Population To Mess

By OSA 

Time To Start Talking Openly About Family Planning To  Beat Poverty.

Africa's population is rapidly growing: from an estimated 140 million in 1900 to one billion in 2010, it is expected to hit four billion by 2100—or a third of all people on earth.

And the impact of these fast-rising numbers is already showing, says the Centre for Convention on Democratic integrity lnc ,based in Maryland  ,United States in a new study. The Centre  Index, which ranks African countries on a broad spectrum of indicators including rule of law, safety economic, political and human rights, says governments are falling short in improving the business environment to employ their growing, and mostly young, populations.

The study notes that almost half of Africa's citizens (43.2%) live in a country where sustainable economic opportunities have declined in the last decade. And even as political governance, human rights, and economies gradually improve, that hasn't translated into much prosperity for younger people.

The question of how to reconcile job creation in Africa with developmental gains as demographics change has become an issue of concern for global leaders outside Africa.

In July, French president Emmanuel Macron faced a backlash after he said Africa was dealing with a "civilizational" challenge including population growth, adding that when there are "7 or 8 children per woman," spending billions in development aid was pointless.

Bill Gates has also extensively spoken about the continent's demographics and its link to extreme poverty, while the Danish minister for development cooperation Ulla Tørnæs proposed free birth control for Africans as a measure to slow migration to Europe.

Notably, current African leaders have been mostly reluctant to engage this discussion with much enthusiasm. One recent exception  was Nigeria's new finance minister Zainab Ahmed who seemed to have slipped up when she said the government was thinking the curbing "exponential" population growth by limiting the number of children women can have. She later backtracked on that commentfollowing criticism.

In an interview with Quartz last year, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo warned African countries face the prospect of their young demographic advantage turning to a liability if governments don't better prepare.

For supporters, the benefits of contraception are about leading healthier lives for women, growing economic opportunities, besides smaller families. Yet in many African countries, the lack of political will, suspicion about foreign funding, and in some cases religion, have stymied the conversation around family planning.

Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim now says governments, civil society, and media all need to have "a frank and open discussion" about population growth if they are to handle the issue well. That shouldn't involve, he says, "imposing a one-child policy or by sterilization"—controversial plans that have been used previously to limit growth. If done right, that would involve empowering mothers and families to understand their right to choose when to have babies and how many, and ensuring prosperity for all.

"We need to revisit the issue of family planning. We need to explain that two or three well-educated kids are better insurance policy for the parents than seven uneducated kids," he told Quartz from London. Governments, he added, should address "the fears and anxieties of people about their future in absence of safety nets, welfare state, and people relying on their kids to look after them at their old age."

Controlling population growth shouldn't ould sign onto the "wonderful" persona Free Trade Area, and allow for the free movement of business persons and investments. Governments should also improve business environments so as to attract investment opportunities and create more jobs.

Technological advances are also set to disrupt the future of work, and that in turn, will create challenges for how governments can create meaningful, large-scale employment for their fast-growing populations. "We need to improve our education in terms of quality and content," CCDI  says, "because we need to match what we provide to our çkids with what the market needs in terms of skills. We really need education for employment."

Population Mess Expecteed

By OSA Op-Ed

Time To Start Talking Openly About Family Planning To  Beat Poverty.

Africa's population is rapidly growing: from an estimated 140 million in 1900 to one billion in 2010, it is expected to hit four billion by 2100—or a third of all people on earth.

And the impact of these fast-rising numbers is already showing, says the Centre for Convention on Democratic integrity lnc ,based in Maryland  ,United States in a new study. The Centre  Index, which ranks African countries on a broad spectrum of indicators including rule of law, safety economic, political and human rights, says governments are falling short in improving the business environment to employ their growing, and mostly young, populations.

The study notes that almost half of Africa's citizens (43.2%) live in a country where sustainable economic opportunities have declined in the last decade. And even as political governance, human rights, and economies gradually improve, that hasn't translated into much prosperity for younger people.

The question of how to reconcile job creation in Africa with developmental gains as demographics change has become an issue of concern for global leaders outside Africa.

In July, French president Emmanuel Macron faced a backlash after he said Africa was dealing with a "civilizational" challenge including population growth, adding that when there are "7 or 8 children per woman," spending billions in development aid was pointless.

Bill Gates has also extensively spoken about the continent's demographics and its link to extreme poverty, while the Danish minister for development cooperation Ulla Tørnæs proposed free birth control for Africans as a measure to slow migration to Europe.

Notably, current African leaders have been mostly reluctant to engage this discussion with much enthusiasm. One recent exception  was Nigeria's new finance minister Zainab Ahmed who seemed to have slipped up when she said the government was thinking the curbing "exponential" population growth by limiting the number of children women can have. She later backtracked on that commentfollowing criticism.

In an interview with Quartz last year, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo warned African countries face the prospect of their young demographic advantage turning to a liability if governments don't better prepare.

For supporters, the benefits of contraception are about leading healthier lives for women, growing economic opportunities, besides smaller families. Yet in many African countries, the lack of political will, suspicion about foreign funding, and in some cases religion, have stymied the conversation around family planning.

Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim now says governments, civil society, and media all need to have "a frank and open discussion" about population growth if they are to handle the issue well. That shouldn't involve, he says, "imposing a one-child policy or by sterilization"—controversial plans that have been used previously to limit growth. If done right, that would involve empowering mothers and families to understand their right to choose when to have babies and how many, and ensuring prosperity for all.

