ANGRY Buhari Walks out Customs and NSCDC Bosses who came to lobby at his Daura residence..

No nonsense Buhari

The president elect has issued a red card to serving top government officials who in recent times besieged his residence in Daura, Katsina to lobby for retention of their positions.

Buhari, was livid last week when the current Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko Inde, visited his residence in Daura to pay homage. Per Second News learnt that the customs boss who coincidentally hails from, Musawa Local Government Area, Katsina state immediately after informing the President-Elect of his mission was advised to go back to his duty post.

Comptroller general, Abdullahi Dikko Inde

Dikko, shocked by Buhari’s response tried unsuccessfully to inform the retired General of the situation at all Nigeria’s borders, seaport and the airports, but the President-elect upbraided the 55 year-old that the ideal procedure is to wait until he has been sworn in as president, describing the visit as unhealthy, unethical and disloyalty to a government he is still serving. He thereafter asked the customs boss to leave his residence, rejecting also his gift items.

The Comptroller general and his team hurriedly left the residence, parking the valuables and gifts items along.

The visit of the current Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ade Abolurin, on Sunday was more comical, he arrived Daura, the residence of the President-Elect with top officers of the corps, photographers and some members of the press.

Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ade Abolurin.

According to a member of the Buhari Campaign from Katsina, “The President-Elect was having his normal quiet time when the delegation arrived”. The corps officers led by its commandant were left outside in the scorching sun for over an hour, before the the commandant and two corps officers were allowed entry into the President-elect’s visitors room.

Abolurin, still recuperating from a fire burn incident got the shock of his life when an aide of Buhari, said that the retired General wants him out of his residence and will not be seeing him.

Dumbfounded the corps officers left in a haste to the surprise of other delegation members outside, who were waiting and hoping to see the president-elect and take photographs with him.

Per Second News can authoritatively report that a serving minister last week also sent emissaries to the president-elect in a bid to secure a private meeting. 

Private business tycoons are not left out of the visits, Forte Oil CEO, Femi Otedola, and Oando boss Adewale Tinubu also visited Buhari last week.  The national leader of the APC, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, shortly before the governorship elections brought the Chagoury brothers to meet with the president-elect in a closed door meeting.

Per Second News gathered that the deluge of top current serving government officials and visitors reaching out to General Buhari at this material time has turned his Daura home to a new Mecca.

PER SECOND NEWS 

Jonathan changes HAND OVER date…

President Goodluck Jonathan has decided to hand over power to the president-elect, retired General Muhammadu Buhari, on May 28; a day before the latter’s inauguration.

The president took this decision on Wednesday during the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which he presided over.

The Minister of Information, Mrs Patricia Akwashiki, disclosed this to State House journalists after the council meeting.

The minister stressed that the president would hand over the affairs of the country to Buhari at a dinner on the eve of the May 29 Democracy Day.

“By May 28, the president intends to have the formal handing over done at a dinner so that we can reserve the 29th for the incoming (government). By May 28, we expect to have concluded one-way governance and we are welcoming incoming government.

“Also you know, May 29, is our Democracy Day. So, we have activities lined up all through that week, showcasing all what we have achieved and all other things we do normally on our Democracy Day except that this year is special with the inauguration of our new president that is coming up on the May 29″, she said.

Akwashiki said Jonathan also directed all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to submit their handover notes to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) by April 20.

She said the president also emphasised that he would require another little briefing from all the MDAs to indicate inherited projects initiated by his administration and how far they had been executed “and the level of completion; whether completed, ongoing or abandoned”.

She said: “You know we’re already in transition. So, there is very little to report what we discussed with the president in council. He emphasised on the need for all MDAs to submit their handing over notes to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation by 20th of this month, that is; next Monday. So, we’re going to be very busy this weekend putting our handing over notes together.

So, that was it at the council meeting. We discussed other issues, but we were particularly paying attention to the transition and how to make it effective.

“As you are all aware, we have a transition committee already set up by president, headed by the vice president. Other than that, we have an inaugural committee that is headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. So, everything we are doing, we are doing to achieve smooth transition, getting all our notes together”.

