APC LEADERS ANGRY AS BUHARI APPOINTS MORE NORTHERNERS

THERE was an outrage in the ruling All Progressives Congress on Thursday over the announcement of new appointments by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Leaders of the APC, who spoke to The PUNCH, complained that the appointments tilted in favour of the North and said the party must move fast to cope with the backlash of expected rumblings in the polity.

“The President does not consult before making most of these appointments and I can tell you that Nigerians are going to term the party and the President as a northern party and the President of Northern Nigeria,” a leader of the party said to one of our correspondents late on Tuesday.

Buhari, according to a statement by his Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Thursday approved the appointment of Babachir David Lawal from Adamawa State as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
He also named Mr. Abba Kyari from Borno state as his Chief of Staff.

Other appointments approved by the President, according to the statement, are those of Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd.) as the new Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service; Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi, Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service; Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate); and Suleiman Kawu as SSA on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives).

Both Ali and Kawu are from Kano State and Abeshi is from Nasarawa. Enang from Akwa Ibom State is the only one from the south geo-political zone.

Adesina said all the appointments would take immediate effect.

Three top national officers of the APC, who spoke with one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity shortly after the announcements were made, wondered why the President was appointing only northerners to positions to the detriment of the southerners.
They said that the President was already giving the party a bad name among Nigerians. They said they had hoped that he would learn from the criticisms that trailed his first appointments where more northerners were appointed into sensitive positions than southerners.
Before the latest appointments, the President had also named only one southerner among the initial nine appointments he made.

The northerners in the first appointments are the Director-General of the State Services, Lawal Daura; Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mrs. Amina Zakari; the Director, Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Mordecai Danteni Baba Ladan; and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris.

Also in the first appointments are the President’s Chief Security Officer, Abdulrahman Mani; State Chief of Protocol, Mallam Abdullahi Kazaure; Aide- De-Camp, Lt. Col. Muhammed Abubakar; and the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.
Only the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, hailed from Osun Staten in the South-West.

Another APC leader said the party must devise a way of managing the backlash that would follow the appointments.

He said, “Though the President did not get much votes from the South-East but we must not neglect the zone in key appointments.

“Even the South-West that supported and was the backbone of the party, what are we giving the zone in appreciation? We need to be careful before the party is destroyed.”
It was gathered that some leaders of the party were already thinking of having an enlarged meeting where the appointments would be reviewed.

But another senior member of the APC said such a meeting, if it would hold at all, would have to wait until the party holds its Kogi State governorship primary on Saturday.
A member of the state executive of APC in a South-West state, said the appointments were lopsided against the South.

He said, “When President Olusegun Obasanjo took over, you saw balance in appointments as he reflected federal character. President Goodluck Jonathan too reflected a semblance of balance. Buhari is pursuing a northern agenda. This is the same agenda pursued by the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, when everything was pro-North. Buhari made six appointments at a go and five of them are northerners.”

The Speaker of one of the Houses of Assembly in the South-West, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also described the new appointments as shocking.

The Speaker, who is a member of the APC, said, “This is shocking. It doesn’t speak well at all. The South-West has been completely neglected and the South-East too. The South-West was neglected during the President Goodluck Jonathan years. The South-West must rise up against this.”

Similarly, an APC chairman in another South-West state, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the list of the new appointees had left him perplexed.

The chairman said, “This is not good at all. Why should he choose everybody from the North? I am sure he did not confide in anybody before drawing up the list and making the announcement. We will continue to watch. It is condemnable.”

In the same vein, an APC member of the House of Representatives, said the leaders of the party in the South-West were shocked by Buhari’s latest appointments.

“He didn’t tell anybody. We are all shocked. The real shocker would be when he is going to appoint ministers. The only thing that would save us is that he is mandated constitutionally to choose from all states, otherwise, he would have chosen all the ministers too from the North,” the female member of parliament said.

The new SGF graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1979 with a Bachelor of Engineering degree and worked with the Delta Steel Company, Aladja, Nigerian External Telecommunications Limited and Data Sciences Limited before establishing his own ICT and Telecommunications consulting firm in 1990.

Kyari, the new Chief of Staff to the President, holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick in Law and Sociology.
The new Comptroller-General of Customs, holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Criminology. He was military administrator of Kaduna State from 1996 to 1998.

