I WON’T GIVE NIGERIA ANY LOAN, IMF BOSS TELLS BUHARI

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, on Tuesday said given the determination and resilience so far displayed by President Muhammadu Buhari and his team, Nigeria does not need any loan from her organisation.

 

Lagarde who is currently on a four-day visit to Nigeria said she is not in the country to negotiate loans with conditionality.

The IMF boss spoke with State House correspondents shortly after holding a closed-door meeting with Buhari; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; and some key ministers inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Others who attended the meeting included the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; and Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola, among others.

Lagarde said although Nigeria did not need IMF loan, fiscal discipline is needed for the country to be sustainable.

She said, “Let me make it clear that I am not here (in Nigeria) nor is my team in this country to negotiate a loan with conditionality.

“We are not into programme negotiations and frankly at this point in time, given the
determination and resilience displayed by the President and his team, I don’t see why an IMF programme will be needed.

“So of course, discipline is going to be needed, of course, implementation is going to be key
for the objectives and the ambitions to serve the country well, in order for it to be actually sustainable.”
She said the IMF believed that with clear primary ambition to support poor Nigerians, there could be added flexibility in the monetary policy, particular if oil price slumped for longer period as expected.

She said the organisation’s position was that Nigeria should not deplete its reserves simply because of rules that would be exceedingly rigid.

While saying that she was not suggesting that rigidity be totally eliminated, the IMF boss argued that some degree of flexibility would be enough.

Ladarge observed that since her last visit to Nigeria four years ago, the country had witnessed a number of changes in the areas of democracy and economy.

She noted that Nigeria had become the largest economy in Africa, the most populated and with a very attractive market.

She however regretted that things have changed in a more complicated way in the sense that the source of revenue to the government of which was predominantly oil had seen its price reduced by more than half.
She also noted that the financing cost around are beginning to rise only because the economic situation in the United States has improved and interest rates will begin to rise.

On her meeting with Buhari, Lagarde said she and her team had excellent discussions with the President and they discussed the challenges ahead stemming from oil price reduction.

SEE THE GIANT GIFT AIT MANAGEMENT GAVE TO BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has been offered an unusual gift by DAAR Communications, owner of AIT and Ray Power.

According to Femi Adesina, the president’s special adviser on media and publicity, a team from the company stormed the state house in Abuja today Tuesday, January 5, 2016, to present a giant seasonal card marking Eid el Maulud, Christmas, and New Year to the president.

Adesina took to his Facebook page to share some photos from the presentation, read his post below:
A team from DAAR Communications, owners of AIT and Ray Power F.M, was at

State House, Abuja, today, to present a giant seasonal card marking Eid el Maulud, Christmas, and New Year, to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The team consisted of Mr Raymond Dokpesi Jnr (Chairman), Mr Tony Akiotu (Group MD), Imoni Mac Amarere (MD, DAAR News Services), Paulyn Ugbodaga (Head, Human Resource) and Kunle Onime (Head, Corporate Communications).

They were received by Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to President Buhari, as well as Mr O.J Abuah, Director of Information.

This is coming on the heels of the recent trial of Chief Raymond Dokpesi by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over his involvement in the $2.1billion for which Sambo Dasuki is presently being tried.

EXPLOSIVE! Arm Deal: Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina collected N50m – Obaigbena

Chairman and editor-in-chief of Thisday newspaper, Nduka Obaigbena, on Monday revealed the Nigerian Guild of Editors collected N50 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser, in a further widening of the arms purchase scandal.

Special adviser to President Muhamamdu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, was the President of Nigerian guild of editors at the time.

Mr. Obaigbena, who is also The president of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, NPA, stated this in a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, dated December 30, 2015, obtained by our correspondent.

The EFCC had last December invited the NPAN president in connection with the ongoing probe into the $2.1 billion arms procurement fund allegedly misappropriated by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

Mr. Dasuki, alongside some top officials of the Peoples Democratic Party, and other former senior officials are currently being investigated for allegedly receiving the arms fund.

Radio Biafra: Ericsson audits mast sites

Ericsson Nigeria on Monday said that it had audited all mast sites in Enugu and Port Harcourt regions, and conducted FM scanning, in order to avoid illegal transmitter installation for unlicensed radio stations.

In a statement made available to our correspondent, the company said it

took the decision to audit the mast sites after one of its contracted engineers illegally installed transmitters on masts in Enugu and Anambra states for Radio Biafra.

The statement was signed by the Managing Director, Ericsson Nigeria, Johan Jemdahl.

It read in parts, “Ericsson views this incident in an extremely serious light. It is the result of a violation of its process, which permitted access to its mast sites.

“As a result, Ericsson has initiated immediate action to foil any similar attempts. All mast sites in Enugu and Port Harcourt regions have been audited, while FM scanning was conducted.”

The statement noted that in auditing the mast sites, Ericsson Nigeria gave critical attention to all high masts and sites located in mountainous areas, i.e. locations attractive to illegal activities.

“In addition, the Site Access Process will be reviewed for all employees and third parties. We sincerely regret the unfortunate incident, which violates our Code of Business Ethics and Code of Conduct, contracted responsibilities as well as our company values,” it stated.

The statement added, “Illegal FM transmitting equipment was discovered connected to an outsourced MTN mast, managed by Ericsson, in Enugu in eastern Nigeria. The equipment was immediately confiscated and the authorities were notified.

“A contractor to Ericsson has subsequently been taken into police custody after his involvement was discovered. He has been discharged from his contracted responsibilities with Ericsson.”

