Nedu Echianu's Blog

For the National Assembly delegation to the just concluded 135th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva Switzerland, the international fora was another opportunity to rally more international support for the country's efforts to urgently and effectively tackle the present economic recession and the humanitarian  crisis largely precipitated by the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East region of the country.

A group of lawyers under the aegis of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, LDD has passed a vote of confidence on the National Judicial Council, NJC  and it's decision that the judges recently arrested by the DSS should not resign until there is proof of evidence to establish a case of corruption against them. The Convener of the group, Ikenga  Ugochinyere speaking to journalists Monday said allegations of money laundering cannot substitute the claim by the DSS  that  It's surgical operation on the homes of the affected judges was based on a huge evidence of corruption and judicial compromise.

The Presidency on Sunday broke its silence on the allegations of inducements raised by two of the judges arrested recently, saying President Muhammadu Buhari would never authorise anybody to induce a judge to pervert the course of justice. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja. Punch reports that it was the Presidency’s first official reaction to two of the embattled judges who claimed that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, approached them allegedly on the instruction of the President to influence decisions on election cases.

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has commended the Nigerian Army for its decision to purchase 50,000 pairs of shoes from local manufacturers in Aba for the use of officers and soldiers as he said the move shows that the military is living up to its billing as an institution that can play vital roles in boosting the national economy. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki said the army's decision to patronise Made in Nigeria footwear is a good example which shows the force as a pace setter and a truly national institution which is ready to contribute its quota in ending the present economic recession in the country.

Arguably, the breast seems to be one part of a woman’s body that means different things to different people, and that could be the reason why women pay so much attention to it. Beyond the fact that it is the source of food for a newborn baby, men see it as more of sex organ that makes sex more pleasurable, and for women, apart from its being important for breastfeeding after childbirth and being a body part that enhances their outlook, it is one of the routes to sexual satisfaction, as findings have shown that fondling the breasts is one of the quickest ways for women to reach orgasm.

Wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, has urged a Federal High Court in Lagos to restrain a human rights organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, from coercing the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute her over “unfounded and malicious allegations that she stole $15m.” Patience claimed that the $15m over which SERAP allegedly asked the AGF to prosecute her was a gift she received over the last 15 years from friends and well-wishers. The Executive Director of SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said in a statement on Thursday that the organisation had been served with court papers in Patience’s suit marked, FHC/L/CS/1349/2016.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday re-arrested Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, after he emerged from trial before a Federal High Court in Lagos. Fani-Kayode, who is former Director of Media and Publicity, campaign committee of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is charged alongside a former Minister of Finance, Nenandi Usman and Danjuma Yusuf. Also charged with them is a company, Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Ltd. They were arraigned on a 17-count charge bordering on unlawful retention, unlawful use and unlawful payment of money to the tune of about N4.9 billion. They each pleaded not guilty to the charge and were granted bail.

Twenty-nine Senior officers of the Nigeria Customs Service have been dismissed for various acts of gross misconduct. The dismissed officers are among forty-four Senior officers who were punished  for actions capable of compromising national economy and security. Ten other officers were retired from Service, while the appointment of one was terminated. Four other officers were given written warnings to be of better conduct while another four officers who were investigated and tried for some offences were exonerated. Four of the officers who got the hammer were of the rank of Deputy-Comptroller of Customs, while five were Assistant-Comptroller. Others were seven Chief Superintendents of Customs and four Superintendents, among others.

The Federal Government, yesterday, shunned the National Judiciary Council, NJC, and pressed ahead with its decision to bring the seven suspected corrupt judges to justice. The seven are among the 15 already identified by the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, but the other eight are yet to be named and invited for questioning. The NJC, which claimed to have omnibus powers over both criminal and administrative matters relating to judges in Nigeria, last week, disregarded the Presidency’s directive to suspend the suspected corrupt judicial officers from duty, pending the trial and disposal of the criminal allegations levelled against them.

