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Let your lifestyle show youre transformed, Bishop tells newly confirmed members

Confirmation
By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu
Lagos, Sept. 5, 2018 (NAN) The Bishop, Diocese of Lagos West, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Olusola Odedeji, on Wednesday charged newly confirmed members to show by their lifestyle that they had a new beginning.

Odedeji gave the charge at the confirmation service of the members, held at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Amje, in Lagos,

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 82 members from eight parishes of the Abule-Egba Archdeaconry of the Diocese took part in the confirmation.

Odedeji, in his sermon, urged the confirmed members to let people see the evidence of transformation in their lives.

He charged them to confess Christ, preach the gospel and be more committed in their service to God and mankind.

“Today, you have been fully absorbed in the Anglican communion as communicants, and you are therefore expected to live a new life worthy of emulation, and to keep the faith alive,” he said.

Ifeanyi Elendu, one of the newly confirmed members, told NAN that he was happy to be fully enrolled into the Anglican Communion.

He said it was a thing of joy to be able to participate in the holy communion.

Another, Ejiroghene Ogbodu, said it was long awaited and he felt fulfilled.

“Today is one of my happiest days; I feel accepted and have a sence of belonging, having taken part in the holy communion.

“I see myself as an ambassador and will live a life of Christ,” she said.

Rev. Cannon Michael Olorundare of St Paul’s Anglican Church, Amje, told NAN that he was honoured to have the Bishop in the parish.

He prayed for more strength and grace in his ministry.

Olorundare congratulated the newly confirmed members and urged them to avoid sin.

He charged them to remain faithful and be more committed in the work of God, especially in their youth.

“You are now a new creature, old things are passed away and behold all things are new, so you are to make this quotation a lifestyle,” he said.

The confirmation service was attended by several priests, Church members and the Boys Brigade, who rejoiced with the confirmed members.(NAN)

MIL/SOA
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Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

Recruitment

By Edith Ike-Eboh

Abuja, Sept. 5, 2018 (NAN) The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has disowned a recruitment advertisement purportedly by the corporation currently trending in the social media.

The corporation in a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja on Wednesday, described the advertisement as phoney.

It advised unsuspecting members of the public to be wary of the scam.

“The advertisement, set in NNPC’s corporate colour with its logo and a corporate picture, sets candidates’ entry requirements to include Master’s degree, Bachelor’s degree, Higher National Diploma (HND) and National Diploma, is fake.

“The recruitment announcement or invitation to recruitment interview of this nature appearing intermittently in the social media should be discountenanced,’’ it said

According to the statement, the NNPC is not carrying out any recruitment exercise now.

“The National Oil Company dissociated itself from the fake e-mail address to which unsuspecting prospects were asked to direct their Curriculum Vitae in the placement advert,’’ it added.

The corporation further reminded job seekers to note the antics of scammers who deploy, on social media platforms, such communication strategies as text messages, vacancy announcements and forged letters inviting them for non-existing job interviews.

These, it said, were tricks to extort money from them, and cautioned that any applicant who entertained such invitations would have himself or herself to blame.

It encouraged those who had already fallen victims to volunteer information to the law enforcement agencies.

The corporation stated that it would as usual advertise at appropriate time, vacancies in the corporation through the national dailies. (NAN)

ENO/OPI

Ajimobi, APC leaders meet with aspirants to decide flagbearers

Successor
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Sept. 5, 2018(NAN) Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has said that he would in conjunction with some leaders of Alł Progressives Congress(APC) meet with aspirants of the party on Saturday to pick  consensus governorship  and other elective candidates.

He made the disclosure on Wednesday during the APC Oyo Central Senatorial District stakeholders meeting held at Durbar Stadium in Oyo.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the senatorial district comprises 11 local governments.

Among them are Afijio, Atiba, Akinyele, Egbeda, Lagelu, Oluyole, Oyo East, Oyo West, Ogo-Oluwa, Ona-Ara and Surulere.

“We are going to meet with all the aspirants at the Government House in Ibadan on Saturday by 12 noon, while we will meet with aspiring lawmakers on Sunday at the same venue and time,” he said.

Ajimobi said the essence of the meeting, particularly those aspiring to be governor was to appeal to some of them to possibly step down and avoid waste of resources.

He stated that it would be wrong to encourage governorship aspirants to waste 22.5 million naira on nomination forms  without emerging as the candidate.

“Monday is the last day to obtain the governorship nomination form. We don’t want all our aspirants to collect the form and waste their resources when we can talk to them.