Asked whether the FEC meetings would continue or be on hold, the minister said: “It is for the MDAs to submit their notes to the SGF who will handle the total package of the handing over to the incoming administration. It doesn’t mean that these are the exact notes that will be passed on. There is a format to follow and so, it becomes easier for all the MDAs to follow the template. If they do that, it will be easier for the president to compile everything. The format is to ensure you submit everything before they pass it to the incoming government”.

Akwashiki noted that activities of the incumbent administration would continue until May 29 when the president-elect would take oath of office .

She said the council also decided that all pending contract approvals and every other thing requiring Jonathan’s approval be submitted before May 13.

According to her, the FEC took this decision because Jonathan’s administration does not want Buhari’s government to accuse it of “rushing projects”.

The minister also disclosed that the incumbent administration would hold its last executive council meeting on May 20 with a valedictory service.

She said: “That is not to say that governance has stopped. Of course, we are in government until the day the president-elect takes oath of office. There is no space or vacuum. There are things happening. And if you have any pending contract approval, it has to be submitted before the 13th of May. Everything that requires the president’s approval should be submitted before May 13.

“We also do not want the incoming administration to accuse us of rushing projects; which is normal. So, we are guided by that. And if you have approvals, we are going to have the Federal Executive Council meeting every week, the last one that will be the valedictory one will be on May 20. So, governance is not stopping, we are still working and in the event you have approvals, it must be concluded before 13th of May”.

Our correspondent reports that the Ministers of Petroleum Resources, Dizeani Alison-Madueke and her finance counterpart, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, were absent at today’s council meeting; the first to be held after Jonathan lost the March 28 presidential poll to Buhari.

DAILY POST

Army acquits 57 soldiers sentenced to death in December…

Some of the soldiers sentenced

In a recent development, a special court martial of the Nigerian Army has discharged and acquitted 57 soldiers who were charged with losing their weapons and going on an Absence Without Official Leave, AWOL while battling insurgents last year.

In December last year, the soldiers were charged with conspiracy to commit mutiny after their revolt led to the death of some of their colleagues in a duel with insurgents. They claimed that their weapons were inferior to the enemy’s at the time.

The court martial, which sat at the Army Headquarters Garrison in Abuja, however convicted 15 other accused soldiers sentencing them to one year prison sentences each.

A source in the office of the National Security Adviser, who spoke with Post Nigeria confirmed the report.

POST NIGERIA

PHOTOS: Mamman Katangora House in Marina Lagos on fire.

The Mamman Kontagora House along Marina in Lagos is on fire at the moment. Reports say the fire has spread to 2 floors of the iconic building.

The Lagos State Fire service has confirmed the inferno and are on their way to quelling the incident. People who work in nearby buildings have been uploading pictures of smoke emanating from the building on social media site, Twitter.

The fire is currently on two floors, and emanated from the Generator House of the Marina axis of the Kontagora House. At the moment, the Lagos State Fire Service and the Union Bank Fire Service have almost exhausted their water pumps and the fire has been minimally, contained.

At the moment, the fire is still on and readers are advised to avoid that route and thread with caution on that path, as efforts to contain the inferno are put in place.

The Kontagora House, is a citadel of commerce that houses about two commercial banks and several other private businesses.

NEWS WIRE NIGERIA

LISTEN: Zulu King Zwelithini Xenophobia tape with subtitles; was he misquoted?

The Zulu King claims he was misquoted. Be the judge, isten and read subtitles of his speech.

VIDEO:#BringBackOurGirls Music Tribute by Afro Soul Singer Kaliné – ‘Bring Them Home’

This song was written by Nigerian afro-soul singer-songwriter/pianist Kaliné just after the abduction of 234+ girls from their school in Chibok, Borno State Nigeria, last year (April 14th).

Director: Oluwabori Makinde
Producer: OriginAce Entertainment
Executive Producer: Soni Irabor
Stylist: Sharon Ojong
Makeup: Banke Meshida

THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING WAS LIT IN PURPLE AND RED IN HONOUR OF #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS.