The Senate has begun investigation into the alleged repatriation of $13.9 billion by MTN with hiring of international forensic lawyers, accountants and other experts to assist in the investigation. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Sen. Rufai Ibrahim, disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday. Ibrahim said that the experts had arrived Nigeria and were already working with other local forensic experts to uncover any hidden details from the documents that had been submitted. “The Senate sees this as very important, it is a weighty allegation and we are going to deal with a lot of documents spanning 16 years. “Based on that we got the approval of the leadership of the Senate and we have engaged international and local forensic experts, accountants and lawyers. “The team has been fully assembled and they have started working; this is not going to be a normal periphery investigation because it involves a lot of

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has reiterated the need to subject Appropriation Bills to public hearing to promote transparency and enable Nigerians and experts to make inputs before they are passed into law. He also said the National Assembly was cautious not to pass any law that would muzzle the civil society in view of the need to strengthen the synergy between the legislature and the civil society groups as well as enhance their effectiveness in the polity.

President Muhammadu Buhari missed death by a few inches during the civil war, his authorised biographer has revealed. In the book, Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria, John Paden, a former professor of public administration at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, recounted how the young officer, who commanded a brigade during the war that lasted from 1967-1970, narrowly escaped death.

Some people got no chill... LOL

INTRODUCTION: Gloria Okon was caught in 1985 with heroin in Nigeria and died in very controversial circumstances. FULL NAMES (alternate names): Miss Gloria Okon BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS She was born in 1950. HER ARREST On the 22nd April, 1985, a petite society lady, Gloria Okon, was about to board a Nigeria Airways aircraft WT840 (Lagos-Kano-London) at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State when she was arrested with substances suspected to be heroin and other hard drugs (the National Security Organization, NSO or Nigeria’s secret intelligence agency is often mentioned in her arrest). Tucked in internally were 56.70 grammes of the substances. She was also caught with the sum of N20,000, 60 pounds sterling, $301 and 19,000 Italian lira. The customs officers and drug law enforcement agents were very excited to have nabbed her, not because they had caught her alone but because they would also be stars of the show for a while as all the arrests were being made by their

Saudi Arabian teenager, who accidentally met an American internet personality, Christina Crockett,  on a video chat site known as ‘YouNow’ was arrested by the Saudi government. According to Riyadh police spokesperson, Colonel Fawaz Al-Mayman, the teenager, known online as Abu Sin, was arrested on Sunday for engaging in “unethical behaviour”. Al-Mayman said, “The live broadcasting website ‘YouNow’ was launched in 2011 and was popularized among Gulf Arab youth. Abu Sin is 19 years old and he was arrested for unethical behavior. His videos received many comments and many of the general public demanded for him to be punished for his actions.

Second Republic vice president, Dr. Alex Ekwueme has reiterated the need for Igbos to unite and trust each other as they were doing in the past, arguing that it is only by so doing that their area would move forward in the Nigeria project. Ekwueme, spoke at the traders’ summit and award ceremony organized by Anambra Consensus Project, ACP, to honour outstanding traders in all the 57 major markets in Anambra State. The ceremony took place at Amaokpala in Orumba North local government area of the state.

Stunning revelations have emerged, a day after the 21 of the abducted Chibok girls were freed and brought to Abuja by top security officials. Vanguard quoting top individuals who were involved in the negotiations leading to the release of the girls said most of them were kept by a faction loyal to the son of the founder of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf, in areas around Lake Chad while the rest of them were with another faction loyal to Abubakar Shekau. It was also learnt that out of the 276 Chibok school girls seized by Boko Haram on April 14,  2014, only 104 were not married off by Boko Haram leaders and associates, while some were killed by either bombs, bad weather or lack of medical and food supplies. “As at the time we entered into negotiation with the Boko Haram group to free the Chibok girls, only 104 were available and ready to be rescued and be re-united with their families. “The remaining 83 girls are with a top leader of Boko Haram and those are the only ones we are going