“All of them are qualified,  with intimidating profiles, but only one of them will emerge. We can still ensure everyone is engaged in one area or the other for them to partake, “he said.

The governor assured members of the public that APC remained the party to beat, adding none of the other parties was enjoying the unity and cohesion that exists in party.

Earlier at the Alaafin’s palace, the governor described Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi as an epitome of wisdom, integrity and intellect.

He said the monarch has never relented in supporting his administration and offering solution to problems affecting the state, praying the monarch live long.

The governor urged other monarchs and traditional rulers to always contribute to good governance and development of the state.

Adeyemi in his remarks, prayed that God continue to protect the governor and increase him in wisdom.

The monarch stated that the state enjoys relative peace and prayed  the governor  handover to a worthy successor.

“We are not politicians but  we shall support you any day and anytime. This is because you have done wonderfully well in the history of the state,” he said.(NAN)

TAA/
08079517573
alakime1804@gmail.com

Radio Kwara staff shut down station

Protest

By Olayinka Owolewa

Ilorin, Sept. 5, 2018 (NAN) Workers of the Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation, (Radio Kwara), on Wednesday in Ilorin shut down the station and staged a protest over lack of operational equipment and welfare package for staff

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the State Government’s move to cancel the AM Station was part of the trigger for the protest.

A staff who pleaded anonymity said the State government was  planning to evacuate the staff from its GRA office to Budo Efo transmission area, a suburb of Ilorin, the Kwara capital.

“This Budo Efo always affects the reproductive organs of the staff working there ,due to the effect of radiation of the old transmitter and the antenna .

“If you notice, some of the staff posted to Budo-efo are childless. while  few ones that had children have their children deformed.

“The last option given us is to transfer all the staff to Budo-Efo particularly to enable them sell the land harbouring Radio Kwara AM.

“As we speak, the land surrounding Radio Kwara 2, Midland FM has been sold.

“Since KWIRS has taken over our revenue, to buy diesel to power the station is a problem. That is why both AM and FM stations are running skeletal transmission always.

“The Sole Administrator, Dr. Muyideen Akorede has destroyed the station through his shoddy repositioning since 2016,” the source said.

The source further explained that Dr. Akorede always shortchanged the station’s  General Manager by not releasing monthly subventions to run the station since the state government took over the station’s Internally Generated Revenue.

Another worker claimed that  virtually all departments in Radio Kwara, including the newsroom,  lack working facilities and tools.

He said the state government had perfected plans to kill the AM station and concentrate on Midland FM 99.0 at Apata Yukuba,  Ilorin.

“The same FM is dying. The next one is overall welfare of staff, delay in payment of meagre salaries,  among others,” he said.

“The state government officials including Dr. Akorede are now patronising private radio stations in the state,  paying huge amounts  to feature on their programmes living Radio Kwara to die.

“All the staff have been demoralised. We are staging this protest not because of us, but because of the future of Radio Kwara and the state at large.,” he added.

Dr. Akorede, who is the Senior Special Assistant (SSA), Media and Communication to the state Governor and Sole Administrator for all state owned media houses, said rainstorm destroyed a device which necessitated the movement from GRA office to Budo Efo.

He explained that it was in the spirit of keeping the station running that the staff were asked to move to Budo Efo temporarily.

Dr. Akorede explained that N5m has been released to the station for its running cost and that the only salary owed the staff  was that of August, which will  be paid before the end of the week.

The Governor’s aide boasted that no TV station in the North Central of Nigeria can match  the  standard of the repositioned   state owned television station (KWTV).

He claimed that the state government pays  for all its jingles that it runs  on Radio Kwara.(NAN)

OOH/ESAN/

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08064450945

Edited by Abiodun Esan

By Emmanuel Mogbede

Abuja, Sept.5, 2018  (NAN) The Nigeria Consolidation Ambassadors’ Network, a group, on Wednesday in Abuja picked the All Progressives Congress (APC) Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for President Muhamnadu Buhari to re-contest the presidency in 2019.

This made President Buhari the first aspirant to pick the forms as the APC commenced sales of the forms to aspirants for the 2019 general elections.

Buhari had in April declared his intention to seek re-election at the APC National Executive Committee (NEC).

The group which paid a total of N45 million to obtain the forms, was received by the Mr Adams Oshiomohle, the APC National Chairman in Abuja.

Speaking on why the group decided to purchase the forms on behalf of the President, its National Co-coordinator, Sunnsi Musa, said the President was not multi-millionaire cash wise.