Source: Punch

Buhari will still balance his appointments – Adesina

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Friday assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari’s political appointments will balance out very soon.

Adesina spoke while featuring on a radio programme, Political Platform, on RayPower 100.5FM, monitored by our correspondent.

He was reacting to criticisms that have trailed the President’s appointments, which are believed to favour the Northern part of the country.

Adesina said the President was aware of federal character and expressed the believe that there would be balance by the time he made more appointments in September.

While saying appointments were Buhari’s prerogative, the presidential spokesman also said nobody can fault the fact that those named  so far ‎were appointed on merits.

He also said it would not be fair for the President to be blamed for positions that were filled as a result of elections, like those of the National Assembly and appointments made as a result of next in command, like those of the acting Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission  and that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

He assured all stakeholders that the President would keep to his promise of appointing the remaining aides and ministers ‎in September.

Adesina said, “Nobody can fault the fact that the persons appointed were appointed on merits.

“In terms of the spread, the President has prerogative to appoint  and he knows there is federal character. I am sure that there will be balance in the future. These are still early days. At the end of the day, we will have a balance.

“By the time more appointments are made, it will balance out. The President is trying to get the very best of Nigerians. The issue of key positions and no key positions should not be the issue.

“He gave a deadline of September for the appointment of ministers ‎and he will keep to it.”

NUC RELEASES FULL LIST OF ILLEGAL TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

The National Universities Commission has released a list of illegal degree awarding institutions operating in Nigeria.

The schools were published in the NUC’s weekly bulletin dated August 24.
According to the bulletin, the NUC Executive secretary, Julius Okojie, warned that those who patronise the schools, do so at their own risk.
“Certificates obtained from these sources will not be recognized for the purpose of NYSC, employment and further studies,” the NUC said.
Full list:

1. University of Accountancy and Management Studies, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
2. Christians of Charity American University of Science and Technology Nkpor, Anambra State or any of its campuses.
3. University of Industry, Yaba, Lagos or any of its other campuses.
4. University of applied Sciences and Management Port Novo, Republic of Benin or any of its other campuses in Nigeria.
5. Blacksmith University, Awka or any of its campuses.
6. Volta University College, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana or any of its other campuses in Nigeria.
7. Royal University Izhia, P.O. Box 800, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State or any of its other campuses.
8. Atlanta University, Anyigba, Kogi State or any of its other campuses.
9. Sunday Adokpela University, Otada Adoka, Otukpo, Benue State or any of its other campuses.
10. United Christian University, Macotis Campus, Imo State or any of its other campuses.
11. United Nigeria University College, Okija, Anambra State or any of its other campuses.
12. Samuel Ahmadu University, Makurdi, Benue State or any of its other campuses.
13. UNESCO University, Ndoni, Rivers State or any of its other campuses.
14. Saint Augustine’s University of Technology, Jos Plateau State or any of its other campuses.
15. The International University, Missouri, USA, Kano and Lagos Study Centres, or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
16. Columbus University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
17. Tiu International University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
18. Pebbles University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
19. London External Studies UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
20. Pilgrims University operating anywhere in Nigeria.
21. Lobi Business School Makurdi, Benue State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
22. West African Christian University operating anywhere in Nigeria.
23. Bolta University College Aba or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
24. JBC Seminary Inc. (Wukari Jubilee University) Kaduna Illegal Campus.
25. Westlan University, Esie, Kwara State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
26. St. Andrews University College, Abuja or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
27. EC- Council University, USA, Ikeja Lagos Study Centre.
28. Atlas University, Ikot Udoso Uko, Uyo Akwa Ibom State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
29. Concept College/University (London) Ilorin or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
30. Halifax Gateway University, Ikeja or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
31. Kingdom of Christ University, Abuja or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
32. Acada University, Akinlalu, Oyo State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
33. Fifom University, Mbaise, Imo State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
34. Houdegbe North American University Campuses In Nigeria.
35. Atlantic International University, Okija, Anambra State.
36. Open International University, Akure.
37. Middle Belt University (North Central University), Otukpo.
38. Leadway University, Ugheli, Delta State.
39. Metro University, Dutse/Bwari, Abuja.
40. Southend University, Ngwuro Egeru (Afam) Ndoki, Rivers State.
41. Olympic University, Nsukka, Enugu State.
42. Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Abuja.
43. Temple University.
44. Irish University Business School London, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
45. National University of Technology, Lafia, Nasarawa State.
46. University of Accountability and Management Studies, Mowe, Lagos Ibadan Expressway and its Annex at 41, Ikorodu Road Lagos.
47. University of Education, Winneba Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
48. Cape Cost University, Ghana, operating anywhere inNigeria.
49. African University Cooperative Development (AUCD), Cotonou, Benin Republic, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
50. Pacific Western University, Denver, Colorado, Owerri Study Centre.
51. Evangel University of America and Chudick Management Academic, Lagos.
52. Enugu State University of Science and Technology (Gboko Campus).
53. Career Light Resources Centre, Jos.
54. University of West Africa, kwali-Abuja, FCT.
55. Coastal University, Iba-Oku, Akwa-Ibom State.
56. Kaduna Business School, Kaduna.
57. Royal University of Theology, Minna, Niger Delta.

