El-Rufai to Atiku: You are haunted by corruption demons, says 'I dare you to visit U.S.'

This statement is issued in response to the latest falsehoods to emerge from Alhaji Atiku Abubukar. He has a record of spewing outright lies and innuendo against my person. As we struggle to build a law-abiding society and secure progressive outcomes for our people, we cannot allow the triumph on these shores of those who will have us move to a post-factual world. Not even from a man as practiced as Alhaji Atiku is in the dark arts of damaging other people through a campaign of lies from him and his media machine.
Therefore, I am constrained to provide a response to the fake news and irresponsible revision of recent history by Alhaji Atiku.
I never had anything to do with the incorporation of Transcorp. Those that established that company and fronted it like Festus Odimegwu, Tony Elumelu, Otunba Lawal Solarin and Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke are still around and alive. As such I could not have and did not offer Alhaji Atiku any shares in Transcorp. I declined the shares that were offered to me. Having done that, how could I have offered anyone shares?
In fact, I advised President Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Atiku and then finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala not to accept the shares that were then being offered by the promoters of Transcorp. My counsel to them was based on the grounds that they would face conflicts of interest when Transcorp bids for privatization assets. At the time Alhaji Atiku and Ngozi were chair and vice-chair of the National council on Privatization, and were particularly directly involved in approving the sales of state-owned enterprises and assets.
It is too late in the day to try to pretend that the fiasco concerning the attempt by then Senators Ibrahim Mantu and Jonathan Zwingina to extort money from me for Senate clearance never happened. All Alhaji Atiku has just done is confirm that he paid the Senators, as I revealed in Page 139 of my book.
When I published The Accidental Public Servant in 2013, Alhaji Atiku unleashed his media team in a campaign of vilification. Despite the viciousness of the attacks, they did not contest or explain away his shenanigans that were detailed in the book, from the Ericsson manoeuvre, to the Abuja water treatment plant contract and his obsession with marabouts and their assurances of the political big prize. He might also consider a full reckoning for what he and his acolytes did with public funds in the PTDF imbroglio, rather than indulging the usual bold face of the Nigerian big-man.
As a federal public servant, my oath of allegiance appropriately stood with the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not the big men whose conduct I was privileged to witness at close quarters. People like Alhaji Atiku think that loyalty to them should be the goal of a public officer, and that it should trump the oath of allegiance to the country.
Our Alhaji Atiku is already running for 2019, and he thinks that he can make people like us collateral damage in his attempt to rejuvenate his image. This obsession for power inclined him to support the rebellion against the party that manifested in the National Assembly, and is continuing with obvious disrespect for the incumbent president. Everyone knows that I support and will continue to work for the success of President Muhammadu Buhari as he leads our country through tough times.
Everyone is entitled to rehabilitation. But that often requires coming clean with the people. Can Alhaji Atiku explain the findings in the report of the United States Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations which detailed a pattern of wire transfers of more than USD 40m from offshore companies like Siemens into bank accounts controlled by him and one of his wives. The report detailing the US Senate findings is online, as one of four case histories of foreign corruption in the USA. Alhaji Atiku should tell a better tale of why he is avoiding America.
Someone as obsessed by Nigeria’s presidency as he is, should clear up such matters conclusively. We wait to see how well he does with that.
Signed
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai
15th November 2016

Dasuki reportedly turned down Federal Government offer to attend father's burial
Detained former national security adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki reportedly rejected the offer made by the federal government to attend his father's burial.
Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazaum disclosed this to newsmen in Sokoto today after Dasuki's father's burial, the 18th sultan, who died on Monday night. He said the federal government first offered to allow him to visit his sick father at the hospital some days ago but he declined, saying he preferred to remain in detention and pray for him.

"A second offer was also made to him Monday night to be taken to Sokoto to lead the mourning for his deceased, and he again turned down the offer," Dambazau said.
Speaking after the burial at the Sultan Bello Mosque, Dambazau said he conferred with the DSS DG, Lawal Daura, on the need to allow Dasuki to visit his grieving family.
"Let me correct the impression that Col Sambo Dasuki was prevented from attending the burial rites of his father. We had discussed with the DG SSS and he was offered the opportunity to visit his late father on his hospital bed in Abuja. He declined, saying he preferred to remain where he was and pray for his sick father. He was also offered to be in Sokoto throughout the mourning period and also declined, preferring to pray for him. That was the true situation."
The former NSA has been in detention for over a year for alleged misappropriation of funds meant for the purchase of arms under the Goodluck Jonathan's administration.