"We need to revisit the issue of family planning. We need to explain that two or three well-educated kids are better insurance policy for the parents than seven uneducated kids," he told Quartz from London. Governments, he added, should address "the fears and anxieties of people about their future in absence of safety nets, welfare state, and people relying on their kids to look after them at their old age."

Controlling population growth shouldn't ould sign onto the "wonderful" persona Free Trade Area, and allow for the free movement of business persons and investments. Governments should also improve business environments so as to attract investment opportunities and create more jobs.

Technological advances are also set to disrupt the future of work, and that in turn, will create challenges for how governments can create meaningful, large-scale employment for their fast-growing populations. "We need to improve our education in terms of quality and content," Ibrahim says, "because we need to match what we provide to our kids with what the market needs in terms of skills. We really need education for employment."

Military Spoke Long Ago

October 26, 2018

We have no original certificates of Buhari – Nigerian Army

Tuesday, January 20, 2015 5:03 pm

General Muhammadu Buhari

The Nigerian Army said it did not have the original, certified true copy or statement of results of retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate for the February general elections.

Director of Army Public Relations, Brig-. Gen. Olajide Laleye, said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.

Laleye said that the entry made on the Nigerian Army Form 199A at the point of documentation after Buhari was commissioned as an officer, indicated that the former Head of State obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1961

"With credits in relevant subjects: English Language, Geography, History, Health Science, Hausa and a pass in English Literature.

"Neither the original copy, certified true copy (CTC) nor statement of result of Major-.Gen. Mohammadu Buhari 's WASC result is in his personal file.

Laleye said that the army holds the retired senior officer in high esteem and respect and would not be a party to any controversy surrounding his eligibility for any political office.

He said that suffice to state that Buhari rose steadily to the enviable rank of Major General before becoming the Head of State of the country in December 1983.

"The media hype on the retired Buhari's credentials as well as numerous requests made by individuals and cooperate bodies to the Nigerian Army on this issue have necessitated that we provide the facts as contained in the retired senior officer's service records.

Brigadier General Olajide Olaleye

"Records available indicate that Buhari applied to join the military as a form six student of the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina, on Oct. 18, 1961.

"His application was duly endorsed by the principal of the school, who also wrote a report on him and recommended him to be suitable for military commission.

"It is a practice in the Nigerian Army that before candidates are shortlisted for commissioning into the officers' cadre of the service, the selection board verifies the original copies of credentials as presented.

"There is no available record to show that this process was followed in the 1960s," Laleye said

Dr.Chima Amadi buried Keyamo Naked

Hi Festus, I woke up the other day to a Tweet by you referring to my party as "Lootocrats" and challenged Nigerians to question the source of wealth of those who want to serve them. Very well Festus. Ordinarily, I would not have engaged you for three reasons:

1. I don't respond to aides 
2. I believe the candidate of the party has capable persons who can deal with you
3. The unwritten convention is that those from our tradition do not battle each other.

However,I have taken the task to have this talk with you given that you are not an aide in the truest sense of the word but promoting a candidate .Also,since the PDP candidate has warned his aides to refrain from going low with the likes of you, you may likely get away with this

arrogance , but you see, I am not an aide of Atiku and not even an official of the party so,we can dance. 
Thirdly, I will have to throw the code for activists overboard Cos by maligning my party, you also insulted those of us from the same tradition that happen to call the

PDP home. Now, that I am done with introduction, can we now get right to it, shall we? Festus, for years now we have been letting you feed fat with a reputation as an "anti military era activist and human rights defender". But Festus, let's let the cat out of the bag.

In reality, you were a military apologist or your actions portrayed you as one. Festus, when Gani Fawahinmi, Femi Falana, Baba Omojola, Segun Mayegun and others were arrested by the junta in 1992 and a decision was to be taken by the mass of students at a Congress in Ekpoma

for a protest to be undertaken to ask for their release,did you not vehemently argue against it?Did you not mobilize to frustrate that move via counter revolutionary arguments until your plot was frustrated by the dialectical superiority of radical progressive elements on ground?

Chief Gani Fawehinmi overlooked this early trait of your treachery and still gave you a place in his Chambers following your call to Bar. How did you reward him?While you go about telling spurious stories about your fall out with Gani,isn't it indeed true that at the heart of the

kerfuffle was Gani's disenchantment with the way you were handling the legal tussles and struggles with the military? Isn't it true that Gani suspected that due diligence was not being applied in matters that involved the military which you were handling?

This trait followed you in life and I will come to that. While others in the Chambers who Gani asked to leave went quietly, were you not thrown out ? Did you not mount an unbelievable campaign of calumny and hate against Gani? What kind of names did you not call the great man?

You would call press conferences everyday to heap insults on Gani , calling him unprintable names. The same way you wake up to insult everyone right now! Wasn't Gani moved to the point of cursing you? Somehow, Festus, you have built your career around destroying Great people!

