Olisa Metuh says EFCC Should Inestigate President BUHARI On Dasuki's Scandal by Comrade Akanbi

Olisa metuh says president Mohammodu Buhari should also be investigated as Dasuki has mentioned him among the beneficiaries.

The Dasuki scandal has turned a new leaf simply because of the latest statement released by Dasuki that PMB also collected from the money meant for the purchase of armunition for the forces during president Jonathan regime.

Dasuki said when PMB escaped from the boko haram attacked last year,they bought 5 bullet proof SUV jeep for him and also gave him some money,following this statement the National Publicity Secretary of the People's Democratic Party Olisa metuh has called for EFCC to also investigate and hear from PMB because all humanbeing are equal before the law and no preferential treatment should be given to anyone irrespective of their office.

Nigerian Senators divided over oil benchmark for 2016 budget

kMembers of the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday
commenced debate on the Medium Term Expenditure
Framework (MTEF) presented to the upper legislative
body by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr. Buhari had forwarded the MTEF to the Senate on
Monday.
Under Nigerian public finance system, the MTEF is the
precursor to budget, as well as Fiscal Strategy Paper
(FSP), which details spending and revenue projections
for three years.
At the Senate plenary Wednesday, lawmakers differed
on the $38 per barrel benchmark projected as the price
of crude of oil, the mainstay of the Nigerian economy.
Leading the debate, the Deputy Senate President, Ike
Ekweremadu, asked the Senate to consider an upward
review of the crude oil benchmark for the 2016 budget.
In his opinion the $38 oil benchmark is “conservative”.
Mr. Ekweremadu therefore urged the senate to peg the
oil benchmark for the 2016 budget at $40 per barrel.
“I have looked at the projection for the oil price,” he
began, adding that “the benchmark of $38 per barrel
appears to me to be conservative. From the projection of
oil price for 2016 it is estimated that it will hover
between $40 and $45.
“I like to suggest that the senate consider an oil
benchmark of $40. I’m sure that this will help cushion
the problems we have in the states.”
However, Adamu Aliero, an All Progressives Congress
Senator from Kebbi State, opposed Mr. Ekweremadu’s
proposal, saying it was unrealistic.
“It is unrealistic. I therefore recommend we take it to
$35 per barrel,” he said.
Mr. Aliero added that it had been projected that the
global price of crude oil would fall further in 2016.
The global price of crude oil fell from $38 to $35 on Wednesday.
Also, speaking, Olalekan Adeola (APC-Lagos West), queried the indices
used by the Buhari-led cabinet in determining that “the price of oil will
increase or decrease or fall below $38″.
“We can allow it (benchmark) to be like that but we should let the
committee do a thorough job,” Mr. Adeola said.
Speaking further, he urged the Federal Government to increase borrowing
and improve budgetary share of capital expenditure.
Mr. Adeola’s view on capital expenditure vis-a-vis infrastructural
development was corroborated by Ben Bruce (PDP-Bayelsa East), who
canvassed massive borrowing to “industrialize this nation” and develop
infrastructure.
Saying “it does matter the party it comes from; what is important is that
we develop”, Mr. Bruce maintained that “this budget is good” and
commended the Finance Minister for a “good job”.
Also, he said if petrol was fully de-subsidized, the effect would be felt in
the public transport sector. He noted that “prices of goods would not
increase since diesel had always been deregulated.”
He, therefore, urged Mr. Buhari to subsidize public mass transit system,
citing instances the United States, Germany and South Africa as examples
of countries where that had been done successfully.
Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi West) also made a case for infrastructural
development.
He proposed that capital expenditure be increased to 35 per cent because
“APC promised infrastructural development”.
Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta North) drew the attention of the Senate to
alleged “hidden things” in the MTEF.
For instance, he said it should be noted that “this government has removed
subsidy on kerosene”.
Also, he said allocation to the Niger Delta amnesty programme had been
reduced.
For him, the fall-out of the Bayelsa election showed that militants still
existed.
Thus, he urged the Federal Government to jettison any plan to cut its
commitment to the amnesty programme.
He also noted the reduction of National Assembly budget from N120
billion to N115 billion.
Mr. Buhari proposed N500 billion for social welfare programme in the
2016 budget.
“The federal government will collaborate with state governments to
institute well-structured social welfare intervention programme such as
school feeding programme initiatives, conditional cash transfer to the
most vulnerable, and post National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) grant,”
the president said in a letter containing read by the Senate President,
Bukola Saraki.
“N500 billion has been provisioned in the 2016 budget as social
investments for these programmes.”
Mr. Buhari added that the interventions would start as a pilot scheme, and
that the government would work towards securing the support of donor
agencies and development partners in order to minimise potential risks.
The MTEF was later referred to the Senate Committees on Appropriations
and Finance for further legislative actions.

