FGMinistry of defence to pay N10.6Bn compensation

 Nigeria’s Ministry of Defence is to pay the total sum of N10.6 billion arising from court judgment, the Permanent Secretary, Samaila Aliyu has said.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Defence is to pay the total sum of N10.6 billion arising from court judgment, the Permanent Secretary, Samaila Aliyu has said.

Samaila told Senate Committee that the Ministry of Defence need to compensate people and organizations that won court cases against them adding that the money is put at N10.6 billion.

The permanent secretary also disclosed that for many years, the Ministry did not pay electricity bill amounting to N18 billion.

He said after negotiation with the Power Holdings Company of Nigeria (PHCN) through Minister of Justice, the bill was reduced to N8.5 billion.

Samaila told the Senators that the Ministry will put the compensation amount into the 2016 budget.

Senators wanted the ministry to  reduce its overhead but the permanent secretary, Samaila, insisted that the compensation has made it difficult for the Ministry to reduce over heads cost.

 

Boko HaramTerrorists ‘burn children alive’ in Dalori

 A survivor told Associated Press that he heard the screams of children burning to death after the insurgents attacked the village on Saturday, January 30, 2016.

According to reports, Boko Haram terrorists burnt children alive during a recent attack in Dalori, Borno State.

A survivor told Associated Press that he heard the screams of children burning to death after the insurgents attacked the village on Saturday, January 30, 2016.

The attack, which involved shooting, burning and explosions from three suicide bombers reportedly lasted four hours without any intervention from the military.

“We were helpless as no one came to our aid when the insurgents struck on Saturday night. I am still mourning as I lost 11 persons in the siege. At present, I am still looking for five of my children, who went missing during the attack,” a resident, Mallam Abba Dalori told Punch.

Another resident, Imam Ibrahim said the insurgents “dressed like military personnel and opened fire on everybody.’’

“All our wives and children were brutally killed; our livestock were equally consumed in a great inferno that engulfed the village,” Ibrahim said.

The attack left 86 persons dead according to Mohammed Kanar, the area coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), while 62 others sustained injuries.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has responded to the incident saying that the terrorists are determined to embarrass the Nigerian government.

 

Dakore AkandeActress talks getting good roles in Nollywood, awards, directing

 From 5 things people don't know about her to her top 5 Nollywood actors, watch the full interview of Dakore Akande interesting interview with Pulse Nigeria.

Dakore Akande who is popular for movies like "Fifty," "Lunchtime Heroes" among others, was recently a guest at Pulse TV, where she dished out on everything interesting you would love to hear from her.

From 5 things people don't know about her to her top 5 Nollywood actors, watch actress' full interview with Pulse Nigeria.

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Read excerpts;

On returning to the industry after a long break;

“My work isn’t done yet, it never was, it just kind of happened that way. It wasn’t something that I thought of and said ‘ok, it’s gonna be five years, I’m gonna take time off,” No. Life doesn’t really happen that way. It just happened, and my kids came quickly.

I’m happy, now I’m a mum of two, I’m more settled, but I had to even power through that to come back to work, and that was tough, it took a lot of guts."

Giving credit to her fans, the actress said; “they would send me messages on my website and on Facebook “where are you, we miss you.” I think that kind of really touched me, and I was like ‘wow, so this is really important, like it’s not just a hobby.”

It made me feel like I made enough impact in the industry to be missed. It helped me make up my mind and say ‘you know what, I still have work to do.” And I found out that I’m not the kind of woman that’s happy just being at home. I’m a creative, I need to be doing something creative. I’m happy that I have done that, and I can show people that it can be done, as far as you are determined, focused and have a good support system, which I’m happy to have.

ALSO READ: DAKORE AKANDE SHARES 5 THINGS YOU DEFINITELY DON'T KNOW ABOUT HER

On getting a good role in Nollywood;

"Extremely difficult. It’s like once in a lifetime. I’m grateful to be a part of “Fifty,” because it’s such a groundbreaking film on many levels - the fact of the box office, the fact that it sells out.

This is unheard of for a Nigerian film.  It’s just amazing to be in such a project, because it shows the potentials that we have in our industry, and how people can catch on to certain trends that they didn’t even realize were there, and to touch a demographic of women and people in general.