Where is your buddy, Fryo, these days? How a man who self-confessed to killing the Great Uncle Bola Ige became your client is still a stuff of legends. Festus, how is it that you relish handling cases many reactionary lawyers won't touch with a long pole? It was not enough that

You took Fryo as a client but were you actually prepping him to blackmail people you wanted to use to rise to fame? It is still the same Gani you maligned early in your career that came to your rescue after forgiving you of your transgressions. Perhaps, your love for the dark art

Of the legal profession has something to do with your sudden wealth? You asked us to interrogate the source of wealth of people, so let me start with yours.Nice houses you have in Maryland in Lagos and Zone 5 in Abuja. Is it mere coincidence that you started rolling in cash after

You became an EFCC prosecutor? Yes, the same EFCC you insulted many of your colleagues for representing, calling them thieves and vowing NEVER to have anything to do with them. Shortly thereafter you swallowed your vomit and became their lawyer. Was that when you "blew?" Or was

It after your deal with Chief Kenny Martins? Remember him? I am sure you do, 200m and a Prado Jeep is not what one forgets easily. Kenny Martins swore to an affidavit that he gave you those and you still came back for more as an EFCC prosecutor. A case you lost. Festus,

You not only served EFCC but you worked under the administration of one of the most notorious person's to Head that agency. Indeed, is it not true that staff within the Commission were suspicious of your moves given that you lost virtually all the cases involving huge sums

Assigned to you? Festus, can you tell the world your role in the Ladoja/Oyo state Airtel Shares sales? Do we tell the world about a certain $200,000 under the table payment? We have names too if you want us to go that far.I am asking, can your source of wealth be directly traced

To this period? Just asking. You shamelessly call the PDP an assemblage of "Lootocrats" but had no qualms to work for a PDP government appointee, someone the PDP government fired for allegations of corruption. Festus, you have come full circle. While we are at this, can we tell

The world why you can no longer visit your ancestral home freely? The APC you defend right now was the same you called "frauds" in 2013 during a press conference in Benin following your loss of the party gubernatorial ticket. What changed? New paymaster maybe?

Finally, Festus, when you live in a glass house, beware of stones. I know you will come for me, and I happily await you, my records are there but, before you act be advised thus: what I just brought out now is a compromise following calls by friends that know you. If you

Choose to escalate,I will go further down low.We may have to tell the world certain other stories you will certainly not like. For example, that your closely guarded secret of your real crew. You know what I mean? Or how you became SAN.And some other things we shall keep secret.

Secondly, I am also loaded enough to get the best of lawyers , so don't even try your 'we meet in court nonsense'. It will be a pleasure to show the court that you lack any modicum of reputation to protect .My advice: defend your candidate and promote your candidate, no shame

In that but, you cannot insult people and hope to intimidate everyone into silence with your rabble rousing noise. I am not Sowunmi, I fight dirty and clean. You decide the one you want. 

Dear Chief of Defence Staff,

RE: Major General Muhammadu Buhari's Credentials

I write as a concerned citizen of Nigeria to request that you use your good offices to effect the immediate release of academic credentials of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to INEC.

Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) is the presidential candidate of the APC in the 2019 general election and he is in urgent need of the credentials to support his nomination as provided by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

I wish to remind you that in 2015, the said  Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) could not present his credentials because the then PDP government of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan allegedly prevented the Military from releasing the credentials.

The CDS sir, you should be reminded that the said Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) is the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, and he could have just used his powers to compel the military authority to use a Fighter Jet to fly the credentials to INEC.

Kindly treat this request as urgent because the said Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) on whose behalf I make this request risks disqualification by INEC if he fails to submit the credentials as demanded by the law.

You may not need to provide all the credentials however, just release the Primary Six and Secondary School Certificates.

Thank you in anticipation of your prompt and favourable consideration of this request.

Yours truly,

Lere Olayinka

1, Irunmale Avenue, 

Agbonna Hilltop, 

Okemesi Ekiti

Ekiti State

ASP John Joshua Abandoned Over N2.5M Surgery Since 2017

OSA -Op

Patrol Commander John Joshua, Assistant Superintendent of Police attached to Ajao Estate Police Station Lagos State, lost his eyesight while attempting to stop over 500 angry Factory workers who were looting the warehouse of Chi Industries Ltd. The company made a distress call for Police intervention & protection. They claims that they were been attacked by Hoodlums, which can be seen as deception on the part of the management. This event took place on December 31, 2016. A day that should be a preparatory day for the New Year for ASP and his family but turn into day of regret, sadness and anguish for the family. He got injured in the process of keeping the citizens and businesses safe as he was attacked by angry Factory workers who have taken strategic positions in the warehouse, with plan to attack them. As they entered into the company's premises to maintain law and order, the workers charged and attacked him with Caustic soda missiles which was poured over his head and as such affected his eyes. He was rushed to hospital and since that time have been left to die. 

According to Summit Healthcare Hospital Ltd. (Eyes Foundation), he will need about N2.5million to do another set of surgeries (Invoice attached), this was in 2017, after expending his life savings and his family's goodwill on the earlier treatment. When he was told about the surgery and how much it would cost, he had felt sure that the company, which he lost his eye sights fighting for would come to his rescue.
Joshua's staunch trust, however took a devastating blow. CHI Limited was not forthcoming as the ASP had expected. According to him, till date, the company had abandoned him to his fate. Joshua, almost in tears said that he couldn't imagine groping in darkness for the rest of his life. Speaking with our correspondence in his house, Joshua said that CHI Limited, promised to take care of his eyes treatment. Joshua said that doctors had advised that the operation should be carried out immediately so that his eyes wouldn't degenerate retrogressively into complete blindness.
He said "Right now, I'm slowly going blind. And if the eye surgery continued to be delayed, my two eyes would undergo retrogressive degeneration or I may completely go blind".