The NUC listed another eight illegal institutions as currently undergoing investigations and court actions. The commission said the action will lead to the prosecution of the proprietors and recovery of illegal fees and charges on subscribers.
The Universities are:

1. National University of Nigeria, Keffi, Nasarawa state.
2. North Central University, Otukpo, Benue State.
3. Christ Alive Christian Seminary and University, Enugu.
4. Richmond Open University, Arochukwu, Abia State.
5. West Coast University, Umuahia.
6. Saint Clements University, Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State.
7. Volta University College, Aba, Abia State.
8. Illegal Satellite Campuses of Ambrose Ali University.

FINALLY, BUHARI APPOINTS SECRETARY TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, OTHERS

PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointments of the following persons to the position most Nigerians had cried out should not be vacant since he was inaugurated. The following persons will hold the offices attached to their names.

• Engr. Babachir David Lawal as Secretary to the Government of the Federation

• Alhaji Abba Kyari as Chief of Staff to the President and

• Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.) as Comptroller-General Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). 

• Mr. KureMartin Abeshi -as Comptroller-General, Nigerian ImmigrationService

• Senator Ita S.J. Enang as SSA to the President onNational Assembly Matters (Senate)

• Hon. Suleiman A. Kawu as SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters (Houseof Representatives)

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina confirmed the names on Thursday. The appointments are with effect from today, August 27,2015.

Engr. Lawal, the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation hails from Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State. He graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zariain 1979 with a Bachelor Degree in Engineering and worked with the Delta Steel Company, Aladja, Nigerian External Telecommunications Limited and Data Sciences Limited before establishing his own ICT and Telecommunications consulting firm in 1990. He is also a member of the Nigeria Computer Society, the Nigeria Society of Engineers and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria. 

Alhaji Abba Kyari, the new Chief of Staff to the President holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick in Law and Sociology. He has worked with the New Nigeria Development Company, New Africa Holdings, African International Bank, United Bank for Africa, Unilever, and Mobil in various capacities over the years. 

The new Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Ali holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Criminology. He was military administrator of Kaduna State from 1996 to 1998. 

The new Comptroller- General of Immigration, Mr. Abeshi hails from Nasarawa State. He joined the Nigerian Immigration Service in 1989 as an Assistant Comptroller. His educational qualifications include a Masters Degree in Public Administration.

THE AGONY OF MONOGAMY - BY TOLA ADENIYI

It was at the church service for the 90th birthday of the legendary matriarch of the Awo dynasty Chief Dr Hannah Dideolu Awolowo in Ikenne that the thoughts that prompted this article began. Some well known highly placed gentlemen and their wives were called upon to partake in the wine sipping, bread breaking ritual called Holy Communion. As soon as these respectable ladies and gentlemen, all of them past age 70, and amongst whom were renowned professors, high court judges, legal luminaries and business moguls, finished their spiritual blessing and were returning to their seats, they caught a pitiable sight in their over-flowing garb of hypocrisy.

They wore forlorn mien plastered with furrowed frowned faces like some one afflicted with putrid smell of heavy dose of fart. They looked as if they were mourning a three-year-old boy mistakenly killed by his own father, or the passing of a poor woman who has just succumbed to excruciatingly painful cancer.

