APC Chairman hosts ward chairmen

The Chairman of the All Progressive Congress( APC) in Konshisha, Hon Wende Anula today hosted the eleven ward chairmen of the party in TSEAGBERAGBA.
Addressing the ward party chairmen, Hon Gbaden told them that it has become necessary to hold the meeting in order to brief them on the outcome of the expanded caucus meeting of the party which was hosted by the new chairman, Hon Mrs. Mwuese Ubebe.
According to Hon Gbaden, the caucus meeting was important because it was the first to be convened by the new chairman and significantly  attended by Our distinguished senator Barnabas A Gemade, Hon Richard Ujege, Hon Saawuan Tarnongu, amongst other appointees of Governor Samuel Ortom.
Hon Gbaden also told them that the essence of the meeting  was to tell them what their representatives said at the meeting so that they can carry the message to their council wards. Hon Gbaden emphasized the need for unity of purpose amongst party men .He urged them to continue to support Governor Samuel ORTOM, Barnabas Gemade , Hon Richard ujege, Hon Saawuan Tarnongo and Hon Mrs Ubebe so that they will be able to deliver on their mandate.
In their various responses, the Ward chairman of mbake,Mr Aondowase songo, Mr Adam Jonathan of Mbatsen,Ukpum Numbe of Mbakyase,Mr Tor Bem of Mbatser/ Mbagusa,Mr Pius Iorbee of Mbavaa, the Party's youth leader, James Akuve and the party sectary, Mr Denen I or commended the party chairman for holding the meeting to brief them.They urged to continue with such meetings. They promised to continue supporting all their elected sons and daughters,now and in 2019.
The ward chairmen told Hon Gbaden to convey their grievances to the council chairman ,Sen. Barnabas Gemade, Hon Ujege and others.
According to them their grievances in include:
Lack of local government patronage,
2.Neglect of their welfare
3.Abandonment after elections, etc.
In his speech, the representative of the council chairman at the meeting, and Deputy chairman, Hon Aondover Diogo,commended the ward chairmen for their resilience and continued support to the party. He promised to convey their grievances to the council chairman.

Water takes over Benue¿

FEDERAL ALLOCATION DROPS

States and federal governments will have to brace up for hard times again as the amount shared for the month of September 2016, shrunk to N420 billion from N510.2 billion in the previous month.

Addressing journalists at the end of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting in the Abuja on Thursday, the permanent secretary of the federal ministry of finance Dr Mahmoud Isa Dutse attributed the decline to the “activities of vandals in the Niger Delta Inspite of the appreciation in the price of crude oil in the international market.

Dutse lamented that crude oil export volume decreased by 1.5 million barrels in June, 2016 as a result of the activities of Nigeria Delta vandals and appealed that “we need to do everything possible to normalize things in the Niger Delta.”

Other reasons for the decline were the Force Majeure declared at Bonny terminals and the subsisting one at the the Forcados terminal as well as the shut- and shut-down of pipelines for repairs and maintenance.

Dutse added that there was decrease in the volume of dutiable imports, receipts from Joint Venture Cash Call, foreign companies income tax and Value Added Tax (VAT).

For statutory disbursements in the month of September, the federal government got N120.351 billion; state governments received N61.044 billion; local governments were given N47.062 billion while mineral producing states got N13.729 billion.

In addition, the three tiers of government shared a total of N61.694 billion with the federal government receiving N9.254 billion; state governments, N30.847 billion and local governments, N21.593 billion.

To make up the numbers, an additional N41.402 billion exchange gains accruals and another N63.386 excess Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) were shared among the three beneficiaries.

Aside from the disbursements, the permanent secretary disclosed that the funds in the Excess crude Account remains N2.454 billion.

He also expressed optimism that Nigeria’s potential for growth remains high given the recent announcement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that Nigeria’s economy is now larger than that of South Africa. This development he said, “will make us a major destination for investors and it shows that Nigeria is on the part of growth.”

The Accountant General of the Federation, (ÀGF) Alhaji Idris Ahmed, attributed Nigeria’s economy overtaking that of South Africa to the massive capital investment made by the federal government and he also reiterated that “we will come out of this recession soon as all the indices and parameters point to this.”

When the permanent secretary and team of federal government delegation left, the Edo state commissioner for finance and chairman finance commissioners forum Mr. John Inegbedion told journalists that the cost of collection deducted by revenue generating agencies like the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) were unconstitutional.

However, he admitted that it was politically agreed by all stakeholders that the agencies should go ahead and receive cost of collection because the federal government was not able to fund them properly and that limited their ability to function well so it was agreed to let them have it

Senate rejects Nigeria Peace Corps Bill
The Senate at its plenary session on Thursday stepped down the Nigeria Peace Corps Bill it earlier considered till another legislative day.
Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, after consultations with other distinguished colleagues, moved a motion to step down the Clause by Clause Consideration of the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill SB. 173 and SB. 183 to another legislative day.
This was majorly as a result of the absence of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Bayero Nafada, representing Gombe North, whose Committee worked on the bill. However, the Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, would ensure further legislative work and consultation on the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill before it is brought for the Clause by Clause consideration and eventual passage into law at a later date.