“But he has millions of supporters who are always ready to come together to pay for his nomination form.

“It is my singular honour and rare privilege to present to you a cheque of N45 million  as payment for the expression of interest and nomination forms for President Muhammadu Buhari, ”he said.

According Musa, the group embarks on the project based on the recognition that the President has started laying a foundation for a better Nigeria.

The National Co-ordinator said that there was need to consolidate on the gains so far made by the present administration in the country.

“We have no doubt that Mr President has both in action an word been working to lay a foundation for a greater and prosperous nation that our generation and future generation will be proud of.

“Under his administration, Nigeria has become a country sought after for investments in the world and has assumed its leadership role in not just Africa but also the world.

“Today, Nigeria‘s moribund infrastructure is being revived. There is no state in Nigeria that does not have several major Federal Government infrastructure projects, either completed or being executed under President Buhari.

“We have a stable and steadily growing economy that is departing from the monotonic oil dependence. Agriculture is now an attractive venture as farmers are becoming multi-millionaires.

“Nigeria is now an exporter of agricultural products as opposed to what it was three years ago,“ he said.

He noted that for the first time since the return of democracy, Nigerians had a president who could beat his chest and state that he had never stolen government funds.

According to Musa, Buhari is not among presidents who meet at night to strike shady personal deals.

He added that the President was poised to ensure that every agreement entered into by Nigeria was in the interest of the people and the country and its unborn generations.

This he noted had indeed boosted the confidence of investors into the country and the inflow of direct foreign investment into the country.

“Looted funds are being recovered and ploughed back to develop our country deficit infrastructure.

“Almost a million farmers under the Anchor Borrowers Programme are benefiting from low interest loans and 500, 000 previously unemployed graduates are now employed under the NPower Scheme.”

He also noted that N400, 000 extremely poor families were already receiving N5, 000 monthly stipend while over N8 million children were being fed daily in public schools across the country as promised by the Buhari-led administration.

“Today, and for the first time in our history, we have a government that is honest and sincere in investing in the poor, the masses and the underprivileged.”

Musa maintained that his group could not fold its hands and watch while the foundation laid by the Buhari administration would be destroyed by some other persons.

“We cannot afford to destroy the future of our children. The foundation, laid by President Muhammadu Buhari, must be reinforced.

“It is for this reason, Mr Chairman, that  we have decided to pull our meagre resources together to purchase the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for President Buhari.

He has presented himself to our party members to be chosen as their candidate for the 2019 general elections.

Oshiomhole, while receiving the group, thanked its members for their gesture and for believing in President Buhari and the APC administration.(NAN)

EEM/DUA

Edited by Dada Ahmed

Vote

By Angela Atabo

Abuja, Sept.5, 2018 (NAN) Transparency International (TI), an International Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), on Wednesday said Nigeria needed a federal legislation outlawing security votes in its governance.

The Africa Programme Manager of Defence and Security unit of TI, Ms Christina Hildrew, stated this in Abuja at a two-day Stakeholders Conference in Abuja.

The conference was organised by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in partnership with TI and support from European Union.

Hildrew also called for measures to put in place for effective oversight structures to monitor confidential security spending, including procurements.

“Security votes are opaque corruption-prune security funding mechanisms widely used across Nigeria’s three tiers of government.

“Investigation shows that estimates of 670 million dollars annually, transacted mostly in cash, were security vote spending and it is not subjected to legislative oversight or independent audit because of its substantively secretive nature.
“Yet this veil of secrecy protects the many officials who misspent security votes, and they channel them into political activities or embezzle them outright.

“There is a wide issue in the defence sector which is defence `exceptionalism’, that is, the public allows defence sector to be unaccountable for what they spend because of national security issues.

“However, the defence sector should not be unaccountable to the citizens it is meant to protect,’’ she said.

Hildrew, therefore, called for additional legislative oversight of the defence sector, adding that “we think it is important that parliamentary audit committees and civil societies have a say on how security spending is decided.’’

She also supported the establishment of Security Trust Fund at state level to support the phasing out of security votes.

She said that checks and balances needed to be put in the system so as to ensure accountability and transparency of what security expenditure was going to occur to ensure that it protected citizens.

The programme manager said that the UK Government, through the Criminal Finances Act enacted in August, 2017 and the Unexplained Wealth Orders which came into existence in January, 2018 would support Nigeria.
This, she said, was in terms of putting in place systems for the efficient recovery of assets from Nigeria.

She said that though there had been some successes in assets recovery, especially with the James Ibori case, there was more to be done.

