I’m not dating Zarah Buhari – Gov Yari

Zamafara State Governor, Abdulazeez Yari has denied reports of having interest in Zarah, one of the daughters of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Governor Abdulazeez also faulted media reports that he gave the President Buharis' daughter $200 million as gift and that he divorced one of his wives, Hadiza Umaru Shinkafi, to accommodate Zarah.

The Governor said the reports published in two weekly publications were false.

Yari’s position was contained in his letters to the publishers of the publications, accusing them of casting him in bad light and requesting them to retract the publications.

The letters, dated 18 and 19 January, were written for the governor by his lawyer, Mahmud Magaji (SAN), wherein Yari threatened to sue the publications for defamation, in which he would demand N100 billion (in the case of the first publication) and N10 billion (against the second publication) should they fail to retract the publication and tender apology within seven days.

Part of the letters read: “The above

publication, no doubt, is false and

defamatory, and it is intended to bring the reputation of our client to ridicule and cause odium or malignity to our client.

“Since the above publication, our client has received countless phone calls and text messages from family, friends, colleagues and associates, who incessantly call to enquire about the said publication.

“Consequent upon the above, it is our

client’s instruction that we demand from

you published retraction of the said

defamatory piece in three national

newspapers inclusive of your own,” Yari said.

2016 Nigeria Budget was actually stolen – Hon. Omogbehin

Member representing Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency, Ondo State, Hon. Mike Omogbehin on Tuesday said it was shameful and disappointing that copies of the budget, which were distributed at Tuesday’s sitting in the House of Representatives were different from the version that was presented by President Muhammadu Buhari on 22nd December, 2015.
Speaking with the press in Abuja, Omogbehin said it was the height of deceit taken too high that the Executive arm of government connived with some elements within the fold of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to take away budget documents illegally, create a scenario of confusion, only for a doctored copy to be presented at Tuesday’s plenary.
“It is deceitful and an outright stealing, the connivance of executive arm of government with APC elements within to take away our budget secretly only for it to be doctored and they want us to deliberate on that”, he quarried.
He explained that the leadership of the House ought to have distributed original copies with what he described as ‘doctored’ version to enable them spot out areas of convergence and divergence, but wondered, that it was the latter that was distributed.
“I just got copies of the latest, alongside the communication from President Muhammadu Buhari, which was read on the floor today, without the old one”, he said.
Omogbehin stressed that the opposition may not be marooned into accepting what was presented, noting that they would be critical towards making sure that the contents were in the best interest of the nation.
He added that the APC-led parliament was imposing veto power on the legislature.
He, however, posited that contemplation of impeaching President Buhari was out of the question, on the grounds that Nigeria democracy was still nascent, despite the fact that budget issue was an impeachable offence.
“This is my personal opinion that I will not subscribe to impeaching Mr. President because of our nascent democracy”, he noted.
Taking assessment on the state of the nation under the present administration, he pointed out that APC led government had failed so far, while insisting that Buhari was only tackling corruption and putting the Peoples Democratic Party in bad light without a forward looking plan.
“Thus far, this government has failed Nigerians as they are busy fighting corruption without a workplan to move the nation forward”, he maintained.
He further lamented that no construction was going on anywhere in Nigeria under capital project, stressing that
“they were accusing the PDP of bad governance in the last sixteen years without considering the rot when military ruled, before PDP took over.
“The change slogan of APC has turned to be negative and I want Nigerians to be awake so as not to be easily deceived anymore.”
He reminded the ruling party that Buhari has 48 milestones out of which 8 has been taken, noting that time was fast ticking away.
“I am a project management expert and I know Buhari has 48 milestones out of which 8 has been used; so his time is moving fast”, he maintained.

N60b soft loans coming for one million traders

No fewer than one million traders and

artisans are billed to get a soft loan of

N60,000 each this year as part of the safety nets for the poor in Budget 2016, it was learnt at the weekend.

An insight into the budget estimates, which the Senate is still dilly dallying over, revealed that this plan will cost an

estimated N60 billion.

Yesterday, Senior Special assistant to

President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly matters Senator Ita Enang confirmed that the president had written a letter to the National Assembly on the budget which is expected to be read by the presiding officers during plenary tomorrow.

A senior federal government official at the weekend described the controversy in the Senate regarding two versions of the proposed budget as a “distraction and a storm in a tea-cup.”

The official added that the budget estimates are a bunch of proposals which would only become sacrosanct relatively after becoming an appropriation. “To now have all this hue and cry on alleged versions; and switched copies is not just a distraction, but a storm in a tea-cup.”

Ready for the implementation of the

proposal among others in the budget, the

official confirmed the appointment of Mrs

Maryam Uwais as a Special Adviser to the

President working the Office of the Vice

President, who will be in charge the

programme.

There are five other social investment plans of the Buhari administration already

provided for in the budget with about N500 billion to be spent, which is nine per cent of the total budget.

These schemes are:

The teach Nigeria scheme where the

Federal Government plans to directly hire

500,000 graduates as teachers. Under the scheme government will hire, train and deploy the graduates to help beef up the quality of teachers in public schools

across the nation. The teachers will be

picked on state by state basis.

The youth employment agency where

between 300,000 to 500,000 non

graduate youths will be taken through in

skill acquisition programmes and

vocational training, for which they will be

paid stipends during the training, with the plan that they would then become self- productive members of their

communities. The selection of the youths

for this scheme will also be on state by

state basis.

The conditional cash transfer where

government will pay directly N5,000 per

month to one million extremely poor

Nigerians on the condition that they have

children enrolled in school and are

immunised.

The homegrown school feeding in which

the federal government will serve one

meal a day to primary school pupils and

in many cases expected to be done in

collaboration with state governments.

This programme has international support

from the Imperial College of the United

Kingdom among other international

agencies.

The free education for science,

technology and mathematics students

where tuition will be paid for about

100,000 STEM students in tertiary

institutions in the country. The scheme is

expected to cost government about N5

billion.

Gunmen kidnap varsity lecturer in Rivers

Gunmen kidnap varsity lecturer in Rivers

A group of unknown gunmen on Monday have abducted the Director of Centre for Continuing Education, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Professor Ogburie M.E.

Professor Ogburie was said to have been taken away by his abductors barely three days after he buried his late father.

It was gathered that Ogburie was kidnapped in his hometown, Elele in Ikwerre Local Government, Rivers State.

Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Blessing Didia, confirmed Ogburie’s abduction and pleaded with the victim’s captors to release him unconditionally.

VP wife, others for LASPOTECH symposium

VP wife, others for LASPOTECH symposium
Wife of the Vice President of Nigeria, Mrs Oludolapo Osinbajo will lead female personalities in the country next week Wednesday to the Lagos State Polytechnic one day symposium tagged 'the role of female students in National Development'.
Speaking with the organizers of the programme, the Student Union President Com ......, said the symposium was organized for "all female students studying in all campuses in Lagos state."
Com.... said the symposium will be the first of its kind in the history of the institution adding that, it is aimed at enlightening and raising the moral standard amongst female students in the polytechnic and Nigeria at large.
"Female dignitaries and highly motivated speakers will be present to enlighten, motivate and inspire the female folks to be able to stand up to their responsibility by participating in the development of the nation." he said.
The programme will hold at the School of Management and Business Studies auditorium, Ikorodu campus of the institution.
Other dignitaries expected at the programme are Hon. Abike Dabiri; Princess Olufemi Kayode; Ms Temitope Olubowale; Mrs Akinkugbe Abiola, Mrs Aderonke Bello; Mrs Aderonke Ige and Mrs Ireti Osayemi.