Kogi House of Assembly Speaker impeached

Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon.
Momoh Jimoh has been impeached. The impeachment of
the Speaker was endorsed by 17 of the 25-member House.
The Speaker was accused of financial recklessness and
misconduct.
Sources said the impeachment of the Speaker may not be
unconnected with highwire politicking in the state to
placate the people of Kogi East.
It would be recalled both the newly elected governor, Alh.
Yahaya Bello and the impeached Speaker are from the
same Okene Local Government Area. He might have been
impeached to ensure power balance in the state.
Meanwhile, member representing Ogori/Magongo
Constituency in the House, Hon. Godwin Osiyi has
emerged as the new Speaker.
The Kogi State House of Assembly is made up of 14 PDP
members and 11 APC members.

STATES HAVE GONE BANKCRUPT, Says. Ajimobi

The governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, has raised the alarm that about 28 states in the country might have gone
technically bankrupt.
The governors disclosed this at the 7th annual Lateef Femi
Okunnu lecture, delivered by Ajimobi and titled: “State
financing and over-dependence on oil: issues and
challenge,” at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
The event was put together by the Muslim Law Students of
OAU.
He said that penchant for tax evasion by citizens, public and
corporate entities, as well as corruption and disrespect for
the rule of law were major challenges facing the states.
To get out of the doldrums, he again reminded the country
that agriculture value chain was a neglected potential cash
cow that must be revisited.
Besides, the governors said that the country’s fortune could
be turned around if the opportunities in solid minerals,
information and communication technology, services,
manufacturing and others were explored.
Ajimobi said, “Our attitude is antithetical to development.
We need to change our attitudes completely about payment
of taxes and levies if we must avert the impending economic
doom.
“As I speak, I can conveniently say that 28 states are
technically bankrupt. The jaundiced view that taxes and
levies might be embezzled if paid is an anathema. Public
office holders are supposed to hold in trust public treasury.
To do otherwise is to court the wrath of the law after leaving
office.
“To the youths, I challenge you to imbibe positive leadership
qualities such as you have found in our honoree and among
other distinguished personalities you have seen or read
about.
“You must join the moving train of development and explore
information technology positively to advance in the current
and future world.”
On his part, expressing similar sentiments, his Osun State
counterpart, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, also said that the country
was sitting on a tinderbox with its army of unemployed
youths.
Aregbesola was confident that an estimated N625bn and
more than N7tr could be injected into the economy on a
monthly and annual basis respectively if the 25m youths
said to be unemployed are gainfully employed.
The Osun helmsman noted that the creative energy of the
citizens, especially the youth, would be activated and
unleashed if the states and the country were to respond to
the pervading challenges
appropriately.
He said, “This will lead to increased productivity and wealth
creation on a scale that we have never witnessed before.
“If the 25m youths said to unemployed by the National
Bureau of Statistics today decide that they want to work and
decently earnN25,000 every monthly it means N625bn new
money will enter into the Nigeria economy.
“Here we need to separate between earning and collecting. If
the youths decide to work like bulls then we will be talking
about more than N7tr new money annually entering into the
Nigerian economy.”