Hildrew decried the slow progress the many investigations and assets recovery processes were going, adding that Nigeria could curb her many money laundering challenges by developing a unified defence sector anti-corruption strategy.

She also advised that public access to defence and security information should be extended, and protection given to whistle-blowers.

On his part, Mr Vaclav Prusa, Programme Manager, Anti-Corruption, CISLAC, said that the conference was organised to discuss issues of illicit fund outflow because Nigeria was affected by it more than the rest of Africa.

Prusa said data showed that more money went out of Nigeria than any other country in Africa, adding that as at 2015, it was estimated that about 20 billion dollars to 25 billion dollars went out of Nigeria annually.

He said Nigeria’s ranking low in TI’s perception index in spite of its effort to fight corruption, would be a thing of the past.

According to him, this is because there is a difference between reality and perception, and there is need to consider that perceptions run with certain delays.

Prusa explained that it was because of the delay by the government to sign some laws and take certain actions that the perception persisted.

“So, I won’t say that TI is not accurate but we have to consider the impact of policies with certain delays like the Proceed of Crime Act.

“I think that by next year or in six months from now, there will be much more accurate picture of the impact of this government on corruption,’’ he said.

Prusa said though this administration had recovered millions of dollars like the 321 million dollar Abacha-loot repatriated, and domestic assets being recovered by anti-corruption agencies, they were not accounted for.

He called for a framework like a database where assets and funds confiscated would be kept because citizens needed to know about them so that ordinary Nigerians could enjoy the benefit. (NAN)

ATAB/OPI

Nomination
By David Adeoye
Ibadan, Sept. 5, 2018 (NAN) Ahead of the 2019 general elections, a coalition of youth organisations, Youth Involvement Advocacy (YIA), has decried the high cost of parties’ nomination forms.

The State Coordinator of the group, Mr Ezekiel Ilesanmi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ibadan that the high nomination fees might impede youth participation in politics.

According to him, the high nomination fees will make the “Not-Too-Young- to-Run’’ Act ineffective.

“Of what benefit is a law that allows youths to run for political positions but imposes millions of naira as fees for nomination forms?

“How many youths can afford the payment of such outrageous fees in Nigeria?

“Leaders of the respective political parties should put the interest of the youths in mind and reduce the cost of nomination forms for interested youths, ’’ he said.

Ilesanmi also implored the youths not to be discouraged about the high fees, but mount pressure on the leadership of their respective parties to reverse the hike.

He further urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to put in place processes that would pave way for the conduct of credible, free and fair elections in 2019.

Ilesanmi also urged the electoral body to painstakingly accommodate the logo of all registered political parties on the ballot papers so as not to give room for litigation after the polls. (NAN)
DAK/JTJ/OJO
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(Edited by Julius Toba Jegede/Mufutau Ojo)

Eagles
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, Sept. 5, 2018 (NAN) Super Eagles goalkeepers, Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpeyi,  have joined their teammates at the Savoy Hotel Resort in Victoria on Wednesday ahead of Saturday’s 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Seychelles.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ezenwa and Akpeyi’s arrival now brings the number of players in camp to 20, with  Coach Gernot Rohr and his technical staff set to commence training with a full house.

According to a tweet on the official handle of the Super Eagles, the team had a pleasant recovery walk around the beach in front of their hotel on Tuesday.

“ Gernot Rohr’s men also held their first training session ahead of the game today (Wednesday).

“We had a good recovery walk around the beach in front of our Savoy Hotel camp, Victoria yesterday.

“Our first training session took place this morning. Goalkeepers, Ezenwa, Akpeyi are latest arrivals.
#SoarSuperEagles #Team9jaStrong, ” the tweet read.

NAN reports that Nigeria will face Seychelles on Saturday at the Linite Stadium with both teams seeking their first win in Group E after losing on matchday 1. (NAN)
VO/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)

Internet
By Constance Imasuen
Abuja, Sept. 5, 2018 (NAN) Internet users in Nigeria increased marginally to 103.6 million in July, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)  has said.

The NCC disclosed this on Wednesday in its Monthly Internet Subscribers Data for July posted on its website.

According to the data, Airtel, MTN and Globacom gained more internet subscribers during the month under review while 9mobile was the biggest loser.

The data also showed that overall internet users increased to 103,671,778 in July from 102,805,122 in June, showing an increase of 866,656.

The breakdown also revealed that Globacom gained the most with 574,821 new internet users, increasing its subscription in July to 27,146,075, up from 26,571,254  in June.