He was left with nothing as Police and Chi Nigeria Ltd., have abandoned him to his fate and none has come up with anything to help his condition. Is this the country of our dreams? Where we seek law enforcement officers to risk their lives for our sake? Who will read this kind of pathetic story about the system and still put his bet to save us all. Two years gone and no help in sights. This man is now having difficult in fulfilling his fatherly duties as he also a widower, all because of one silly incident that Nigeria Police Force HQ and Chi Nigeria Ltd., refused to take responsibility for his wellness. ASP Joshua is not even asking for compensation, just for them to take care of his eyesight before he goes totally blind.

ASP Joshua was in tears as he narrates his plight in the hands of Nigeria Police Force and Chi. He even went as far to bring in Femi Falana, the popular human rights activist-cum-lawyer into the matter, he was appointed a lawyer to take care of the case but he suspected that Lawyer was compromised by Chi as he stopped picking his calls for updates on the case. He also went to Office of Public Defender just to ask for his rights too but none is forthcoming. 
I write this today to intimate you of the rots and decay that corruption have bestowed on our institutions. We are in trouble because the Nigeria of our dream might never come in our lifetime or our children's if we keep valuing money over lives. 

I appeal to all those concerned too take up responsibility and give this man his eyesight again

A.G. Underwood Files Lawsuit Against Exxonmobil For Defrauding Investors Regarding Financial Risk The Company Faces From Climate Change Regulations

By OSA op-ed

A.G. Underwood Files Lawsuit Against Exxonmobil For Defrauding Investors Regarding Financial Risk The Company Faces From Climate Change Regulations 

Investigation into Exxon's Business Practices Uncovered an Alleged Fraudulent Scheme to Systematically and Repeatedly Deceive Investors About the Significant Impact That Future Climate Change Regulations Could Have on the Company's Assets and Value

Alleged Fraud Reached Highest Levels, as former Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson Knew of Misrepresentations for Years

NEW YORK – Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood today announced a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corporation("Exxon"), alleging that the company misled investors regarding the risk that climate change regulations posed to its business. As alleged in the complaint, Exxon for years assured investors that it was accounting for the likelihood of increasingly stringent regulation of greenhouse gas emissions – which are driving climate change and which Exxon emits in large quantity – by rigorously and consistently applying an escalating cost of those emissions to its business planning, investment decisions, calculations of the amount and value of company reserves and resources, impairment assessments, and projections of future demand for oil and gas. However, Exxon did not abide by these representations, and instead did much less than it claimed, deceiving investors as to the company's true financial exposure to increasing regulations and policies adopted to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

Exxon marketed the company as a secure long-term investment and courted long-term investors such as institutional shareholders, life insurance companies, and pension funds. For example, the New York State Common Retirement Fund (CRF), which is entrusted with the retirement security of over one million state employees and retirees, and the New York State Teachers Retirement System, which serves over 425,000 members, hold Exxon shares with a combined value of approximately $1.5 billion. These investors depend on companies to provide complete, accurate information about the value of their assets to make informed investment decisions. In fact, over the course of the past decade, Exxon institutional shareholders repeatedly sought more information and disclosure regarding the risk the company faced due to climate change regulations.

"Investors put their money and their trust in Exxon – which assured them of the long-term value of their shares, as the company claimed to be factoring the risk of increasing climate change regulation into its business decisions. Yet as our investigation found, Exxon often did no such thing," Attorney General Underwood said. "Instead, Exxon built a facade to deceive investors into believing that the company was managing the risks of climate change regulation to its business when, in fact, it was intentionally and systematically underestimating or ignoring them, contrary to its public representations."

The Attorney General's complaint alleges that Exxon told investors that it accounted for the risk of governmental regulation of climate change by applying a "proxy cost" of carbon. A proxy cost serves as a stand-in for the likely effects of expected future events; in this case, the effects of the increasingly stringent climate change regulations that Exxon has publicly stated it expects governments throughout the world to impose and steadily increase over the course of several decades. As the complaint alleges, Exxon told its investors that it used that proxy cost in its investment decisions, corporate planning, estimations of company oil and gas reserves, evaluations of whether its long-term assets remain viable, and estimations of future demand for oil and gas.

Yet, contrary to those representations, the complaint alleges that Exxon frequently did not apply the proxy costs as represented in its business activities. Instead, in many cases Exxon applied much lower proxy costs or no proxy cost at all.

The complaint alleges that this fraud reached the highest levels of the company. Exxon's management, including former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rex W. Tillerson knew for years that the company was deviating from its public representations by using a second set of proxy costs from undisclosed internal guidance that were lower than the publicly disclosed proxy costs. Exxon's management also knew that using these lower figures made Exxon more susceptible to climate change regulatory risk, but did not align these two sets of proxy costs for years.

The complaint alleges that the fraud continued even after Exxon increased its internal proxy cost guidance to conform to its public representations. Indeed, when the company realized that applying the publicly represented proxy costs would result in "massive" costs and "large write-downs," and shorter asset lives, Exxon management decided to apply an undisclosed "alternate methodology." Under this "alternate methodology," Exxon chose not to apply any proxy cost and, instead, allegedly chose to assume that existing climate regulations would remain in place and unchanged, indefinitely into the future. 

The complaint further alleges that in various other aspects of its business – including evaluating the volume of its oil and gas reserves, determining whether to write down its major assets, and estimating demand for its products in the transportation sector – Exxon chose not to apply proxy costs in the manner it represented to investors. By applying a lower proxy cost or not applying any proxy cost at all, Exxon repeatedly and consistently underestimated the potential financial risk that increasing climate change regulation posed to its assets and value. 