So, it’s great, and it shows growth in Nollywood. But it’s slow. It’s a very slow growth, and I think it’s because it takes more people to make a film than for music. For music, you could just go to the studio and pretty much talk to the marketer and it’s out. But with film, you have to have a director, it’s a bigger animal.

It’s not a competition at the end of the day. What’s important is that our arts and culture industry in Nigeria is just at the forefront of labor. That’s what we really need to focus on"

ALSO READ: DAKORE AKANDE TALKS "FIFTY," WORKING WITH TIMINI EGBUSON

On awards being a validation;

"I think it means different things to different people. I have been fortunate to have won awards, and it’s an amazing feeling. It’s a feeling of validation. It’s a feeling of respect, like ‘yes, I have arrived.’ But we have to be very careful, because sometimes, awards are very political, so you really should have a kind of fluid relationship with it.

"You have to still know who you are. You shouldn’t need the award to validate your work, especially when you are around people that are connoisseurs, and won’t just tell you you did a good job when you didn’t.

"So we have to be very careful because sometimes we struggle to win awards, and then you win the award, and it doesn’t do anything to your career. You have a lot of people who have won Oscars, and their career has sort of nosedived afterwards.

ALSO READ: DAKORE AKANDE SHARES TOP 5 NEW SCHOOL NOLLYWOOD ACTORS

Watch full interview below and full in love with the talented actress;

 

Joey's Monday MusingsPoverty has dried up new Nigerian stars in 2016

 In 2016, the stars have dried up. There has been no Kiss Daniel, Patoranking, Cynthia Morgan, nor Korede Bello making the movement to the limelight.

Last year was awesome for Nigerian music industry in terms of new entrants into mainstream music holding their own.

In January 2015, Kiss Daniel was already putting daylight between himself and the underground with the success of his ‘Woju’ single. He would later go on to cement the year, certified as a hit-making machine, and a beast of a talent. Last year also saw the elevation of Korede Bello from a wide-eyed Mavin Records hopeful, to a star. ‘Godwin’ made him win in his career.

play Kiss Daniel
(Lavomine)

Then there was Cynthia Morgan who is yet to make a wack song. Although she failed to churn out more general pop hits, she found some joy in genre specificity. Her songs ‘German Juice’, and ‘Simati Niya’, were cool singles within the dancehall community. The former went one better and picked up an award at the Headies 2015, for its brilliance.

But in 2016, the stars have dried up. There has been no Kiss Daniel, Patoranking, Cynthia Morgan, nor Korede Bello making the movement to the limelight. There has been no one.

play Patoranking in 'Make am' video

A quick look through the underground scene will through up some good candidates which I will name later, but for now, they have been unable to make that happen.

A number of factors are responsible for this huge slump in new stars. The talent pool in Nigeria is huge. I have been to a number of underground events scouting fine talent, and by heaven, there’s just an avalanche of them hitting me.

The problem lies in promotion. In music, Promotion is the most expensive and crucial part of the music business. A good song can get made, and released, but without getting people to listen to it on a large scale, and repeatedly, the single underperforms, leaving it a waste of good effort.

This promotion at its best levels is extremely expensive. Media in Nigeria has blown up across all channels of it. Online, TV, radio and other facets have exploded in the last decade, resulting in more access to information and connectivity for everyone. But what has been a blessing to the populace, is a bit of a curse to promoters and their talents.

play Korede Bello, first Youth ambassador for the Police Force in Nigeria

Previously, you just had to worry about SoundCity TV and Nigezie for video releases. Right now, you have to consider Trace TV, MTV Base, HipTV, and many more. Each station has its payola to cover, resulting in more expenses. The same can be said of the digital space, and the radio scene.

Recently, former Chocolate City artiste, Kahli Abdu chronicled his frustrations in the Nigerian music scene via twitter, but the height of it lay in the request of a promoter, who billed him N800, 000 (about $3,700) for the promotion of his new single ‘Festival’.

 

That’s the sad reality on ground. The price of promotion in this country continues to hit the roof, with a select few being able to afford it. I have read promotion plans and put together some myself, and trust me, nothing goes below the N600k and N800k mark. That’s how capital intensive, the market has become.

Nobody rocks with talent anymore. Everybody wants money. New acts can’t afford to pay that cash, hence, they get relegated.