They clung to their wives as if they were newly wedded. I temporarily forgot that I was in a holy church, the spiritual enclave of Christians. I almost laughed my head off because I knew each of the ‘holy’ ‘monogamous’ men intimately and by Jove, I knew of their second, third or fourth wives/liaisons/mistresses with whom they had sired several children. To the whole world they were champions of monogamy, but to their hearts and conscience they were celebrated polygamists, or at best, serial monogamists. Pshaw!

I saw pain written all over them, the agony of living a lie, the unease of hypocrisy, and the shame of going through life pretending to be what you are not.

This is the sort of agony a lot of the so-called monogamists go through all their lives. The series of lies they sell to their wives, and the double life they present to their pastors and church leaders, most of whom are actually equally guilty of hypocrisy and double life living.

This piece is not set out to condemn or criticise monogamy. Monogamy is perfect for those who believe in its concept and can genuinely keep to it. I too have been married to one lovely woman for almost 45 years and it has been like a marriage made in heaven. I happen also to be the promoter along with some friends the 35-year-old Family Club of Nigeria which is dedicated to the upliftment and celebration of marriage and family values.

The article is designed to expose the hypocrisy and pain associated with embracing false notions which are really not observed by any culture in the world, and to advise those who erroneously sentence themselves to a life of sadness and emptiness because they were deceived to believe that there is some utopia somewhere called monogamy.

I am very much aware that this article will generate a lot of controversy most especially from those who live holier-than-thou life and have continued to deceive the world that they are upholders of a doctrine that is not supported by true and enlightened interpretation of any religious doctrine.

The white men, I am yet to see any human being whose skin colour is like that of chalk, came and told the unfortunate lands they invaded that the cherished cultures, traditions and religions of such lands were rubbish, and instead indoctrinated them with values which they themselves never believed in or truly practiced. We know of King Henry Vlll, and several major historical figures in ‘Christian’ Europe who had more than one wife in  addition of a string of wives who their ‘laws’ forbade them to address as wives but who nonetheless perform all the functions of wife minus name.

God bless President Mitterrand who openly confessed to having two women in his life, with the one in the other house with whom he fathered an 18-year-old daughter at the time he passed on.

I have schooled, worked and lived virtually in all the continents of the world and I make bold to say with all emphasis at my disposal that no culture on planet earth truly practices monogamy. My Greek, Italian, Russian, British, American and other Caucasians routinely visit their other wives [called by other names] with whom they have children. But back in the homes shared with the one carrying the ring, they are monogamists!

If God had wanted humanity to be monogamous, He or She would not have made the pigeon the only monogamous creature.

The cultures that practice polygamy had always known that at any given time, the number of available marriageable women far out number available men plus the fact that an 80-year-old man, if he has money, is still very much in the market whereas a 60-year-old woman may not be that lucky. The biological limitation to a woman’s productive age is also a factor. Why should a woman therefore remain on the shelf till age 45 when she could jolly well get married as second or sixth wife to a man who can afford to share life’s responsibilities with her? Why should a woman leave a man with whom she is No 1, simply because took a second wife and end up being numberless in the hands of several men with whom she naturally shares bed just because of some doctrine she hardly understands?

All the women who should go and marry but are saying they do not want to share their man with another woman in a polygamous setting, are sharing current boyfriends with several other women. Where is the logic?

The argument that children in a polygamous house are always at each other’s throat does not hold water. Many siblings of monogamous families are known to have had worse and irresolvable, irreconcilable squabble, with dirty bitterness over inheritance than children from different mothers.

The agony suffered by both men and women in the hand of unnatural laws and doctrines is too stifling for comfort. In 2002, 502 Reverend mothers were reported to have died while procuring abortion in Rome. Nigerian Tribune wrote an editorial on the unfortunate incident. And stories of Reverend fathers having children and sodomising young men in their care are legion! Why the hypocrisy? Why should the world continue to live the life of Ostrich?

A well known Nigerian journalist hid his other wives from his wife because his religion would not permit of it and his wife, living in monogamy should not hear of it. At his funeral service, other wives surfaced and the woman parading the ring collapsed. It was the grace of God that prevented double interment that day!

