Nedu Echianu's Blog

Zinedine Zidane says he is stepping down as Real Madrid boss, five days after leading them to a third straight Champions League triumph, claiming the club needs "a different voice". Zidane told a news conference that "everything changes" and "that's why I took this decision". He leaves having guided the Spanish club to three successive Champions League titles and one La Liga success since taking over in January 2016. "I love this club," he added. "What I think is that this team needs to continue winning but I think it needs a change, a different voice, another methodology. BBC Sport

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, reacted to the signing of the NotTooYoungToRun Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari, describing the occurrence as a historic moment that young people will look back on someday. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki said: "More than half of our over 180 million population is made up of people under the age of 30. Today’s signing of the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill represents many years of hard work and signals a new era of youth inclusion and participation in our governance.  “Now more than ever, as young people across the country bask in the moment and celebrate the signing of this Bill, they must not see this as the final destination. It is one thing to be able to run, but, it is another thing entirely to be able to serve. “This is why, it is incumbent on our youths to register, get their PVCs and move on to the next phase of this journey — which is getting the

...Urges President Buhari to assent the remaining bills The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has commended the President, Muhammadu Buhari, for assenting to the Bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution to reduce the age qualification for some political offices, saying that the National Assembly had delivered on its promise. Ekweremadu, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the new amendment to the Constitution would open up the political space for the Nigerian youth, urging them to capitalise on it to take their proper place in the scheme of things. He, however, urged President Buhari to also attend to other Constitution Amendment Bills awaiting his assent, describing them as critical to the good governance of the nation. Speaking through a statement signed by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu, Ekweremadu said: “I am happy for the Nigerian youth and congratulate them on this new vista

Sirens blared as police convoys paraded the streets, local security outfits deployed to major markets and surveillance helicopters flew overhead. Streets were deserted. Shops, schools and banks were shut. Residents huddled together discussing the exercise while children and youth converted asphalt roads into make-shift football grounds. These were the sights in some major cities in South-east Nigeria Wednesday following the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Worst hit were Aba and Onitsha, the commercial cities of Abia and Anambra states respectively. In other cities like Enugu and Umuahia, there were partial compliance while Abakaliki, Nsukka and Awka showed little evidence of compliance. IPOB was proscribed last year by Southeast Governor’s Forum in the wake of the violence that greeted a military exercise in the geopolitical zone. The army claimed the exercise was to curb criminal activities in the region but many believed it was launched to curb th

The attention of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has been drawn to the front page headline in the May 30, 2018, edition of The Nation newspaper - 'Ex-nPDP: stop Saraki's trial'. The body of the story was contained on Page 6 of the newspaper. Ordinarily, Dr. Saraki would have ignored the story as he has done in the cases of other speculative ones concerning the on-going discussions between the new People's Democratic Party (nPDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government published by the newspaper, but since this story specifically mentioned an issue concerning him and the newspaper is associated both in ownership and viewpoint with a section of the APC leadership, it may be perceived to have some level of authenticity. The trial of Dr. Saraki over asset declaration issues which is now before both the Supreme Court and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) was never part of the discussions over the grievances of the nPDP leaders a

Justice Chiwendu Nworgu of the High Court in Port Harcourt has set aside the Ward, Local government and State Congresses of the All Progressives Congress, APC, that led to the emergence of Ojukaye Flag Amachree as Chairman of the Rivers state chapter. Justice Nworgu in an elaborate ruling said the All Progressive Congress should return to status quo of May 11th, 2018. The court in the ruling also restrained officers, agents and leaders of APC from conducting any congress in Rivers state pending determination of the main suit. Nworgu condemned the action of leaders of APC for flouting the order of court by conducting the congresses, adding that holding the congresses was a calculated attempt by the APC to disgrace, ridicule and portray the court as a dog that barks and not bite. The Judge also said the High Court does not have the records of stay of proceedings pending at the court of appeal just as he emphasized that a stay of proceedings is not automatic. He finally ruled that t