The 21 freed Chibok Girls said on Sunday in Abuja that for “one month and 10 days’’ of their abduction by the Boko Haram insurgents, they stayed without food in the bush. Ms Gloria Dame, one of the rescued girls, narrated this while giving testimony on behalf of her colleaques at a thanks giving service organised for them at a DSS health facility in Abuja. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Jummai Alhassan, attended the service.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu,  has urged all levels of government in Nigeria to emulate the inclusive governance model of the Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, stressing that only such could effectively deal with the perennial challenge of agitations in the country. He said the Enugu State Government had continued to change the narrative of governance in the state by not only assuring equitable development, but also  giving the people the opportunity to determine their priorities in terms of the choice  and site of projects. He noted that such governance paradigm would trigger accelerated development and peace in the State.

In line with its resolve to prioritize all economic Bills as a way out of the current recession, the Senate will on Tuesday commence debate on the 2017-2019 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) submitted for its approval by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday October 4, 2016. The MTEF and FSP provides the framework for the 2017 budget. The early listing of the MTEF/FSP for debate in Senate, shortly after it was laid before both chambers of the National Assembly, according to a statement from the Media Office of the Senate President, is to fast-rack its consideration and passage so as to pave the way for the Executive to present the 2017 Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly.

Seventeen Junior Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service have been dismissed from the Service for offences ranging from drug addiction, certificate forgery, theft and absence from duty from January to September 2016. The appointment of two other Officers have been terminated for absence from duty while one Officer was retired for drug addiction.

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The Nigerian presidency is scrambling to fend off attacks being directed at President Muhammadu Buhari over his shocking remark that his wife belonged to his kitchen, his living room and the other room. “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room,” Mr. Buhari said Friday in the German capital, Berlin, in response to a remark by his wife, Aisha, that his government had been hijacked by a cabal. The president’s comment, made while he was having a joint press conference with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, one of the world’s most powerful women, immediately triggered anger and condemnation across the world.

An Islamic leader Sheikh Ismail Illyasu Mangu Friday called on security agencies in Nigeria to arrest the first lady Aisha Buhari for her comments on the BBC Hausa service suggesting that she might not back her husband's potential reelection in 2019 if he didn't shake up his government.   "It is a threat to the peace of the country and we do hope the security agencies will immediately arrest her, he said. Mrs Buhari in the interview said “The president does not know 45 out of 50 of the people he appointed and I don't know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years,” she said. “Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position.”

People tend to be alarmed when the Nigerian Presidency takes certain decisions. They don’t think the decision makes sense. Sometimes, they wonder if something has not gone wrong with the thinking process at that highest level of the country. I have heard people insist that there is some form of witchcraft at work in the country’s seat of government. I am ordinarily not a superstitious person, but working in the Villa, I eventually became convinced that there must be something supernatural about power and closeness to it. I’ll start with a personal testimony. I was given an apartment to live in inside the Villa. It was furnished and equipped. But when my son, Michael arrived, one of my brothers came with a pastor who was supposed to stay in the apartment. But the man refused claiming that the Villa was full of evil spirits and that there would soon be a fire accident in the apartment. He complained about too much human sacrifice around the Villa and advised that my family must never

President Muhammadu Buhari has responded to the BBC interview with his wife, Aisha, where she questioned his leadership. Buhari is on a state visit to Germany and reacted to the interview during a joint press briefing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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Heartland FC of Owerri has written to the League Management Company communicating their decision to withdraw an earlier rejection of the Summary Jurisdiction Notice issued the club for abandoning their Match Day 38 fixture in Jos against Plateau United. Plateau United had earlier accepted a Summary Jurisdiction which fined the club N1 million for the unruly conduct of their supporters who threw objects into the field of play in violation of Rules B13.18 of the Framework and Rules.

