Don’t take TCN from Manitoba, Nnaji warns FG

A former Minister of Power and Chief Executive Officer, Geometric Power Limited, Prof. Bart Nnaji, has warned the Federal Government not to contemplate taking over the management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria from Manitoba Hydro International of Canada, at the expiration of its contract next month.

Nnaji, who spoke on the sidelines of the West Africa Power 2015 Summit organised by IRN in Lagos on Tuesday, said interferences from government officials had affected the work of the Manitoba personnel.

The Federal Government had in 2012 signed a three-year contract for the management of the TCN with the Canadian firm after it emerged the sole bidder. The contract has an option of a two-year extension.

The TCN is in charge of the transmission network, a critical link in the electricity value chain, but remains a weak link with a current wheeling capacity of about 4,800 megawatts, according to industry experts.

Buhari meets Atiku, Oyegun on APC crisis

The need to further consult and calm frayed nerves has been adduced as reasons why the leadership of the All Progressives Congress shelved a meeting scheduled to hold in Abuja on Tuesday.

It was learnt that some of the party leaders, who were still aggrieved on the outcome of the National Assembly leadership elections, are yet to agree to sit on the roundtable with individuals they claimed stabbed them in the back.

A member of the party caucus, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said, “You expect me to sit with people, who for their selfish interests, connived with the opposition to deny our party what is due to it?

“We need time for the wounds to heal. You must also understand that the comment of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, which is in the papers today, has not helped matters.”

Stop comparing me with Dagrin, says Olamide

Renowned Yoruba rapper Olamide a.k.a Badoo who also is the C.E.O of the “YBNL” record label went on social media,weekend, to express his dismay at the comparison between him and late Dagrin. He took Twitter to make his feelings known.

Old age will limit my performance –Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has admitted that his age would limit his performance as the President of the country.

Buhari, who was   a military governor at 33 and Head of State   at the age of 40, said he would have loved being a President when he was at a younger age . He will be 73 on December 17, 2015.

The President spoke with Nigerians resident in South Africa on Monday after taking part in the 25th assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union   in Johannesburg.

He said, “I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor, just a few years as a young man. Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.”

Despite his advancement in age however, Buhari gave assurance that his administration would make a difference.

Buhari explained that   what brought him to his current position was his love for the country.

He recalled that he was in the war front for 30 months during the civil war, adding that like any other Nigerian, he lost relatives and loyal people to the war.

IMPEACHMENT: PDP SENATORS BATTLE-READY TO PROTECT EKWEREMADU —NWAOBOSHI

A member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the National Assembly, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, yesterday, vowed that his party was battle- ready to resist any attempt to unseat the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, since he was duly and constitutionally elected.
Nwaoboshi, representing Delta North in the Senate, who spoke with our reporter in a telephone interview, condemned the comment made by the former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to the effect that Ekweremadu’s seat be declared vacant and returned to the ruling All Progressives Party, APC, that for the 16 years PDP ruled the country, at no time did the opposition get the benefit of having such a position.

NIGERIA TO DEMAND SEIZED $9.3M WEAPON MONEY FROM S’AFRICA

The Federal Government is to demand the release of the $9.3m weapon money seized from some agents of the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan by the South African authorities on September 5, 2014.
President Muhammadu Buhari made this known while addressing Nigerians resident in the former Apartheid enclave at the Nigeran Consulate in Johannesburg on Monday.
He also told the gathering that he would seek a review of the cases of Nigerians currently in South African prisons and those pending in courts when President Jacob Zuma visits Nigeria.
The President said, “I’m told there are 83 Nigerians in prisons here(South Africa); I don’t know what they have done but I spoke to the President of South Africa this(Monday) afternoon.
“He(Zuma) wants to come to Nigeria. There are issues he knows which he wants to talk about. I will certainly talk to him; I hope our ambassador will send a comprehensive report about the court cases and about those who lost properties during the xenophobic attacks recently.
“And at that time, I will attempt to ask him about our $9.3m which was not correctly transferred.”
A month after the September 5,2014 seizure, the South African authorities reportedly impounded another $5.7m, claiming that both funds were to be used for illegal purchase of arms.
However, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, said the transactions were legal and urged the Zuma government to stop actions that could degenerate to a diplomatic showdown between the two countries.