The embattled Kogi West senator, Dino Melaye, attended the Senate plenary on Wednesday after some weeks absence. Mr Melaye has been bed-ridden since he landed in the hospital after a failed attempt to evade being taken to Kogi State by the Nigerian police. The lawmaker, raising a point of order on Wednesday, thanked his colleagues, members of the House of Representatives, his constituents and the Nigerian populace for standing by him during his travails with the police. He also took his time to thank the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for their support. “Specially, I appreciate the Peoples Democratic Party for making statement during my recall exercise and asking everyone to stay aback. Politics has been shown not to be individualistic but to be about issues and purpose. To the National Chairman and executives of PDP in Kogi State, I salute you.” Mr Melaye, who attended the chamber with a neck brace, also asked the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to mandate th

Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gudu, Abuja, on Wednesday sentenced a former Governor of Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, to 14 -year imprisonment for criminal breach of trust by misappropriating the sum of N1. 64 bn preferred against him by the EFCC. The ex- governor, was convicted on a total of 27 out of the 41 counts preferred against him. He was convicted and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment with the highest being 14 years for offences bordering on criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation, taking valuable thing without consideration and receiving gratification as a public officer. The sentences are to run concurrently. Justice Banjoko, who read the judgment for a period of about four hours from 9.51 am to about 2.05 pm on Wednesday, sentenced him to the maximum punishment of 14 years for criminal breach of trust, without an option of fine. She sentenced him to the maximum sentence of two years for misappropriation

The minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, has said that the new national minimum wage may not materialise in September as earlier envisaged. Mr Ngige, who disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday at his residence in Abuja, said that the September date was just a date to conclude negotiation on the issue of minimum wage. “The committee on the new National Minimum wage is expected to conclude its work by the end of September and present its report to the government for deliberation and approval before an executive bill is sent to the National Assembly on the issue”. The minister, however, said that the issue of capacity to pay was also paramount in the deliberations on the minimum wage. According to him, it is to get the input of all those concerned including state governments and the organised private sector that the committee embarked on zonal public hearing across the country. The minister said further that in the course of the zonal public hearings, many state governments

Russian Jewish billionaire and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich arrived in Israel on Monday after receiving citizenship of the Jewish state, local Channel 10 television reported. “He landed today in his private aircraft at ( Tel Aviv ’s) Ben Gurion airport and was presented with an Israeli identity card, ” the commercially - owned station said on its evening newscast. An official at Nativ, a department of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dealing with Jewish communities in the ex- Soviet Union, said Abramovich had applied for an immigration visa at Israel's embassy in Moscow, the station said earlier on its website. “His documents were examined under the' Law of Return’ and he was indeed entitled to immigrant status in Israel, and as a result he was issued an immigration visa ,” it added. Spokesmen for Netanyahu ’s office contacted by AFP did not confirm or deny the report. Israel ’s Law of Return gives every Jew, or child or grandchild of a Jew, the

Happy Democracy Day Ndi Imo As we mark Democracy Day today, I salute the courage, industry, and doggedness of our people in protecting our democracy and it's institutions since our return to civil rule. We might not have gotten to our intended destination as a people but we are on course. Mr. President is determined to fight corruption and ensure democracy dividends are enjoyed by all with massive gains in agriculture, infrastructure, fight against corruption and accountability in governance etc. We must support Mr. President to do more as he means well for Nigerians. In our home state of Imo, we are determined to ensure that the vestiges of nepotism and corruption are eradicated to usher in a government that will work primarily in the interest of the people of Imo State and her resident's. I call on all those yet to obtain their voter's card to do so as their vote is an avenue to put a stop to impunity in government and to ensure that a leadership led by men with

PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI’S 2018 DEMOCRACY SPEECH 29/5/2018 My Dear Nigerians! Today marks the 19th year of our nascent democracy and the 3rd Anniversary of this administration. I am thankful to Almighty God for bringing us thus far. This administration came at a time that Nigerians needed Change, the Change we promised and the Change we continue to deliver. We have faced a lot of challenges on this journey and Nigerians have stood by us in achieving the three cardinal points of this administration namely; Security, Corruption and the Economy. 2. The commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day is a celebration of freedom, a salute to the resilience and determination of Nigerians and a recommitment by Government to keep its promise to lead Nigeria into a new era of justice and prosperity. 3. Public safety and security remains the primary duty of this Government. Before this Administration came into being 3 years ago, Boko Haram held large areas of land spanning several Local Gove

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has advised Nigerians not to take for granted the continued democratic dispensation the country has been enjoying for the past 19 years but guard against actions, statements and moves which can truncate the political process.  While congratulating Nigerians on the 19th anniversary of unbroken elected government in the country, Saraki advised the people to always be vigilant and speak against anti-democratic policies and actions which are capable of subverting rule of law.  He also canvassed  strict adherence to the principles of rule of law, separation of powers, sovereignty of parliament, independence of the judiciary, and freedom of the press, adding that "our constitutional institutions must be preserved and protected". "As we celebrate democracy today, I congratulate our people and express my conviction that this system of government is the best so far invented. However, it goes beyond the conduct of elections to p

Despite scoring itself high on its achievements in the past three years, a new poll conducted ‘amongst 4,000 Nigerians’ has rated President Muhammadu Buhari’s performance below average. Last Friday, the presidency in a document made available to newsmen scored Mr Buhari’s government high on economy, infrastructure, investment in people, among others. But according to the new poll, Mr Buhari failed Nigerians in his three cardinal campaign promises: Corruption, Security and Economy. The assessment of the president is a yearly activity in commemoration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day on May 29. After 16 years of rule by a party which accused of massive corruption and failing to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency, Nigerians had enough of the erstwhile ruling Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) which they voted out of power in 2015.. Nigerians voted the All Progressive Congress (APC) in with a hefty majority, bringing about the first democratic power transfer between parties at the federal level

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has harped on the need to preserve the fundamental ingredients of the nation’s democracy. He made the call in a goodwill message to Nigerians on the occasion of the 2018 Democracy Day signed by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu. Citing several countries, which built world-class infrastructure, prosperous economy, and maintained high Human Development Index under autocratic regimes, Ekweremadu said the real blessings of democracy were the intangibles such as rule of law, fundamental human rights, liberties, checks and balances, justice, and unity, among others. He said: “The core blessings of democracy are liberties, human rights, rule of law, separation of powers, checks and balances, independent electoral umpire, independent judiciary, independent legislature, which all combine to deliver good governance. “Democracy does not envisage a situation where any arm of government, no matter how well intended, expropriates or d

The Buhari administration on Sunday stepped up its attacks against former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of masterminding illegal ouster of at least five governors in the 2000s. Garba Shehu, a presidential spokesperson, said in a Sunday evening essay to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Obasanjo’s tenure, 1999-2007, represented the dark days of Nigeria’s democracy due to a slew of assaults on the constitution. He argued that President Muhammadu Buhari has painstakingly followed the Nigerian constitution since he assumed office in 2015. Mr Shehu accused the former president of deploying federal machinery to remove ex-governors Joshua Dariye, Rashidi Ladoja, Peter Obi, Chris Ngige and Ayo Fayose from office. The politicians were governors of Plateau, Oyo, Anambra, Anambra and Ekiti, respectively. “When they ran the government at the centre, the opposition PDP showed aptitude in only one thing: the toppling of elected state governments using the police and secret service under their c

...Reiterates Need for Increased Funding for Security Agencies  President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Sunday celebrated the 2018 Children's Day with children at the Abegena internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Benue state. Saraki who was accompanied on the visit by the Senators Barnabas Gemade, George Akume, Emmanuel Bwacha and Fatimat Raji-Rasaki, was received by the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom who led the delegation to the camp. The President of the Senate while commiserating with the people of Benue over the loss of lives and property occasioned by incessant attacks by bandits, reiterated the call of the Senate for increased funding for security agencies to enable them combat violent crimes across the country. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, Saraki said that killings in parts of the country must stop because they are an abomination to civilized values that cannot be tolerated.   Saraki said: "I decided to