The release of 21 Chibok girls by the terrorist Boko Haram group Thursday was the culmination of more than two years of negotiation and perseverance by a team which first assembled about two years ago. The key actors who first initiated the process made their initial attempt to rescue the girls around July 2014, during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, but that effort floundered in the last minutes. The initial team comprised Shehu Sani, now a senator; rights activist, Fred Eno; a lawyer, Mustapha Zanna; the Nigerian Army, then led by Kenneth Minimah; the Swiss government; and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which was called in to play a neutral intermediary role.

Aisha, the wife of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has said she may not back her husband’s re-election in 2019 unless he shakes up his cabinet. In an interview with the BBC, Mrs. Buhari said the president “does not know” most of the top officials he appointed to office. Mr. Buhari has not indicated whether or not he will seek re-election, and according to his wife, he has not told his family too.

Paris St-Germain defender Serge Aurier is being investigated by Fifa after appearing to make a throat-slitting gesture to supporters. Aurier, 23, celebrated an Ivory Coast goal against Mali by turning to the crowd and dragging his hand across his throat. Governing body Fifa said a preliminary investigation is under way.

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, today commended President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Security Services, the government of Switzerland, and the International Community for the combined efforts that led to the release of the 21 Chibok schoolgirls. Senator Saraki said: “We join all Nigerians to rejoice on the return of our daughters. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of those who have returned, and those girls who remain in the hands of the terrorists. It is our hope that the release of more of the girls is imminent and that our nation remains vigilant in the face of the continued crisis in North East Nigeria.”

The Nigerian government has given an insight into the negotiations that led to the release of 21 Chibok school girls. A confirmation the girls had been freed came Thursday morning. The girls –nearly 300 – were abducted by the extremist sect Boko Haram on April 14, 2014, from a secondary school in Chibok. Some 50 of the girls managed to escape and about 218 of them are still missing.

Deputy President of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu has condoled with the Echianu family on the sad loss of Princess Gladys Onyekaozuru Echianu née Igwilo who passed on to eternal glory on the 24th of July 2016. In a condolence message personally signed by Ekweremadu, he urged the family to take solace in the fact that late Princess Gladys lived a pious life worthy of emulation.

Twenty one of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist Boko Haram insurgents in April 2014 has been released to the Nigerian government, a government source is said to have revealed to SaharaReporters on Thursday, October 13. The sources disclosed that the girls were picked up by military helicopter from Banki area of Borno state where Boko Haram militants dropped them off earlier today. The release of the 21 girls comes as President Muhammadu Buhari begins a three-day trip to Germany to discuss assistance for the rebuilding of the northeastern part of Nigeria ravaged by Boko Haram.

Make your choice at the comment section... Lol

Dr Mohammed Abdullahi of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, on Wednesday said habitual knuckle cracking impairs the functions of the hand. Abdullahi said the habit may lead to swelling of the hand, lower grip strength, knuckle pads, and injuries. He however said that it had no link with arthritis, but could lead to dislocation of fingers and overstretched ligaments.

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday stated that the 8th Senate will work to meet a 2016 deadline for the passage of all the 11 economic-priority Bills that it has scheduled to tackle the economic recession. Speaking at a dialogue at the 22nd Edition of the Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, Saraki said since the beginning of the year,  the Senate has worked to fast-track the over 40 priority bills recommended by the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER), an initiative in which the Nigerian Economic Summit Group is a major partner.

The State Security Service has released all the judges arrested during a nationwide sweep between Friday and Saturday. Sources in the agency said all the seven judges were released on self-recognition. “They were all released on bail yesterday(Sunday) on self recognition,” one of our sources said.

If you understand what this photo is about say "Aye"... Lol

Tempers flared on CNN Friday night during a panel discussion about the leaked 2005 video in which Donald Trump bragged he could do whatever he wanted to women, including groping them. Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist, said she was deeply offended by Trump’s remarks. “I consider him a disgusting man who has consistently disgusted me from the first day of this campaign,” Navarro said. “And I think that every single Republican is going to have to answer the question, ‘What did you do the day you saw the tape of this man grabbing a woman’s p••••?'”