It further showed that 9mobile lost 218,086 internet users in July, decreasing its subscription to 10,367,260, as against June when it recorded 10,585,346.

NCC indicated that MTN also gained 134,171  new users in the month under review, increasing its subscription to 39,071,670, in July as against 38,937,473  in June

It said that Airtel gained 375,754  new internet users in July, totalling  27,086,773 as against 26,711,049 in June. (NAN)
COA/JTJ/OJO
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(Edited by Julius Toba Jegede/Mufutau Ojo)

Corruption
By Angela Atabo
Abuja, Sept.5, 2018(NAN) The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has says public contracts, bedeviled with lack of transparency and abuse of procurement processes is as one of the ways corruption thrived in Nigeria.

The Executive Director, CISLAC, Mr Auwal Rafsanjani said this in Abujaon Wednesday at a two-day Anti-Money laundering Conference organised by the cen, represented by Mr Adeshina Oke, a Fellow of CISLAC.

He expressed concern that ‘the beneficial ownership register“in public contracting, which supposed to have names of owners of companies in Nigeria was still lacking.

According to him, the development has created an avenue for some people seeking public contracts to indulge in corrupt practises such as  siphoning huge sums of the nation money among others.

“Due to the above, perhaps as much as 70 per cent of all corrupt proceeds stem from non-adherence to procurement rules.

“The negative impact of Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) on development goals increasingly features on international political agenda.

“Nigeria may have lost as much as around 50 billion dollars annually to IFF through money laundering tax evasion and corruption,“ he said.

Rafsanjani said the loophole had also given room to instances whereby oil and gas and other companies with unclear owners enjoyed tax holidays, credits and tax breaks at the expense of potential state revenues.

The executive director noted that some projects in public contracting were also conceived with the intention to embezzle money allocated to it, through `kleptocracy’.

He said that money laundering and illicit financial flows were used to siphon the much needed resources for economic development, adding that such illicit resources often go into the pockets of few self-serving individuals at the detriment of the majority.

“Aided by international financial banking system and legal loopholes, it is too easy to hide behind anonymous shell companies and transfer illegally obtained wealth abroad.’’

Rafsanjani urged Buhari to intensify action in his crusade against corruption.

He also said in spite of the ratification of relevant international convention and domestic legal framework in place, Nigeria lost over 50 billion dollars to the antics annually.

Rafsanjani said there was need for law enforcers to step up action toward reducing money laundering, financial scams and international fraud t which Nigeria’s image had been associated with.

The Programme Manager, Democratic Governance, CISLAC, Mr Okeke Anya, listed absence of clear IFF policy and weak implementation of other policies among othersas making money laundering and other financial corruptions difficult to control in Nigeria.

According to Okeke, the anti-money laundering effort is a global decision conceived in conjunction with the United Nations (UN) Convention for the suppression of the financing of terrorism being instruments deployed to tackle the menace.

He, however, noted that that Nigeria began series of legislation to fight money laundering, following the signing and ratification of the convention.

Okeke said in spite of the ratification of relevant international conventions and domestic legal framework, Nigeria was yet to record the desired success in the punishment and prevention of financial fraud and money laundering.

“Nigeria’s GDP per capita is estimated at 2,827 dollars; however corruption is put at 1,000 dollars per capita in 2014.

“This could go up to nearly 2,000 dollars per capita in 2030, if drastic measures to curb it are not undertaken,” Okeke warned.

He, however, commended Buhari for making fighting corruption top most agenda in the policy and governance thrust of his administration.

The Project Manager, CISLAC, Ms Gloria Okwu, said that Transparency International, in partnership with the European Union introduced probing of illicit financial flows as a continuous engagement strategy to induce political commitment to fighting money laundering.

She said the two-year project which commenced in 2017 and being co-funded by the European Union through Transparency International and Global Affairs Canada IMPACT Project would end in 2019.

Okwu said that apart from Nigeria, the project was also being implemented by six other ECOWAS countries: Ghana, Senegal, Liberia, Cote d’ Voire, Sierra Leone and Guinea to  increase public awareness for and political commitment to anti-money laundering and anti-corruption mechanisms.

She said it was also to effectively prevent, detect, report and sanction the laundering of corrupt and criminal proceeds in ECOWAS countries.

The conference has as theme: “Impact of anti-money laundering and illicit financial flows: Legislative, Policy and Institutional Gaps to investigate prosecute and convict for anti-money laundering and illicit financial flow charges. “(NAN)
ATAB/AMM/DUA
Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Dada Ahmed