According to the allegations in the complaint, Exxon made these misrepresentations knowing that its shareholders were concerned about the company's management of the risk of future climate change regulations, particularly given its carbon intensive assets. Those investors included institutional investors such as New York's CRF. In responding to shareholder requests for an explanation of how it accounted for the likelihood of increased climate change regulations, Exxon allegedly made numerous misrepresentations, including offering a misleading analysis in which it understated the financial risks that it would face in a "two degree scenario" – that is, if governments acted to limit global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Exxon continued to present that analysis to investors even after being warned by the author of a study upon which it purported to rely that the analysis was "misleading."

The impact of Exxon's alleged fraud on the company's value is significant in scale and scope. For example:

• For 14 of Exxon's oil sands projects in Alberta, Canada, Exxon's failure to apply its publicly represented proxy costs resulted in undercounting of projected greenhouse-gas related expenses by more than $25 billion over the projected lifetime of the projects.
• Exxon undercounted projected greenhouse gas-related costs by as much as 94% – equal to about $11 billion – in an economic forecast for its Kearl oil sands asset in Alberta.
• Exxon failed to apply the proxy costs it represented to the public in estimating company reserves at Cold Lake, a major oil sands asset in Alberta, resulting in an overestimation of its projected economic life by 28 years, and an overestimation of company reserves volumes by more than 300 million oil-equivalent barrels, representing billions of dollars of revenues.

The lawsuit announced today was filed in New York Supreme Court, New York County. The suit seeks an order prohibiting Exxon from continuing to misrepresent its practices in this area, and requiring it to correct its past misrepresentations; in other words, to tell investors the truth. The suit also asks the court to award damages, a disgorgement of all monies obtained in connection with the alleged fraud, and restitution. Additionally, the complaint requests the court to direct a comprehensive review of Exxon's failure to apply a proxy cost consistent with its representations, and the economic and financial consequences of that failure. 

The lawsuit is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Jonathan Zweig and Rita Burghardt McDonough of the Investor Protection Bureau, Mandy DeRoche of the Environmental Protection Bureau, Special Counsel Steven Glassman of the Division of Economic Justice, Special Assistant Attorney General Matthew Eisenson, and Project Attorneys Benjamin Cole and Joanna Zwosta, and Chief Economist Peter Malaspina, under the supervision of Environmental Protection Bureau Chief Lemuel M. Srolovic, Executive Deputy Attorney General Manisha M. Sheth of the Division of Economic Justice, Chief Deputy Attorney General Janet Sabel, and Chief of Staff and Deputy Attorney General Brian Mahanna

 

NHIS boss remains in office despite suspension by governing council

By OSA Op-D  

Executive Secretary of NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf

The embattled Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Yusuf Usman, has allegedly vowed never to proceed on suspension as directed by the NHIS Governing Council, insisting that only the President has the power to suspend or remove him from office.

Yusuf, who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, was first suspended in July last year over allegations of N919million fraud.

He, however, rejected the suspension order on him by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, also insisting then that only Buhari could suspend or remove him from office.

The NHIS governing council on Thursday, October 18, suspended him indefinitely over alleged petitions against him and executive infractions that could not be ignored.

When he was suspended last year, Yusuf, in his response to the minister, acknowledged receiving the suspension letter, but gave reasons why he might not comply with the order, saying: "By virtue of the NHIS Act, particularly Section 4 and 8 thereof, my appointment and removal from office, whether by way of suspension or otherwise, is at the instance of the President.

"Except removed from office by the President under circumstances specified in the NHIS Act, my appointment is for a period of five years, subject to further term of the same period at the discretion of the President."

The President later recalled him in February this year.

A member of the board, who craved anonymity, told The Guardian yesterday that shortly after his suspension was announced, Yusuf walked into the boardroom and said he remained the executive secretary of the NHIS, adding that nobody, except the President, has the power to remove him from office.

He added that Yusuf remained in his office yesterday, despite his suspension.

The source, who further alleged that Yusuf, on Thursday, boasted that he would turn up at the boardroom, told The Guardian that over 20 policemen, both in plain cloth and uniform, were already within the NHIS premises, adding that as soon as Yusuf left the premises, he would not be allowed to come back.

According to the source, the Council met with the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, who then invited the Director of Legal Services to interpret the provisions of the law, during which he confirmed that the Council has the power to suspend the Executive Secretary.

Chairman of the Council, Ifene Enyantu, told journalists: "I am convinced that if the President is fully briefed about one-tenth of Usman's atrocities, he would jail him.

"Those who hide under the cover of Presidency to perpetuate corruption know that Nigerians are keenly watching."

Allegations against the NHIS boss included an attempt to illegally execute N30billion investments in Federal Government bonds, fraudulent inflation of the cost of biometric capturing machines, unlawful staff postings, insubordination, willful defiance of Council's directive and refusal to reflect amendments made by the Council in this year's budget.

Efforts to get Yusuf's reaction proved abortive, as he did not respond to calls as well as text massages sent to his mobile line

PDP Vice Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi Speaks On His Houses In London

OSA op-Ed

The Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has clarified that he never at any time claimed that he had no house in London.

His Special adviser, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, made the clarification yesterday while reacting to what he described as false stories being spread online by Obi's detractors that he lied about owning houses in London.

Obienyem said: "During several media programmes, Mr. Peter Obi said Onitsha was the only place he owned a personal house in Nigeria.

"In an attempt to discredit him, some people are posting his London houses as the much-awaited evidence that he lied.