That being said, here are five people who are on the brink of exploding.

LK Kuddy

play LK Kuddy, Wizkid, Yung6ix star in 'With you' (remix) video shoot

 

The singer has been in the industry for a number of years, with each year bringing him closer to pop brilliance. His latest single ‘With you’ (remix) featuring Wizkid and Yung6ix might just do it for him.

Maire

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Hitting the scene in 2013, the Next Level Entertainment graduate has been unrelenting in her quest for breaking out. Her 2015 single ‘In your heart’, placed her in good stead. Right now, she has ‘Alhaji’, a jam with Iceberg Slim.

Humblesmith

play Davido, Humblesmith star in 'Osinachi' remix

 

The singer was a bit of an underground success last year with his Gospel-leaning song ‘Osinachi’ making the rounds. This year, Davido has blessed the jam with his star-dust and melody, and he is looking to rise on the back of that.

Johnny Drille

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The Benin City native is a master of percussion, instrumentation, and the best of lyrics. From his viral ‘Aww’ cover, to his now trending ‘Wait for me’, the singer leads the new generation of folk, rock and Afro fusion sounds. He is next in line.

Zoro

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With Eastern Nigeria calling his name. Here’s one rapper who can rival Phyno for his wordplay, energy and branding. He is on the brink of something heavy when he decides to export his craft. Listen to his new single.

 

BuhariPresident urges North-East residents to be more vigilant, own the war against terror

 Buhari said that the terrorists had been rendered weak, confused and homeless after repeated bombings and ravaging of their camps and hideouts by the military.

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians, particularly those in the North-East states, to be more vigilant and ready to work with security operatives in ending the war against insurgency.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.

The statement said President Buhari was reacting to the spate of suicide bombings in Chibok market, Dolari Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) camp in Borno, and the Gombi market in Adamawa.

The President noted that the materials for the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were locally sourced by the insurgents, and urged Nigerians to be more circumspect and report suspicious purchases and movements of unusual components across the country.

He noted that the insurgents had suffered immensely from the sustained bombardments of their camps and hideouts by the Nigerian military and had resorted to using desperate measures to gain cheap media attention.

"I urge all citizens, wherever they live, to own the war against terror and to be part of the fight, because it is the only way we can finish the remaining work that needs to be done to make our country safe again,’’ he said.

Buhari said that the terrorists had been rendered weak, confused and homeless after repeated bombings and ravaging of their camps and hideouts by the military.

He further noted that the terrorists had been forced to find their way back into the society to wreak havoc, like the case of the Dolari IDP camp.

"Having lost the war, they are seeking ways and means to gradually find their way back into society.

"They are not returning to contribute, but to cause more havoc.

"They are so desperate to embarrass the government and the people that they have no qualms attacking isolated communities and markets,’’ he added.

Buhari extended his condolences to all the people of Chibok, Gombi and Dolari who lost loved ones in the recent bomb attacks.

 

Frankly Speaking With Jola Sotubo, 3 reasons why Fayose should be imprisoned over Ekiti elections

 According to an increasingly incriminating body of evidence, Fayose was most likely rigged into office by the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose has proven many times that he has no business being the leader of a state.

Fayose is uncultured, uncouth and largely unaware of the requirements of his office.

Also, according to an increasingly incriminating body of evidence, Fayose was most likely rigged into office by the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Therefore, below are three reasons why the Ekiti State Governor should be in prison instead of the Government House:

1. A soldier, Captain Sagir Koli has testified against Fayose and former minister, Musiliu Obanikoro and also provided audio evidence of a discussion about the rigging of the June 2014 Ekiti elections. The EFCC has reportedly gotten evidence showing that Obanikoro received N1.45 billion to aid the rigging of the elections.
2. The Secretary of the Ekiti State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former associate of Fayose, Tope Aluko has revealed that the governor received a total of $37 million from Jonathan to rig the elections. He also linked Obanikoro to the process.
3. Fayose reportedly slapped Justice John Adeyeye of the Ekiti High Court in September 2014 thereby preventing a sitting of the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal from holding.

Unfortunately, Fayose is a governor and his election victory has been upheld by the Supreme Court. This means that he is protected by the immunity clause in Nigeria’s Constitution and hence can’t be prosecuted or jailed.