Senate rejects Nigeria Peace Corps Bill
The Senate at its plenary session on Thursday stepped down the Nigeria Peace Corps Bill it earlier considered till another legislative day.
Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, after consultations with other distinguished colleagues, moved a motion to step down the Clause by Clause Consideration of the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill SB. 173 and SB. 183 to another legislative day.
This was majorly as a result of the absence of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Bayero Nafada, representing Gombe North, whose Committee worked on the bill. However, the Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, would ensure further legislative work and consultation on the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill before it is brought for the Clause by Clause consideration and eventual passage into law at a later date.

ORTOM ON LIVE RADIO BENUE.

ORTOM INTERACTS ON RADIO BENUE, OCTOBER 17TH, 2016
Radio Benue, Makurdi, will tomorrow Monday, 17th October, 2016, play host to the Executive Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on a special edition of its interactive phone-in programme, Issues of the Moment.
This edition of the programme, which is as usual, at the instance of the Governor, will hold from 8 to 10 o’clock in the morning with focus on appointment of traditional rulers and the Chieftaincy Law recently passed by the State House of Assembly and assented to by His Excellency.
The programme provides another opportunity for you, the Benue populace, to interact with your Governor on matters related to the traditional institution and other issues of governance and development.
You can be part of the programme by dialing telephone number 07038267479 which will be activated during the programme while you can send short text message to 08034787173 which has already been activated for that purpose.
Remember that text messages must contain the sender’s full name and location.
While at Radio Benue for the programme, the Governor is expected to relaunch the AM Channel of the Corporation which has been running test transmission on nine-one-eight kilohertz, three-two-seven metres in the Medium Wave Band.
Signed: Management

BUHARI VS BUHARI

POLITICS IS NOT A PROFESSION AND YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW EVERYONE IN ALL STATES BEFORE YOU WORK WITH THEM
Aisha Buhari’s interview with BBC: We only knew Fashola, Amaechi, few others
BBC Hausa: It has been One and a half years since President Muhammadu Buhari came into power, a lot of people are expressing their unhappiness over the way few acquaintance of the President have hijacked power while neglecting people that work for his success. Like we have promised, here is how the interview with Aisha Buhari and Naziru Maka’ilu from Abuja goes.
BBC Hausa: People have goodwill towards President Muhammadu Buhari, especially looking at the things he did before, but since coming into power things have not been working the way they should, what do you thing is the cause?
Aisha Buhari: I am not a government official, but in my opinion as a woman, a mother, what I think is it is well known that the first 4 years are not going to be easy. Firstly, it was people that brought the government into power. More than half of those people are not appointed into the government. Some people that are not politicians, not professionals were brought into the government. They don’t even know what we said we want and what we don’t during the campaign. They even come out and say to people we are not politicians, but they are occupying the offices meant for politicians. Some have parted with their wives, some lost their children lost, some women too have parted with their husbands because of politics, a lot happened during the time. The way things are going I too I am not happy. We are just starting, we have not finished. Some people that worked for the government have been appointed. But those heading government agencies you can find one fighting his state governor, they contested together during election one in APC while in PDP.
BBC Hausa: Who are those doing these kinds of things?
Aisha Buhari: Everybody knows them. Those people should know that people voted singly. Even Buhari too had one vote. Nobody voted 5 times. 15.429 Million People. That one that people are thinking too, he had only some 2 or 3 people. I am pleading to them to have the people at heart and embrace everybody so that we can all move together. Not even now in 2016 or 17, lot of people are creating divisions within the APC, which is our source of concern. They think they have worked for the government while those appointed some of them had no voter’s card. What I fear is uprising of 15.4 million people.
BBC Hausa: Is the President aware some people are subverting his government?
Aisha Buhari: Whether he knows or he do not, those that voted for him knows.
BBC Hausa: But you are the most closest to him, did you tell him?
Aisha Buhari: There is nothing I can tell him, he is seeing things himself. Out of the people he has appointed, take 50, 45 of them I don’t know them. Perhaps he doesn’t know them too. I have been living with him for 27 years.
BBC Hausa: Do you think there are some people that are dictating to the President things to do, not him?
Aisha Buhari: That is what I am saying, those that know they don’t have voters card, they should give chance to those that have, they are the ones that struggled and knows what we want to do. Some of them if you go to a meeting with them they will tell you, we are not politicians, if somebody is wise, they will not accept to take any political office. They didn’t even work for it. Even if you are asked to, you should say it is not my profession. Those places not headed by politicians will cause people discontent.
BBC Hausa: One would wonder to hear you say some people have hijacked the government without him knowing, but who do you think are those people?
Aisha Buhari: I don’t know them, I don’t know them. I don’t know them
BBC Hausa: But some people are calling names, saying 2 or 3 are the ones, do you that as well?
Aisha Buhari: Yes I agree. Because of those appointed apart from Fashola, Ameachi and some others, not much, I don’t know them, most of us too don’t know them, and he too does not know them
BBC Hausa: One would wonder that Buhari is not the one charge knowing him as a person who had leadership experiences, people would not believe
Aisha Buhari: Yes, it is surprising; nobody thought it is going to be like this. But now that it is so…sometimes when one is doing something wrong without him knowing, but when people talk to them, they should listen. Because in the future, whether he is going to contest or not, it is that same people that would vote for APC. We hope those people don’t come back, and everybody don’t hope so too
BBC Hausa: You said “Whether he is going to contest in the future or not”, has he disclose it to you whether he is standing or not?
Aisha Buhari: He didn’t tell me, but I have made up my mind.