"First, let it be noted that the issue of having a personal house only in Onitsha is a matter of choice. If his lifestyle supports love for houses, Obi can afford to have houses in the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

"As for his London houses, it might interest the public to note that he bought his first house in London in 1987. All the houses he owned in London were purchased before he became governor of Anambra State and were all duly declared."

Obienyem advised Nigerians and the international community "to disregard false stories being fabricated by Obi's detractors who are clutching at straws in their vain bid to demonize Obi, whom he described as a proven performer and lover of the masses who is well known for his forthrightness and integrity

Buhari’s Hand Too Weak To Sign African Free Trade Agreement' - Obasanjo

Buhari's Hand Too Weak To Sign African Free Trade Agreement' - Obasanjo

By OSA

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo says President Muhammadu Buhari's hands are too weak to sign the African free trade agreement (AfCTA).

He made the statement on Saturday while speaking at the Babacar Ndiaye lecture series in Bali, Indonesia.

Obasanjo said he hopes that Nigeria will soon have a president who will sign the agreement.

"Africa cannot overcome fears of trade wars till it achieves 50 percent intra-Africa trade," he said at the ongoing World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund meetings.

"The AfCTA is a good idea and for Nigeria, hopefully, we will have a president that will be able to sign it because the one that is there now, his hands are too weak to sign."

Nigeria was absent in March as leaders from 44 African countries signed the agreement to form a $2.5 trillion continental free-trade zone.

The free-trade zone is the largest in the world since the creation of the World Trade Organisation in 1995.

Explaining its decision not to sign, the federal government had said a committee was reviewing the treaty and that it needs more input from stakeholders

Award of contract: Is Buhari different from Jonathan?

By OSA OP-D

By continuing with an opaque system of awarding and approving major contracts, this administration has not only reneged on its campaign promises, but has created room for analysts to doubt its fight against corruption.

Public procurement is the space where major acts of corruption take place. Thus, by not ensuring that the Procurement Act is followed to the letter, after about 2 years in office, the President has made his fight against corruption contentious.

In the campaign trail, the President's party accused former President Jonathan's federal executive council (FEC) of usurping the powers of the National Council on Public Procurement (NCPP) by approving and awarding contracts. But this hasn't changed.

Instead, the President, who promised to kill corruption, has continued awarding contracts without the NCPP – a regulatory body, created by law, to set thresholds to values of contracts that an awarding ministry or agency can approve. (The higher the value of contract the higher the level of authority that can award it.)

The non-constitution of the NCPP – a council which includes the NBA, the media, Chambers of Commerce, Institutes of Supply and Purchasing, Nigeria Society of Engineers and the like and is enabled by law to supervise the activities of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) – creates room for business as usual, in terms of corruption.

In setting public procurement policies and guidelines, the law allows members of the NCPP to vote and debate issues. But Buhari's federal executive council has continued with the culture of awarding and approving contracts without adequate public scrutiny.

This opaqueness doesn't stop here. By not constituting the NCPP, a council which has the mandate to supervise the activities of the BPP and even to oversee the appointments of its principal officers, this government has surreptitiously turned the BPP into a rubber stamp. (This is a culture the President met but has not changed.)

The award and approval of contracts have been taking place despite a major lacuna.

The recent report by Premium Times shows a perfect example where this lacuna is being exploited. Premium Times's report that that the current administration is perfecting plans to award an $800 million power contract to CTC, an American power company, without intending to go through a competitive bidding and tendering process makes a mockery of Buhari's fight against corruption.

The newspaper also reported that recommendations on why CTC was most suited for the job has been made to the minister of power by some bureaucrats.

This is a major flaw in the fight against corruption. The NCPP is best suited to make guidelines concerning projects that are supposed to be given special procurement status.

Also, by not inaugurating the NCPP, the President exposes his ministers to corruption. Presently, ministers, in conjunction with the unsupervised BPP, formulates all kinds of policies governing procurement. This shouldn't be.

Besides, many thought the President would take FEC to the level it should be. Normally, great leaders with their ministers, in other jurisdictions, spend their time thinking about visions, strategies and formulating policies, not haggling over contracts.

The non-inauguration of the NCPP would always be a major distraction to current ministers, as they are likely to spend a lot of effort attending to contracts. And this is on the premise that they are not there because of contracts.

This has to stop and the President has to institutionalize the Procurement Act. Last Wednesday's approval by FEC for the purchase of firefighting equipment to check fire outbreaks in the country is another example where a noble action could breed corruption.

There is no doubt that FEC is the highest decision-making executive organ recognized by the constitution, but contracts brought for its approval have to pass through due process. As noble as this gesture is, FEC has approved a contract that has not passed through due process because the activities of BPP, which might have had an input in that contract, can be deemed illegal because it is not complemented by the NCPP, as instituted by the law

Meet Peter Obi: Profile Of Atiku Abubakar's Running Mate

Meet Peter Obi: Profile Of Atiku Abubakar's Running Mate

Voxnews OP-D

NAME : Mr. Peter Gregory OBI, (CON)

DATE OF BIRTH : 19th July 1961

PLACE OF BIRTH: Onitsha, Nigeria

NATIONALITY: Nigerian

MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED

· Christ the King College, Onitsha (W.A.S.C.)