The likelihood of his impeachment is also slim as all 25 seats in the Ekiti House of Assembly are occupied by members of his party, the PDP.

The Nigerian judicial system needs to be urgently reformed so beneficiaries of stolen mandates can receive the punishment due them.

This situation also highlights the need for the removal of the immunity clause so that those who pervert the course of justice can face the full wrath of the law.

 

 

El RufaiGovernor inaugurates judicial commission over clash between Nigerian Army, Shiites

 Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai on Friday, inaugurated a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to look into a clash between the Nigeria Army and Shiites Islamic sect which led to the killing of hundreds of people in Zaria North Central State of Kaduna, last December.

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai on Friday, inaugurated a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to look into a clash between the Nigeria Army and Shiites Islamic sect which led to the killing of hundreds of people in Zaria North Central State of Kaduna, last December.

Leader of Shiite Muslims in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky was reportedly flown to France to receive treatment for injuries he sustained during a clash between the group and the Nigerian Army in December 2015.

Even though the Islamic Movement in Nigeria also known as Shiites said they won't be part of the committee, the group spokesman told Pulse that the formation of the commission of enquiry was already one sided.

Speaking during the inauguration, Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir Elrufai said Since the government announced its decision to constitute the Judicial commission of Inquiry they have been asked why the inquiry in the light of certain actions the government has taken.

"Our response is that it is neither right nor prudent for the Kaduna State Government to abdicate its constitutional responsibility, and to conceal this under the cover of a commission of inquiry. Governance cannot be suspended even for processes as weighty as a Judicial Commission of Inquiry. Where the government has evidence that crimes have been committed, it is only proper that prosecutions be initiated," Elrufai said.

"Let it be clear that the Kaduna State Government is convinced that a Judicial Commission of Inquiry provides a chance to understand the events that happened, their background, establish casualties, assign responsibilities and make appropriate recommendations to the federal and state governments, so that such tragedies may be avoided in future. Those that wrongly believe that a federal government inquiry is necessary to satisfy them should note that under the 1999 Constitution, only State Governments can institute judicial commissions of inquiry in their states," Elrufai added.

But the group said they won't be part of the judicial commission adding that there was no way they will be part of a commission without knowing the whereabouts of their leader, Sheik Ibrahim Zakzaky and hundreds of members allegedly under detention.

The group through their spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, told Pulse by a telephone that they have so far got over 700 names of their members that are missing adding that the numbers are still counting.

Musa said government must released over 800 corpses of their members killed if it is interested to hear their own side of the story.

"We are not going to be part of this judicial commission because of the following reasons: The government should released our Leader, all our members that are in detention, and they should released all corpses of the people they killed. We want to give our members they killed a befitting burial."

"We are compiling the list of our people that are still in detention, killed or missing. So far, we have more than 700 names of the missing people and the names are still coming. Let me tell you, we do not belief in the commission because they are not independent bodies. They are not human rights organisation," Ibrahim said.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said that he almost got killed by the Shiites Muslim sect during theSaturday encounter between his convoy and the sect group in Zaria Kaduna state last December.

Buratai who spoke for the first time on the issue when he had a closed door session with the Senate committee on Defence said it was the powers of God that saved his life.

"You want to know how I escaped?  It was by the will of God that I was able to escape from that place.

"I think NTA was there and they aired the clip, it was very clear. They were violent, definitely this is very clear,  the clips are there. That was what happened. Nobody should take the law into his hands", he said.

Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba – is the Chairman of the judicial commission that will look into the Zaria Army/ Shiites clash.

Prof. Salihu Shehu was named as Commissioner, Prof. Umar Labdo, Commissioner, Malam Salihu Abubakar – Commissioner, Prof. Auwalu Yadudu – Commissioner,  Prof. Ibrahim Gambari – Commissioner, Mr. Afakriya Gadzama – Commissioner, Brigadier-General Aminun-Kano Maude (rtd) – Commissioner, Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim, Mrs. Khadijah Hawaja Gambo, Mr. Bilya Bala, Major-General Alexander Anjili,  Mrs. Desire Deseye Nsirim  (CP Rtd.) and Dr. Bala Babaji are also part of the committee.