The Western world which had not learnt the art of living amicably with more than one partner under the same roof has indulged in multiple serial marriages, divorcing innocent wives under flimsy excuses so that another woman can move in should not be measure of standard for the world. Thank God Hillary Clinton in the US and Mrs Cook in England were very much wiser. They refused to allow some indiscretion on the part of their husbands to ruin their marriages.

There was a well known American actor who passed on about a decade ago and all his 11 ex-wives with their numerous children attended his funeral. To ridicule the lie of their hypocritical existence, all the women were recognised and addressed as wives. As far as records show, the man had 11 wives!

Society must rethink this issue of pretentious monogamy vis-à-vis polygamy so that in the not-too-distant future we do not end up with millions of unmarried women whose life style would be worse than prostitutes’ and millions of children whose fathers would be nowhere to be found.

Source: folasophical.com

37 SPECIAL COURTS WILL TRY LOOTERS - BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari

The Federal Government has begun moves to establish special courts to try corruption-related cases as part of the efforts to fight graft in the country.

Saturday PUNCH’s investigations on Friday revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari was opting for a comprehensive onslaught against the problem of corruption in the country.

It was learnt that the President had concluded plans to submit a bill on the planned special anti-corruption courts to the National Assembly.

The PUNCH had on Monday exclusively reported that the Presidency had commenced the process of identifying fearless judges that would be saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting corrupt persons.

It was also gathered that the Federal Government was planning to establish 37 of the Special Courts to try corruption in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and the 36 states of the Federation.



A top operative of one of the anti-graft agencies, who confided in one of our correspondents, said that the Federal Government decided to set up the planned special courts because of the long delay by regular courts in deciding corruption-related cases.

It was further gathered that the President recently made a demand for 36 judges with the requisite integrity and boldness to decide cases in line with the law and not according to influence of the people or the pecuniary gains that come with associating with them.

The anti-graft officer said, “The President is being careful; he does not want people to do a wishy-washy job for him.

“Buhari is pressing for the establishment of special courts to try corruption cases. He wants the courts to be established in Abuja and the 36 states of the federation so that they can fast-track such cases.”

Investigations further revealed that the Federal Government had contacted the National Judicial Council to provide judges with impeccable reputation to preside over the planned courts.

It was gathered that the NJC released the names of 100 judges from the 36 states of the federation to the leadership of three major anti-corruption bodies in the country after an internal process of selection.

The judges were screened by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission and the Department of State Security on Tuesday.



It was gathered that the focus of the on-going screening exercise is to identify judges with a passion for the law and the constitution rather than deference to personalities.

The officer stated, “On Tuesday, the NJC forwarded the list of 100 judges to the anti-corruption agencies for screening. The exercise is meant to select the judges for the special courts the President is moving to establish to try corruption cases.

“The plan is to get judges that are bold, courageous, and fearless. Many of them must have delivered sound judgements (in the past). They don’t want those who play to the gallery.

“The screening exercise is very intensive; they are passing through the NJC that has the list of all the judges. When the NJC is through with its screening, it passes the list of the judges to security operatives and the anti-graft agencies to continue with the investigation.

“And because this is a democracy, they have to go through acceptable legal channels; they have to amend the constitution to set up these courts. They want to start with speed; even the legislatures have to be involved to amend the constitution.”

It was also learnt that the anti-graft agencies screened the judges by doing background checks on them, particularly looking at their history at the bench.

The source said, “We are working on the information we got about them (the judges). There are those who have been compromised in the past, who will not be part of the arrangement.”

But the anti-corruption agencies are not saying much about the on-going screening exercise, which is said to have entered its second phase.

When our correspondent contacted the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, on the telephone on Friday, he said that he was not aware of it.

“I am not aware of the exercise you are talking about,” he said.
Similarly, the Resident Consultant, Media and events of the ICPC, Mr. Folu Olamiti, said that he could not comment on the story, when contacted.

“I can’t comment on it,” he said.

Also, the Acting Director, Information, National Judicial Council, Mr. Soji Oye, said he was not aware of any plan to create special corruption courts.

It will be recalled that the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, had in 2012, when he was being screened by the Senate, called for the establishment of special courts for corruption cases.

He had said, “The reason for the clamour for special courts for certain cases has to do with the processes of law. Judges have corrupt cases and other cases to attend to, but if we have special courts for corruption cases, it would facilitate the process. I don’t think it will be too much to ask that a special court be dedicated to corruption cases.”

Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, and Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adeniran, described the plan to create special courts to handle corruption cases as a welcome development.

But a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Joseph Nwobike, described the establishment of such courts as needless.

Keyamo, however, urged the government to put certain resources and laws in place for such special courts to achieve their intended goals.

He said, “Establishment of special courts will not solve the entire problem of anti-corruption cases and it will not solve all the problems of criminal cases. But it will go a long way if the courts are well equipped and have rules that will help fast track such cases.

“Special courts will not address the integrity of judges that will be sitting there. It is a welcome development and government should go ahead to establish them but some things should be put in place for the courts to achieve the intended goals.”

Adeniran also described the establishment of special corruption courts as desirable. He said such courts would help in quick determination of corruption cases.

He said, “It is desirable to the extent that it will hasten up the adjudication on corruption cases and will make it easier for the judges to handle.”

But Nwobike said that instead of creating special courts, government should focus on capacity building to enhance the competence of investigators and prosecutors.

He said, “It is needless. It will amount to waste of judicial resources to set up special courts to try corruption cases.”

REDUCE BELLY FAT WITH BANANA DRINK

If you want to be slim and healthy, then you definitely have to try this delicious and very refreshing banana drink.

Luckily, bananas are a type of fruit that is allowed to be consumed while on a diet because this super-fruit contains a high level of potassium that helps to eliminate toxins from one’s body.
Besides this, when bananas are combined with flax and spinach, they boost the work of the metabolism and thus help the process of weight loss.

 In order to finally get rid of your stomach fat, you are advised to try this drink that is very easy to make and quite cheap. You’ll notice the difference just after a few days – your waist will be visibly slimmer.

Ingredients needed:

• 1 banana
• 1 orange
• ½ glass low-fat or fat-free yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ¼ tablespoon ginger powder
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons whey powder

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients in a blender. They should be mixed well so that you obtain a drink with a thinner texture.
Enjoy!

Source: fitfoodhouse.net

WHY BUHARI WILL NOT PROBE TINUBU

Sen. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

For the right or wrong reasons, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will always be in the news, it will be correct to say that the mention of his name alone is hot cake in the media industry.

In recent times, especially during the period of just concluded elections that brought in the present administration, a lot of fliers around had information about the level of corruption this master planner, political strategist and what have you was involved with.  This among other reasons had made the opposition parties especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Dr. Bunmi Awoyemi takes a look at the scenerio and gives his opinion.

I have noticed that the PDP wailers and the Saraki wailers have not gotten tired of their worn-out accusations against PMB that he has refused to move against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by prosecuting him for alleged corrupt practices that he allegedly committed when he was the executive governor of Lagos State and as a result PMB has proven that his war on corruption is selective, vindictive and a mere political witch hunt.

I am not Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s spokesman so I cannot hold brief for him. Four years ago under GEJ’s presidency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was charged and tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal based on the allegation that he illegally operated foreign bank accounts when he was Governor of Lagos State but he was discharged and acquitted by the tribunal.

Also, Nigeria’s former anti-corruption czar Nuhu Ribadu one of the most vibrant anti-corruption crusaders in Nigeria’s recent history until his recent missteps, stated categorically that he never listed Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as corrupt.

If Nuhu Ribadu who has a complete dossier on the extra-curricular activities of our largely corrupt political class who governed Nigeria between 1999 and 2007 gave Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a clean bill of health then what else is there to jaw jaw about?

Apart from this, during the presidential campaign, yours truly pointed out the fact that Alpha Beta Consulting consults for many regions of the Ghanaian government and several state governments and government agencies in Nigeria. So, why single out its consultancy services for the Lagos state government as a huge act of corruption?

Before Alpha Beta Consulting got involved with the tax collection regime in Lagos State, the amounts generated from internal revenue was dismal and shameful. We all know the level rot among tax collection agencies. A lot of companies and individuals operated for decades without paying taxes. The idea of the land use charge was borne as a result and hundreds of billions of naira have been generated from corporate, individual and land use taxes. Outsourcing the tax collection to Alpha Beta no doubt leap frogged Lagos State into one of the most financially robust and financially independent states.