. University of Nigeria, Nsukka (B.A. Philosophy)

· Lagos Business School, Nigeria (Chief Executive Program)

· Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A. (Mid to Mid Marketing)

· Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A. (Changing the Game)

· London School of Economics (Financial Mgmt/Business Policy)

· Columbia Business School, New York, U.S.A. (Marketing Mgmt )

· Institute for Management Development, Switzerland (Senior Executive Program)

· Institute for Management Development, Switzerland (Break-Through Program for CEOs)

· Kellogg Graduate School of Management, U.S.A. (Advanced Executive Program)

· Kellogg School of Management U.S.A. (Global Advanced Mgmt Program)

. Oxford University: Said Business School, (Advanced Mgmt& Leadership Program)

. Cambridge University: George Business School (Advanced Leadership Program)

PREVIOUS POSITIONS

· Governor, Anambra State of Nigeria (2006-2014)

· Honorary Special Adviser to the President on Finance (till May, 2015)

· Member, Presidential Economic Management Team (till May, 2015)

· Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Governors' Forum (2008-2014)

· Chairman, South-East Governors' Forum (2006-2014)

. Former Chairman: Board of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

· Former Chairman: Fidelity Bank Plc.

· Former Chairman: Guardian Express Mortgage Bank, Ltd.

· Former Chairman: Future Views Securities, Ltd.

· Former Chairman: Paymaster Nigeria Plc.

· Former Chairman: Next International (Nigeria) Ltd

· Former Director: Guardian Express Bank Plc.

· Former Director: Chams Nigeria Plc.

· Former Director: Emerging Capital Ltd

· Former Director: Card Centre Plc

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS

· Member, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)

· Member, Nigerian Chartered Institute of Bankers

· Member, British Institute of Directors (IOD)

MEMBERSHIP OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEES

In my capacity as the Governor of Anambra State, I served as a member of:

*Federal Government Committee on Minimum Wage

*Federal Government Committee on Negotiation with Labour on Subsidy

*Federal Government Committee on Mass Transit

*Federal Government Committee on Natural Resource

*National Economic Council Committee on Power Sector Reform

*National Economic Council Committee on Sharing of MDGs Funds

*National Economic Council Committee on Accurate Data on Nigeria's Oil Import and Export

*Agricultural Transformation Implementation Council

*Sub-Committee on Needs Analysis of Public Universities in Nigeria

*National Economic Council Review Committee on the Power Sector

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

2015: Golden Jubilee Award from Catholic Diocese of Onitsha for outstanding contribution to quality healthcare delivery in St. Charles Borromeo Hospital in particular and Anambra State in general, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebration of the hospital.

*2014: Nigerian Library Association Golden Merit Award for remarkable improvement of libraries in Anambra State, exemplified by our Government's construction of the Kenneth Dike Digital State Library, remarkable upgrade of the Onitsha Divisional Library, and provision of library facilities in secondary schools across the State. 

*2014: Champion Newspaper Most Outstanding Igbo Man of the Decade.

* 2014 The Voice Newspaper (Holand) Achievers Award for Outstanding Example in Leadership and Governance.

*2013: Silver Bird Man of the Year (with Governor BabatundeFashola of Lagos State).

*2012: Business Hallmark Newspaper Man of the Year.

*2012: The Golden Award on Prudence – by the Methodist Church of Nigeria as the Most
Financially Prudent Governor in Nigeria.

* 2012: Leadership and Good Governance Award by The Ezeife Leadership Foundation Award for restoring peace and harmony to Anambra State.

* 2012: Best Performing Governor on Immunization in South-East Nigeria – by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

* 2012: Outstanding Financial Planner and Manager – by the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion for my resourcefulness and creativity in governance.

*2011: Zik Leadership Prize.

*2010: ICT Governor of the Year – by the West Africa ICT Development Award.

*2009: Champion Newspaper Nigeria's Most Trustworthy Governor Award.

*2009: Thisday Newspaper Most Prudent Governor in Nigeria.

*2007: The Sun Newspaper Man of the Year Award.

**The Nigerian MDGs Office/UNDP Best Governor in the Implementation of the MDGs in Nigeria

INTRODUCTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND OTHER MAJOR CHANGES IN NIGERIAN POLITICS

*He was the first gubernatorial candidate in Nigeria to legally challenge to its logical conclusion, his governorship electoral victory that was denied him. He won in the Courts and reclaimed his mandate.

*He was the first Governor in Nigeria to legally challenge his wrongful impeachment and was reinstated by the Courts.

*He was the first Governor in Nigeria to seek the interpretation of tenures of Governors when INEC allowed elections to take place in Anambra State when his tenure had not expired; the election already concluded was cancelled and he was allowed to complete his tenure.

*He was the first Governor to serve a 2nd term in both the new and old Anambra State, that is, almost 40 years after creation of the State.

*He was the first Governor, whilst still in Office, to be appointed a Special Adviser to the President.

*He was the first serving Governor to be appointed into the Presidential Economic Management Team.

*He was among the first Governors to be honoured with a National Award in 2011, while still in office.

*Though the only Governor whose political party was in government in only one State, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum twice.

*Though the only non-PDP Governor in the South-East (made up of 5 States), he was elected by the other 4 PDP Governors as their Chairman for 8 years rather than the usual one year.

FUNDAMENTAL ACHIEVEMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF ANAMBRA STATE (PARTIAL LISTING)

1. Anambra was the first State to commence Sub-Sovereign Wealth savings, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. At a time many other Governors were leaving huge debts, I left the equivalent of $500 million Dollars in investment as well as local and foreign currency, including $156 million in Dollar-denominated bonds.