President Muhammadu Buhari’s strategists, if they are at work at all, are chasing ants and ignoring the elephant in the room. They do him great disservice. Their oversight is hubristically determined either by incapacity or a vendetta-induced distraction. It is time they changed the game and the narrative; time they woke up. It’s been more than 15 months since the incumbent assumed office as President, but his handlers have been projecting him as if he is a Umaru Musa Yar’Adua or a Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, first time Presidents who could afford the luxury of a learning period before settling down to the job, and who in addition must prove themselves to earn necessary plaudits. In making this mistake, President Buhari’s handlers created a sad situation whereby they have progressively undermined his image.

The Department of State Services (DSS) between the hours of 9pm on Friday and 5am on Saturday acted in spectacular fashion when it carried out the arrest of judges it accused of corruption. With the amount of violence deployed and the manner it was done, the episode is without doubt one that may forever alter the perception of the judiciary considering that two Justices of the highest court in the land, among others, were involved.

Online newspaper, SaharaReporters says it has learnt from sources at the Department of State Security (DSS) that the overnight raid on the residences of some nine court judges, culminating in the arrest of several of them, came as a result of petitions and decisions of the National Judicial Council (NJC), a statutory body that regulates the activities of judges. Two DSS sources, however, stated that contrary to earlier reports, the Supreme Court nominee for Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, was not targeted in any of the raids conducted so far. Justice Onnoghen reportedly raised alarm to friends when he noticed police action next to his residence as a team of security agents swooped on his next door neighbor, Justice Sylvanus Ngwunta. A press release issued by the DSS indicated that Justice Onnoghen is not under investigation, the online news medium said the justice's appointment is being fast-tracked to become the CJN in a few days.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, says he has forgiven those behind his arraignment for a crime he never contemplated, noting that the larger interest of the country towers above his personal interest and feelings. This is even as he admonished those in positions of authority to adhere to their Oaths of Office to be just to all. Ekweremadu made the assertions in a statement he personal signed following the withdrawal of charges of criminal conspiracy and forgery preferred against him, the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, and two other former senior bureaucrats of the National Assembly.

As part of activities to commemorate world decent work day, the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC picketed the premises of Artco industries Limited at Idu Industrial layout in Abuja in protest of the unlawful sack of over 120 of its workers.  More Photos after the cut...

Today, the Federal Government of Nigeria withdrew the charges of forgery and conspiracy it preferred against me and the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki, before the Federal Capital Territory FCT High Court, Abuja. We presented ourselves before the Honourable Court on June 27, 2016, and pleaded NOT GUILTY to the charges. I clearly recall stating on that day, my great comfort in the immortal words of late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, that history will vindicate the just.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has filed a motion to withdraw the charge of criminal conspiracy against Senate President Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu. An affidavit in support of the motion was filed before the High Court of Federal Capital Territory on Thursday by a litigation officer from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Odubu Loveme. Messrs. Saraki and Ekweremadu, as well as a former Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and a former Deputy clerk, Ben Efeturi, were first arraigned before Justice Yusuf Halilu on June 10, 2016 via charge No. CR/219/16. They all pleaded not guilty on July 27, 2016. In the motion filed Thursday, Mr. Loveme said counsel to the Federal Government on the matter, Aliyu Umar, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on September 30 in the office of the Director of Public Prosecution told him that he had studied the case diary and “ had decided to amend the charge in the manner stated on the face of the motion paper”. Mr. Loveme

High-spending Nigerian senator, Dino Melaye, has acquired a 93-year-old Rolls Royce estimated at N180 million, amid a national recession that has left millions of his compatriots struggling to feed daily. Mr. Melaye, a first-time senator who represents Kogi Central, owns a fleet of luxury and antiquated cars worth billions of Naira. He has at least 28 of the expensive cars parked at his upmarket residence in Maitama Abuja, according to the news website, Sahara Reporters.