New York’s Empire State building was lit up in red and purple Tuesday in honor of more than 200 Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants one year ago.

The edifice was to remain illuminated until 2:00 am (0600 GMT), a nod to the number of girls who remain missing.

Candlelight vigils, rallies and prayers were held from Nigeria to New Zealand to Paris to mark one year since the girls were kidnapped, while others commemorated the missing students and demanded their safe return with #BringBackOurGirls messages.

“On Tuesday, April 14, 2015, The Empire State Building will be lit Purple and red in honor of BringBackOurGirls,” the Empire State website said.

Some 276 girls were taken from the northeastern town of Chibok by the Boko Haram extremists, 219 of which remain missing.

Amnesty International said the Chibok girls’ kidnapping was one of 38 in northeast Nigeria since the start of last year that had seen at least 2,000 women taken by the militants.

Nigeria’s president-elect Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday cautioned he could not make promises on the return of the 219 missing schoolgirls.

PHOTOGRAPH – ESBNYC

WORDS – PM NEWS

LISTEN: Xenophobic unrest in Durban as Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini lays into foreigners.

DURBAN – As the xenophobic unrest continues to spread in Durban, King Goodwill Zwelithini has castigated the media for “distorting” his comments that foreigners should leave the country. Despite his vehement denials, the Zulu king made no bones about his feelings on foreigners and their role in South African society.

This is an audio clip taken during the king’s speech three weeks ago in Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal in which he said in isiZulu that foreigners must go back to their countries.

Please note that the English version will follow later.

Amnesty International slams government for failing to stop xenophobia

PICTURES – eNCA

CBN Limits Overseas Daily Cash Withdrawal of Naira Debit Cards to $300…

The Central Bank of  Nigeria (CBN) yesterday reduced the limit for usage of naira debit cards for transactions overseas to $50,000 from $150,000 per person, per annum.

The reduction was announced by the Director, Trade and Exchange Department, CBN, Mr. Olakanni Gbadamosi via a circular titled “Usage of Naira Denominated Cards Overseas.

The circular stated, “All authorised dealers and the general public are hereby informed that with effect from the date of this circular (13th April 2015) the existing limit on the usage of the naira denominated cards for transactions overseas has been reviewed downward

“Accordingly, the limit has been reduced from $150,000 to $50,000 per person, per annum. In addition, authorised dealers are to ensure that the daily cash withdrawal limit embedded in the cards per person, per day is pegged at $300. Authorised dealers are to ensure strict compliance with this new limit and render monthly returns of the transactions.”

The decision to reduce the limit was taken at the meeting of the Bankers Committee held last week.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, Union Bank Mr. Emeka Emuwa, at the post Bankers Committee press briefing said, “We realise that people were using the cards in a manner they were not expected to use them. There were some arbitrage going on, and in order to continue to support the stability in the foreign exchange market.

”So it was agreed at the committee that the limit would be reduced for the use of the naira debit cards. You will still have, as a customer, unfettered access to your dollar account (cards) but the naira cards the limit will be reduced to a judicious level.”

Also speaking, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Mrs Adebola Adesola, explained that, “This specifically applies to the use of these cards abroad. When they used abroad, the merchants have to be settled, even if it is ATMs, the provider, which may be Visa or Mastercard, we will have to be settled in foreign exchange. We found that they put a drain on the foreign exchange resources available to finance industries. And so there would be a reduction in the annual allowable drawdown using naira debit cards abroad”

VANGUARD

GOOD NEWS: KIDNAPPED OREKOYA CHILDREN HAVE BEEN FOUND…

In a simple message posted on Adebisi Busayo Adekunle Orekoya’s Facebook page; it read ‘We give God all the Glory. Our Orekoya missing Kids have been found.Thank you so much everyone for ur prayers and moral and Financial support all along. The list is endless, of awesome mothers, sisters, business partners, father’s and even kids too. You’ve been amazing! May God grant all your heart desires too. Much love always.’