2. For the first time in the history of Anambra State, Ambassadors and High Commissioners of notable countries such as United States, Britain, Russia, European Union, South Africa, Belgium, Israel, the Netherlands, Canada, among others, visited the State. Before my tenure, Anambra was practically a pariah state blacklisted by the Diplomatic Corps and international development partners.

3. Development partners such as UNDP, UNICEF, the World Bank, DFID, the European Union etc., which hitherto were not in Anambra State started working with the State. Anambra was consistently adjudged one of the best states in development partnership and commitment to reforms for good governance.

4. He was recognised as Best Governor by the Millennium Development Goals Office (OSSAP-MDGs) and the UNDP in the implementation of their programmes in Nigeria.

5. The Nigerian Debt Management Office (DMO) rated Anambra as the least indebted state in Nigeria. In spite of visible and measurable achievements recorded in various sectors, the State under him did not borrow or raise bonds for her various projects.

6. The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria rated Anambra State as the most financially stable state in the country.

7. The State's ground-breaking return of schools to their original owners - Voluntary Agencies (Churches) on 1st January 2009, and subsequent partnership with the Agencies in Education, saw the State move from 24th position out of 36 States to Number One in National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations for three consecutive years. This made the World Bank to commission a study, led by the renowned Prof. Paul Collier of Oxford University, on this revolutionary partnership and phenomenal achievement.

8. The State also entered into strategic partnership with the Churches in the Health sector. This symbiotic relationship resulted in a tremendous boost to health care because of the services offered by health institutions owned by Voluntary Agencies, while the State restored grants to the agencies and made available to them more than 50 million Dollars in various types of support.

10. Through partnership with the Church in the Health sector, his Government funded the transformation of -:

a: Iyienu Hospital, Ogidi; 
b: Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala; 
c: St Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha; 
d: Holy Rosary Hospital, Waterside, Onitsha; and 
e: St. Joseph Hospital, Adazi-Nnukwu. 
His Government also built the Joseph Nwilo Heart Centre in St. Joseph, Adazi-Nnukwu, where heart operations are now being performed.

11. His Government won the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (1 Million dollars) as the best-performing state in immunisation in the South-East. With complementary funding from our Government, they used the money to build 10 Maternal and Child Care Centres across the State, particularly in rural communities, in partnership with the Churches.

12. The State was the first to procure and distribute more than 30,000 computers to secondary schools, including 22,500 from HP. The Managing Director for Personal Systems Group HP Inc, Mr. FabriceCampoy described the deployment as the biggest of such projects in the Middle-East and Africa.

13. Anambra State Government provided Microsoft Academies to more than 500 secondary schools, which the Head of Microsoft in Nigeria (Mr. Ken Span) described as the biggest such deployment in Africa so far.

14. The State provided Internet access to more than 500 secondary schools, which the CEO of Galaxy Backbone (Mr. Gerald Ilukwe) characterized as incomparable to any in the country.

15. More than 700 buses were provided to secondary schools in the State by our Government.

16. Boreholes were provided in schools all over the State.

17. Numerous classrooms were built in all the 177 communities of the State.

18 As part of the efforts to turn around the economy of the State, a number of companies were attracted to build their facilities in the Anambra State. A case in point is SABMiller, the 2nd largest brewery in the world, which built their first Green Field facility in the State, which is today one of the most successful facilities they operate globally.

19. A number of other companies followed the SABMiller initiative and were all supported and encouraged under our Government; a good example is INNOSON Motor Manufacturing Company, from which our government bought more than 1,000 vehicles.

20. Anambra State for the first time started close collaboration with recognized government security agencies (the Police, Army, Navy, Department of State Security, Civil Defence, among others), offering them various types of support including provision of more than 500 security vehicles. The improvement in security was phenomenal, such that the former IG of Police (Abubakar Mohammed) lauded Anambra State for not witnessing any bank robbery in my last three years in office.

21. To further enhance security, Anambra State provided at least one security vehicle to each of all the 177 communities in the State as well as various organizations such as markets and Churches.

22. His Administration conceived and built, from scratch, the first state-owned Teaching Hospital, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu teaching Hospital, Awka.

23. His Government commenced the planned development of the Igbariam Campus of the ChukwuemekaOdumegwu-Ojukwu University, including the fencing, construction of internal roads, electrification, construction of the Faculty of Law, Auditorium, Administrative Block, Faculty of Agriculture, Management Building, among others).

24. His Government attracted the World Bank support on erosion - National Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) - to Anambra State.

25. His Government was the first to do Poverty Mapping in Nigeria, as a guide for the effective implementation of our poverty-alleviation strategies.

26 His Government, for the first time, undertook the aerial mapping of Awka as well as the production of Structure Plans for Awka Capital Territory, Onitsha and Nnewi.

27. During his tenure and with his Government's support, Anambra State became an oil producing State.

28. He built the first Secretariat Complex to house State Government Ministries that were hitherto scattered around the State. 

29. His government commenced the development of the 'Three Arms Zone' comprising Government House/Governor's Lodge, Legislative Building/Speakers Residence, and Judiciary Building with Chief Judge's Residence.

30. By the end of his tenure in 2014, more than twelve (12) health institutions, including two hospitals, had secured accreditation; when we took off in 2006, no health institution in Anambra State was duly accredited.

31. Anambra State was the first to undergo national peer review, which scrutinised State Governments for good governance, through the State Peer Review Mechanism (SPRM), an initiative of the Nigerian Governors' Forum in collaboration with the DFID8