Dino Melaye Used US Bank Account To Remove Tattoo Of Ex-wife, Doctor Confirms SR

During the weekend, SaharaReporters broke the story that
long after he became a Senator of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, Mr. Melaye continued to operate a checking and
savings account with the bank, in violation of Nigeria law, a
report he has not denied.
We reported that the accounts were opened in the state of
Maryland under the name Daniel Din Melaye.
SaharaReporters also learned that, in violation of US law, he
opened the accounts under CampusEdge, which is
exclusively reserved for students, thereby masquerading as
a student.
In a series of Tweets and stories on Saturday and Sunday,
SaharaReporters reported that transactions on the bank
accounts continued while he served as a Senator.
Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau strongly and clearly
prohibits the use of foreign accounts by elected and public
officials.
One transaction on Mr. Melaye’s Bank of America debit card
is an approved payment to the New York based Schweiger
Dermatology for $1,000. The company describes itself as a
medical and cosmetic dermatology service offering a variety
of skin healthcare needs.
Mr. Melaye has repeatedly dodged questions that he
operates these bank accounts, despite evidence
SaharaReporters has provided including transaction dates,
bank statements, card numbers, and location of the
transactions.
Contacted by a SaharaReporters correspondent about Mr.
Melaye’s financial transactions with the company, an
associate with the company confirmed to SaharaReporters
that “a man with the name Dino Melaye paid for a tattoo
removal on September 1st,” adding: “his payment was paid
directly in the office on the day of the procedure.”
It would be recalled that on August 31, Mr. Melaye was one
of three Senators who accompanied Senate President
Bukola Saraki to New York to participate in the 4th United
Nations Conference of Parliamentary Heads at the United
Nations, placing him on ground in the city on the date of the
dermatological procedure.
Senators Andy Uba, Bukola Saraki and Dino Melaye are
attending an IPU conference in New York
According to LegisReports, the other Senators involved on
the trip were Andy Uba and Shehu Sani. They were
accompanied by the Special Adviser to the Senate President
on Economic Matters, Dr. Uchendu Okoye, and a Special
Assistant on Public Partnerships.
With reference to Mr. Melaye’s denial of the tattoo
procedure, the Schweiger Dermatology associate pointed
out that in addition to the credit card evidence, there are file
photos of his procedure in his file.
“I can see that there is a man in the photos getting a tattoo
removed from his upper arm, near his shoulder, ” the
associate said.
Our correspondent then inquired what the tattoo was that
he was removing, to which the associate replied, “It is a
person’s name, the name is ALERO,” spelling A-L-E-R-O for
our correspondent over the phone.
Our correspondent further learned that it was impossible for
someone else to have made the transaction on Mr. Melaye’s
card because Schweiger Dermatology only accepts a credit
card payment if the card user has a proper ID which
matches the name on the credit card.
Dino Melaye and his estranged wife Alero Falope Melaye
Peace Ben Williams Blog
It is common knowledge that Mr. Melaye was briefly married
to a Mrs. Alero Falope before their matrimony ended in
2014 amidst allegations that he had physically abused Alero
over the course of their marriage.
Before then, Mr. Melaye was involved in a messy adultery
case when Nollywood actress Bisi Ibidapo Obe accused him
of being responsible for her pregnancy. In response, Mr.
Melaye’s wife, Tokunbo, took to Twitter and accused him of
lying.
"You have a Masters degree in lying, but I have a PHD in
detecting bullsh*t!” she wrote, among others.
She also told her husband, "Trust is like paper…Once it’s
crumpled, it can’t be perfect again. There's a limit to what
one can take, if you keep piling load on the camels back,
there comes a point that back will surely break!”
And then she advised Mr. Melaye, “Never lie to the girl of
your life, for the girl of the night.”
The revelation of Mr. Melaye’s recent tattoo removal in New
York, using a bank account domiciled in the United States in
violation of Nigeria law, comes less than 48 hours after news
of these accounts was revealed by SaharaReporters. Mr.
Melaye has since vowed to send SaharaReporters publisher
Omoyele Sowore to jail.
Mr. Melaye is one of the strongest proponents of the anti-
media bill in the Senate, and has cited SaharaReporters in
that connection several times, accusing the publication of
“insubordination”.
http://saharareporters.com/2015/12/07/dino-melaye-used-
us-bank-account-remove-tattoo-ex-wife-new-york-
dermatologist-confirms

Going To The West To Beg As Victims Can't Solve Our Problems - Okonji-Iweala

SIGNAL on December 7, 2015 at 4:34 pm

Former Minister for Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has

said the solution to Nigeria’s power problem lies in off-grid

initiatives that are climate friendly and not going to the

West to beg as victims.

Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke at the Conference of Parties

(COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change, (UNFCCC) in Paris, France, said Nigeria

needs to get the private sector involved in the power

sector, adding that government must look at renewable

and off-grid solutions like the solar power generation.

She said: “Almost three quarters of infrastructure that

Africa needs, we still don’t have it. This means that the

power we need, the road and the railway, we can still get

these infrastructures and have it in a way that is friendly to

climate change that lowers emission and puts us on a low

carbon growth path. How do we do that?

“We have to get the private sector, we are looking at

power, look at renewable energy, we are not saying

renewable should be everything because Africa should

have a mix. We can still use gas to some extent, but we

should increase the renewable. Our companies that are

investing should look at off- grid solutions, let our

companies get off -grid solar solutions for our people

before other people come into it because that is what

always happens. Instead of flaring, we can use the gas, we

can convert this gas for our use and I know government

has the power to do that.”

The former minister, who is also the Commissioner, Global

Commission on the Economy and Climate spoke at a

session titled: Climate Change in Africa: Financing

Sustainable Pathways for Development at the ongoing

Climate Change talks.

She said the solution for climate change lies in Africa

because of the opportunity to build renewable

infrastructures on the continent.

“Africa should stop playing the victim game. We are not

supposed to be going to the West to beg as victims, we

should be telling them that the solution is in Africa. Our

infrastructures are just developing we have the

opportunity to build in a climate friendly way and avoid

the mistakes of the developed nations, “she added.

Okonjo-Iweala said African countries should divert funds

used in fossil fuel subsidy towards the generation of

renewable energy.

"Ohakim Gave Me $2.29m Cash To Buy Abuja Mansion" - Witness

The ongoing trial of former governor of Imo state, Mr. Ikedi
Ohakim may have taken a new turn as a star witness of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Mr. Abu
Sule, yesterday, narrated before the Federal High Court
sitting in Abuja, how Ohakim gave him $2.29millon at night
to help him acquire a mansion in Abuja. The witness is the
Managing Director of Tweenex Consciates Limited, a
company EFCC is insisting was used by Ohakim to launder
funds that were allegedly stolen from the Imo state treasury.
According to the witness, Ohakim had approached him with
the intention to buy a choice property in Abuja and it was
while on a search mission he discovered that a mansion
situated at No. 60, Kwame Nkrumah Street, Asokoro , was
put up for sale by the owner, one Alhaji Muktari Isah
MaiDebino , for a price of N270million.
In his words, the witness said: “I quickly informed Chief
Ohakim about the house and the price it was going for. He
asked me to come for the money. When I got there, he gave
me the the dollar equivalent of the money. He gave me
$2.29m in cash. I collected the money from him at the Imo
State governor’s lodge in Asokoro, at night. The money was
paid in one tranche.
“The following day I called Alhaji Muktari Maidebino and we
met at Unity Bank in Maitama were he collected the money
and handed over the documents of the house. He used the
money to offset a loan he collected from the bank where he
retrieved the documents. My lord, when I collected the
original title deeds, I informed Chief Ohakim. After a bit of
delay, he said I should use my companies two names for the
Deed of Assignment and Power of Attorney.
“Because he has been my benefactor, I went ahead and did
the documents as he requested. The house was never given
to me as a gift. I handed the originals of the documents to
Chief Ohakim even though I kept the photocopies. I was the
one that signed the documents. After we perfected the
purchase, we used about one and half years to renovate the
house, after which we handed it over to him in 2012”. The
witness further told the court that Ohakim on parking into
the mansion, persuaded him to prepare a tenancy
agreement to make it look like he(Ohakim) rented the
mansion from Tweenex Consciates Limited.