BREAKING!!! Fulani Herdsmen Set Multi Million Naira Rice Farm Ablaze in Anambra

Three Fulani herdsmen in the early hours of yesterday set commercial rice farms worth about N20 million ablaze in Ugbene community, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The rice fields belonging to farmers in Umualor and Umuagunwoke villages occupy about 75 hectares of land.The residents decried that the dastardly act was as a result of their lingering feud which started last year when the herdsmen allegedly trespassed into their farms; an incidence, they disclosed resulted into open confrontation of each other with firearms.




Conducting newsmen around the smouldering scene, the farmers, some of who had tears cascading down their cheeks lamented that they took loans to embark on the agribusiness with the hope of paying back after sales.

A community leader, Mr Emmanuel Ifesinachi Okoye, lamented that “a message came to us this morning that our farm known as Area 1 was set ablaze by the Fulani herdsmen. We rushed to the scene and beheld our massive rice farm on fire. Most of us took loans to embark on the farming and that’s why there is sadness and wailing all over the community. We saw them running into the distance with their cows, and as such, we couldn’t chase after them.”

Contacted, the zonal Chairman (South East), Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Gidado Siddiki said “it is not true. Fulani herdsmen cannot do something like that. It’s those people that burnt their rice farm. We have a committee that looks into such matter in Anambra. They should go and report the matter there.”
Also, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ali Alphonsus Okechukwu, DSP, said the matter has not been tabled to him but said he’ll contact Achalla Police Division for details and necessarily actions.
The rice farm allegedly burnt by Fulani herdsmen in Ugbene community, Awka North

PDP Raises Alarm Over Plans To Poison Metuh In Detention

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised an alarm over alleged plans by the Economic Crimes and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to poison its national publicity, Chief Olisa Metuh, who was arrested earlier today.

According to a press statement obtained by Naij.com the opposition party believes that the anti-graft agency may be planning to break Metuh and possibly posion him.

Chief Olisa Metuh, the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is presently in EFCC custody.

Read the statement below:
“The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demands animmediate release of the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, who was Tuesday morning invited and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“This development, which did not come to us as a surprise given series of threats to our party’s spokesman by the APC and the Federal Government, who are obviously not comfortable with our stance on the confused state of the nation under their watch, is a continuation of APC’s grand design to silence and decimate the PDP.

“The arrest of Chief Metuh today underscores the growing political intolerance in our country and the foisting of a police state which was last Wednesday underscored by the President and Commander-in-Chief himself, who defended why a government in a democracy should flout constitutional provision and brazenly disobey court orders.

“This onslaught against our spokesman, according to intelligence available to us is part of a larger script by the government to ensure that PDP wings are finally clipped in their mission to install a dictatorial one-party state in the country.

“The excesses of security agencies under this government, especially the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) and the EFCC, in abridging the human rights of PDP members have become worrisome and a threat to our democratic evolution.

“Nigerians and the international community will recall that on a number of occasions, the PDP, through its spokesman has been outspoken on some undemocratic proclivities being exhibited by the APC-led Federal Government in the last seven months.

“The PDP insists that for whatever reason Chief Metuh was arrested, his rights as a citizen under the law must not be trampled upon. We therefore demand for his immediate release and that due process of investigation and prosecution concerning him should be strictly adhered to.

“We state this because we have been made aware of top directives to break Chief Metuh and if possible poison him during his detention by the EFCC.

“Chief Metuh, has since his arrest at about 10 am, has been kept incommunicado, with his lawyers denied access to him.

“The PDP declares the arrest of our spokesman as the last straw that may break our democracy. We therefore forewarn the Federal Government and its agencies to save our democracy and forthwith release our National Publicity Secretary.

“We are also calling on the international community and well-meaning Nigerians to stand up for this democracy, which our party nurtured for 16 years and deepened to a level where the opposition, for the first time in our political history, had the opportunity to win in a general election.”

As at the time of filing this report, it was not clear what the situation was with the PDP publicity secretary as no one had been able to hear from him.

Disobedience to court orders: See What Judges Are Planning To do to Buhari

Angered by President Muhammadu Buhari’s disdain for court orders, some concerned judges have vowed to defend the independence of the judiciary by always looking at the letters of the law, ahead of the president’s famous body language and emotions in discharging their duties.

During last Wednesday’s President Buhari’s maiden media chat, he dismissed concerns of the penchant of security agencies under him to flagrantly violate valid court orders, especially as it relates to the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

The president’s aloofness as it concerns the growing disobedience to court orders has ruffled some feathers especially senior lawyers who have raised the alarm that it is a sure way to anarchy.

A very close source in the judiciary confided in Teamreporters that the judges across the three echelons of the judiciary; high court, appeal court and Supreme Court are feeling ill at ease with the president and therefore have vowed to give their all to maintain the sanctity of the judiciary.

The source said, the vociferous opposition from the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA and other senior lawyers against President Buhari was just the vent through which the bench is ventilating its frustrations with the president.

“I can tell you that the famed body language of the president won’t sway these judges. They have vowed to continue to follow the letters of the law, grant bail where the law says so, without let or hindrance, without even considering the sentiments and effusive emotions of the president on any matter.

“The judges are really seething with anger and you can see how easy it was for a federal high court judge in Abuja to do the Pontius Pilate in the case of Nnamdi Kanu; wash off his hands. That is just the sign of how frustrated these judges are. The other time, Justice Kolawole berated the security agencies and gave them strict orders never to re-arrest the AIT man on any frivolous charges.

“I can tell you that it may get to a point where judges will one after the other excuse themselves from corruption cases, because their thinking is that the president is inciting Nigerians against them. And they are no longer comfortable with it,” the source disclosed.

The president has faced growing discontentment and has come under vitriolic attacks owing to his justification for disobedience to rule of law. A US based lawyer has even petitioned the UN and the US president over the issue and has even gathered up to 1000 online signatures to force the president to resign if he continues to flout court orders.