On Alpha Beta’s website the following information is provided about its clientele:

“Our Clients”

Our target clientele are the major banks, large companies including multi-nationals, Government departments, parastatals and other indigenous companies in the manufacturing, oil and gas, finances and general service industries.

Our clients:

Lagos State Government
Kwara State Government
Nassarawa State Government
Akwa Ibom State Government
Abia State Government
Imo State Government
Kano State Government
Ondo State Government
Sokoto State Government
Abuja Environmental Protection Board
Enugu State Waste Management Authority
Enugu State Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources
Ekiti State Government
Lagos Water Corporation
Airtel (Formally Zain)

The Republic of Ghana Operations :We have deployed our solution in some Municipalities and Assemblies in Ghana.These include Cape coast Metropolitan Assembly (CCMA), SeKondi Metropolitan Assembly(SMA), Shama District Assembly(SDA),Adentan District Assembly, Sunyani District Assembly and Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly respectively.”

Tinubu was a huge torn in the flesh of GEJ and the PDP administration that had at their disposal the EFCC, ICPC, NSA, DSS, DMI, the NPF, NCDC and the Federal Ministry of Justice yet they could not indict him for a single act of corruption now they want PMB to go after the same Tinubu that the PDP and GEJ could not indict for corruption for a period of 8 years after his constitutional immunity from prosecution expired.

Tinubu being the Field Marshall of the commonsense revolution that helped PMB clinch power after 3 failed attempts is no doubt the brainbox of the political strategy department of the Buhari presidency. This is the reason that they have tried everything under the sun to knock PMB against Tinubu so that they can launch a political onslaught against PMB which PMB would have been unable to contain if he had burnt the bridge that took him to the presidency.

Using Tinubu as a punching bag to make PMB and the APC look like same of the same as the PDP failed during the presidential campaign and will not help the wailing wailers and their ilk recapture the presidency in 2019.

Written by Bunmi Awoyemi, Ph.D, a Public Affairs Analyst, a Corporate Finance & Project Finance Expert, as well as an International Lawyer and Entrepreneur.

TWO MASQUERADE ARRESTED FOR ROBBERY

The Police in Nsukka on Saturday arrested two men in masquerade costume in Ovoko Community, Nsukka LGA, Enugu State, for allegedly beating up a passenger on a commercial motorcycle and robbing him of N57,000.

The incident happened on the Nsukka/Oballo-Afor highway.

A police source said policemen moved to the scene when the victim, Mr. Chinonso Ezewaji, reported the matter to Nsukka Police Area command and the two men were arrested.

“The escorts of the masquerade however ran away.

“There were eight masquerades. They blocked the Nsukka/Obollo-Afor road and harassed people.

“The two arrested masquerades however denied collecting the N57,000 from Ezewaji but claimed they know the person who collected the money from the victim.

“When we searched one of the arrested masquerade, we saw Indian hemp in his pocket,” the police source said.

When contacted, Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amarizu, confirmed the incident, saying investigation had commenced on the matter.

He urged communities to regulate and monitor those who wear masquerade costumes, adding that some of them used the opportunity to harass, intimidate and rob innocent members of the public.

“The Police are not against the people practising their tradition and culture but community leaders must know the character of people they allow to wear costumes of masquerade in the name of culture.

“A masquerade has no right to mount road block on busy highways where motorists, motorcyclists and other road users move on daily basis.

“The police have commenced investigation and will get to the root of this matter as issues of masquerade disturbing people have become a recurring decimal,” Amarizu said.

The victim, Ezewaji, a trader, who deals on clothing materials, told the News Agency of Nigeria he was on his way from Nsukka to Obollo-Afor to see his mother when the masquerade stopped the motorcycle he was riding on.

“They beat me, searched me and collected N57,000.

“When they left, I ran into the bush and when I discovered they have gone some distance, I came out and went to the police to report.

The two masquerades identified themselves as Kenchukwu Eze, a carpenter, and Ejiofor Eze, a brick-layer.

They, however, denied the allegation that they stole money from Ezewaji

They claimed that their colleague, Chima Mamah, stole the money.

Eze, however, admitted that the police saw Indian hemp in his pocket, saying it was the leftover of what they smoked before coming out.

“If the police release me, I will not wear masquerade costume, nor smoke Indian hemp again,” he pleaded.

Source: Vanguard Online