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has felicitated with children across the country and stated that their safety was non- negotiable. Saraki, in his goodwill message to commemorate the 2018 Children's Day, signed  by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, noted that the Children Day gives the country an opportunity to celebrate the young ones and to fully consider the important place they occupy in the heart of the nation.  He insisted that no Nigerian child should go to bed hungry just as due attention must be paid to their health as part of the vision to make the country stronger.  Saraki said: "This is also a day to rededicate ourselves to the cause of children. It is a day to recommit ourselves to doing all in our power to ensure that children are protected and empowered to aspire to be great in life, and to remove all impediments in their way. "Children are the leaders of tomorrow, our hope for the future. Th

Former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has revealed the blackmail and arm twisting that characterised budget passing by the National Assembly during the Goodluck Jonathan Administration. She cited an instance in 2015 when the National Assembly leadership forced the executive arm to part with N17 billion for the federal lawmakers to pass that year’s budget. That, she said, was at a time crude price had gone down drastically. The N17 billion alleged bribe, according to Okonjo-Iweala in her book Fighting Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines, was besides the NASS N150 billion annual ‘standard’ budget. She described federal legislators as a tough political group to deal with. Her words: “The legislature was concerned largely about three things—the size of its own budget; the nature and the size of the capital budget, particularly investment projects; and the number and geographical location of the projects. “Senators and Representatives felt that their role as

...As Saraki Meets Adewole, Ngige, JOHESU The Senate has intervened in the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), in a bid to end the strike and make the nation's hospitals functional once again. The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, after a meeting with the leadership of JOHESU yesterday (Thursday) where he listened to their grievances and demands, today (Friday) met with the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, to hear their own side of the issue. While meeting with the JOHESU leadership led by its Chairman, Comrade  Biobelemonye Joseph, the President of the Senate, had pledged that the Senate would ensure that the right thing is done to end the strike. Chief Press Secretary to the President of the Senate, Sanni Onogu, in a statement in Abuja, said Saraki's meeting with Adewole and Ngige was meant to hear their side of the issue and to forge a way forwar

Maverick showbiz maestro and activist,Charles Oputa,aka Charlyboy, says marriage union will soon become unfashionable alleging that most men were not prepared for commitment and responsibilities. The ‘Areafada’, as he is popularly called by fans, stated this on Friday on his Instagram handle: areafada1, while reacting to the social media frenzy on Celebrity blogger, Linda Ikeji’s pregnancy. He wrote: “Marriage very soon will no longer be fashionable, because most people can’t cope. “Most young men are just looking for someone to pay their bills,as most good men are already taken. “A woman desire a very strong man who can take charge and take care. “Linda has been burnt so many times by useless wayo men parading themselves as prospective husbands.” Charlyboy had earlier hailed the 37 year old famous spinster, saying she did well for deciding to carry a child even without marriage, as “marriage was not for everyone.” His position however, attracted mixed reactions with a lot of his fo

The Hilary Eke-led Imo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, executive has been forced out of the party secretariat by forces loyal to Governor Rochas Okorocha. Okorocha’s parallel executive headed by Chris Oguoma, occupied the office of the party located along Works Layout in the state yesterday. This was even as the governor and his camp did not conduct a parallel ward, local government and state congresses as they had hoped the national leadership of the party would cancel the congresses and order fresh ones. Reacting to the development yesterday, the APC, Publicity Secretary, Mr Nwabueze Oguchienti, said that “it would be a waste of time for them to say that they have elected executives after we must have concluded our party congresses.” However, Oguoma insisted that he was the elected chairman of APC in the state, after Dr Hillary Eke, who emerged after last week’s state congress was suspended by the party. Oguchienti said: “The congresses of the party is pure