It’s not by force to feature Wizkid, Banky W on my album- Skales

Fresh off the release of  his debut album, ‘Man Of The Year,’ former EME signee, Skales, now signed to Baseline Entertainment, is still basking in the euphoria that accompanied his album release party which attracted a lot of top guns in the entertainment industry.
The ‘Shake Body’ singer was hosted by weekly entertainment networking event, Industry Nite on Wednesday and he addressed some of the issues regarding why he didn’t feature any of his former label mates from EME such as Wizkid and Banky W, on his new album.
Apparently fed up with all the questions and insinuations that have been directed at him on the issue, Skales retorted that he was under no compulsion to feature any of the artistes.
In a chat with Potpourri, and while responding to the question on why he didn’t collaborate with Banky W or Wizkid, he said, “It’s not by force to feature them. Besides, everybody have their different schedules, so the time didn’t fit in for us all. This album had been ready a long time ago, so that’s another reason.”

Oduah: FirstBank ordered to disclose bulletproof cars’ loan details

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday ordered First Bank Plc to disclose details of the loan facility it granted the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority for the purchase of the two controversial bulletproof BMW cars for the former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, in 2013.

Public outcry had followed the purchase when the information leaked that the vehicles had cost N255m.

Justice Mohammed Yunusa in his judgment in a suit instituted against the bank by a civil society group, Enough is Enough Nigeria, held that the bank was bound by the provisions of Sections 2(7) and 31 of the Freedom of Information Act to release the details.

The judge held that the bank could not hide under the cover of being a private company to deprive the plaintiff of the information.

WHY THERE IS MASSIVE CORRUPTION IN NNPC – SARAKI

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday attributed alleged massive corruption in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to lack of operational budget framework.
Saraki said such era where there was deliberate non-provision of operational budget for the Corporation is gone for good as that will not be tolerated by the 8th Senate.
The Senate President spoke while receiving members of the Civil Society Groups in Abuja.
He added that transparency and accountability must be brought to bear in all government transaction.
Saraki said: “On the issue of transparency of oversight, which you raised here, we will work very hard to see the areas where there can be improvement on our part.
“The budget process which you talked about, I want to tell you that some of us have strong views that issues of budget must be transparent, particularly, the days are gone where agencies like the NNPC would be able to function without operational budget.
“We must move away from because one of the key issues that we have now is the issue of revenue leakages because of lack of transparency, I think we must move away from that, especially agencies that have revenue coming in.”

Military to take over Aso Rock’s Strike Force

Ahead of the relocation of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Presidential Villa, arrangements have been concluded for the Nigerian military to take over the activities of the Strike Force, 

The Strike Force, which is a special security outfit saddled with the responsibility of protecting the President and the seat of power, is currently comprising only officials of the Department of State Services.

A top Presidency official, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent on Tuesday that soldiers might take over their responsibility very soon.

The source said a Lieutenant who will be leading 21 other military personnel had already been transferred to the Strike Force with an instruction to take over from the DSS officials.

He said, “DSS officials are the ones that have been serving in the Strike Force. “With this development military personnel will take over from them henceforth.

“We are aware that the situation is causing a palpable tension as there is a possibility of a showdown. But we are working hard to ensure that the situation did not degenerate.”

Operatives attached to the Strike Force are always trained abroad on counter-assault and other techniques aimed at making their jobs easier.

In explaining their duties, the source said its operatives were the ones former President Olusegun Obasanjo erroneously referred to as snippers in his widely-publicised open letter to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Another official, who is aware of the arrangement, also said that machinery had also been put in place to change the new Presidential Villa’s Administrative Officer, who was deployed by the DSS about two weeks ago and replaced with a military officer.