their month­ly salary payment alerts late. Their allowances were paid as at when due. Even though there were occasional delays in the payment of salaries of aides and civil servants working in the Na­tional Assembly, it was a taboo to pay lawmakers late.

All these goodies and many more are part of history now. As the economy bites harder, House of Representatives members have devised new ways to escape the long queues of professional beggars and constituents who frequent their offices to ask for financial assistance.

Some members have resorted to calling their secretaries to know the number of people wait­ing for them before they come to their office. Whenever it is extremely important for them to show up in the office and the number of people waiting is on the high side, they use the back door to get in and out of their of­fice.

From the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara to the least member of the Green Chamber, everyone is afraid to solicit for funds from government agencies. The year­ly consideration of the budget which was hitherto a mega har­vest period, was a colossal disas­ter this year. Members of Appro­priation Committee who hitherto smiled to the banks, were disap­pointed, as no Minister or head of government agency ‘greased’ their palms.

Similarly, members who hith­erto frequented their constituen­cies in their villages have reduced their visits. Aides and other do­mestic staff have, instead, been urged to stand in for their bosses. This, Saturday Sun gathered, was a way of avoiding spending on frivolities and other ‘irrelevant’ things.

In the last one year as well, jour­nalists have been affected. Every year, until the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government came to power, there were bud­getary allocations for journalists who traveled with lawmakers for oversight functions. That practice is almost history now. Commit­tee chairmen and their members go on oversight visits without journalists and this has in a way, affected the existing relationship between the lawmakers and some media practitioners.

Advertorials that were fre­quently given to media houses and payments made almost im­mediately have vanished. Some committees that are financially bouyant enough to place adverto­rials in newspapers, negotiate for outrageous commissions. Some­times, it takes up to three to six months to pay for the advertori­als.

Food vendors, recharge card sellers, security officers who hitherto got handouts from law­makers, among others have also been affected by the change re­gime in the last one year.

Maybe in the months and weeks to come, things may pick up. But for now, it is a long walk to freedom and a far cry from Uhuru.

$1.5m Dubai mansions: CCB clears Buratai

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has absolved the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai of any infraction of the laws over the purchase of two houses in Dubai, United Emirate, worth $1.5 million.
Buratai had been in the eyes of the storm with individuals, right activists and civil society groups calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to relieve him of his appointment. But the Federal Government had defended him saying he did not contravene any law.
Following the clearance by the Federal Government, CCB in a reply to a request by an Abuja-based lawyer, Ugochukwu Osuagwu, also stated that the Army Chief did not err as he disclosed he Dubai properties in his Assets Form.
Osuagwu had demanded for information on the contents of the Assets Form of the Army chief, pursuant to section 1 and 4 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
The bureau responded through a letter dated July 11, 2016 with Refine. CCB/HQ/671/G/1/6 and signed by Mrs. Ijeanuli Arinze Ofor on behalf of the CCB chairman.
The letter reads in parts: “We wish to state herein that General Tukur Buratai after his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, declared these assets as required by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“He was served the form CCB on 21th July,  2015 and returned same on 21st August, 2015.
“We also wish to confirm that his property at Dubai was declared in the wife’s name.”
The clearance handed Buratai on the Dubai mansions by the Federal Government had been criticized and described as hasty. The critics claimed no investigation was conducted by relevant agencies in the anti-corruption crusade.
Buratai defended the purchase, saying that he purchased the properties through savings.

US sex scandal: Minister, Entwistle’s absence stalls Reps probe

In what could be described as an anti-climax, the public hearing of allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against three lawmakers yesterday failed to hold.
The House of Representatives Joint Committee attributed the failure to sit to the absence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyendu, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle and the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States.
The much-awaited, which generated tension and excitement in the National Assembly, with local and foreign observers looking forward to submissions from concerned parties was adjourned to Wednesday, July 20,
Entwistle in a letter dated June 9, addressed to Speaker Yakubu Dogara, alleged that Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue) who were in Cleveland, Ohio for the International Visitor Leadership Programme between April 7 and 13 were involved in sexual misconduct.
Chairman of the Joint Committee, Ossian Nicholas Ossai, consisting of the House committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, disclosed on Monday that the Committee was expecting Entwistle to provide video evidence, as the management of the Renaissance Hotel, Ohio had not been invited.
All the three accused lawmakers made appearance, with Gbillah attending the briefing in company with his wife and her baby.
Announcing the adjournment, Ossai explained that the minister had written the committee, asking for another date to give his testimony as he was away in Kigali, Rwanda, for the 29th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union.

Igbo leaders converge on Owerri, call on their people to think home

The Igbo yesterday re-examined themselves and resolved to think home so as to develop the Igbo nation.
Igbo leaders who gathered in Owerri, Imo State capital to take this decision reasoned that the state of the nation today makes it imperative for the people to look inwards to build Igboland.
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo made this possible as it called out the government and traditional institutions of the South-East states to a think-tank in Owerri tagged Igbo Unity Forum.
The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in his welcome speech said the Igbo group has been striving to be the mouth-piece of the people of the region without success. He was, therefore, excited that they had succeed in closing ranks in order to move the race forward.
“We have never had it like this in coming together to proffer solutions to Igbo problems,” Igariwey said.
He noted that the Igbo are very adventurous and great achievers, pointing out that the Igbo contributed over 30 per cent of the development of Lagos and have helped in developing Abuja too.
The president general of Ohanaeze therefore, called on the Igbo to now think home to replicate those things they have done in Lagos and Abuja in Igboland.
Also, former governor of old Anambra State who was the chairman of the occasion, Senator  Jim Nwobodo, called on successful businessmen of Igbo extraction to start investing at home in order to create employment opportunities for Igbo youths.
Similarly, Prof. Anya O. Anya who was the guest lecturer at the occasion called on Ndigbo to rise up, saying that the time has come for them to re-recover themselves if they must survive in the current precarious times in the country.
Igbo leaders who attended the event are: Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Mrs. Cecilia Ezilo, Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, Imo State Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, former Chief of General Staff, Ebitu Ukiwe, Rear Admiral Allison Madueke.
Others are Prof. Anya O. Anya, former chairman of Police Service Commission, Chief Simeon Okeke, MTN and Diamond Bank Chairman, Chief Pascal Dozie, President General  of Ohanaeze, Chief Gary Enwo- Igariwey, former Anambra governor, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife,  Chief Jim Nwobodo, Amb. George Obizor, Col. Joe Achuzie and many traditional rulers from the South East, among others.