Okorocha others Drums Support For Akeredolu
Rochas Okorocha and other APC heqvy weights werev in Akure recently to campaign for the APC Candidate in Ondo State, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN.
Gov Okorocha made several visits to the Igbo and Hausa communities, Deji of Akure and other community and market leaders on the need to vote the erudite lawyer in as governor and as well as to link up the state to the national political grid. The governor as took the campaign to the ordinary people on the streets of Akure in a grand style of meet the electorates.

He was accompanied by his Adviser on Youths, Hon Kenneth Emelu, SA Lagos Liaison, Barr Chief Steve Asimobi, Rev Johnson Ayozie etc

Shocking Graphic Photos! CARNIBALISM AT IT'S WORST.
Police ARRESTED Two Men in Kiboga For Carnibalism
We always hear these stories but some of us end up convincing our selves that they are not true but perhaps this shocking story might change our thinking . Yesterdy afternoon, Saturday 29th October, Police has captured two men red handed while feeding on human flesh while still even possessing some of the yet to be cooked bodies.
According to residents of Kiboga, a village located along Hoima road, these two men have been killing and feeding on fellow village mates as people have always been disappearing without any trace not until these two men were suspected and later on captured with all the needed evidence.

1 person reached

The Central Bank of Nigeria has fined Standard Chartered Bank N2billion for foreign exchange infraction, an authoritative source told Thisday wednesday.

The bank, according to the source, drew the apex bank’s anger for buying $25million at the official rate and selling same way above the inter-bank market rate.

Apart from the hefty fine, the commercial bank’s treasurer is also said to have been suspended by the apex bank that has been battling to rein in unwholesome banking industry practises that have engendered a huge differential between the inter-bank and parallel market rates.

As part of its efforts to bridge the wide gap between the interbank and the Bureau De Change (BDC) segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market, the apex bank, the State Security Service (SSS), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Bureau De Change Operators (BDCs) also met yesterday over the need for the BDCs to adhere to the rules governing foreign exchange transactions.

A reliable source, who attended the closed-door meeting, said the federal government was concerned about the disparity in the FX rate among the three markets.

According to the source, the CBN and the security agencies present at the meeting made the BDC operators to understand that a lot of foreign investors are not comfortable with the wide gap between the three arms of the FX market and would only come in if the situation is addressed.

Therefore, it is anticipated that the initiative would encourage the inflow of FX from foreign portfolio investors.

The President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Mr. Aminu Gwadabe, who confirmed the development in a phone interview yesterday, said his members had pledged to cooperate with the government.

He explained: “We were told to follow the rules and make sure we cooperate with them. We have agreed to carry our members along on that, in ensuring that compliance is strictly observed. We have been sensitising our members and we have been holding meetings.

“We want to have same regulation that is happening within the banking industry for BDCs. If you go to any bank, you see the FX rates written boldly. So, we have promised the government that we would adhere to the rules. So, we are looking at a rate between N390/$ and N400/$. That is, we buy at N390/$ and sell at N400 to retail customers.”

He said the initiative was to make the parallel market unattractive.

“We already have a Rate Regulation Committee and we have an Enforcement and Surveillance Committee as well as a Sensitisation Committee. So, our business is now under strict surveillance by the security agencies and we have to protect it,” the ABCON president added.

THISDAY, however, learnt last night that some BDC operators who were caught selling FX above the stipulated limit were arrested by security agencies, both in Lagos and Abuja. Those arrested would be prosecuted in order to discourage others from flouting the FX regulations as well as the federal government’s objective.

A top executive of ABCON, who said he was not aware of the arrest, declined to comment on the exact number of BDC operators arrested.

Meanwhile, the naira reacted positively to the development on the parallel market as it appreciated to N460 to the dollar yesterday, stronger than the N465 to the dollar it closed the previous say. On the interbank FX market, the spot rate of the naira closed at N307.76 to the dollar yesterday, just as it went for N385 to the dollar on the BDC segment.

In a related development, the stock market reacted negatively to the news of Donald Trump’s election as US president. Specifically, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) fell by 0.72 per cent to 26,173.69, while market capitalisation shed N65.6 billion to close at N9.0 trillion.

Although the market has been bearish in the past six trading days, operators said the surprising victory of Trump must have further dampened investors’ confidence.

“We acknowledge the possibility that the surprise victory of Trump in the US presidential election could potentially further dampen sentiments, as investors weigh the potential impact on the country given the close trade relationship between Nigeria and the US,” analysts at Meristem Securities Limited said.

The global markets were calm as the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq stock indexes in the US were little changed after the first hour of trading.

The pre-open future markets forecast dramatic sell-offs when Trump’s lead became clear overnight.

Share traders had expected Hillary Clinton to beat Mr. Trump to become the next US president on the back of polling forecasts.

UK and European stock markets have made early losses, with money flowing into safe haven stocks, gold and currencies including the yen.

The UK’s FTSE 100 index initially dropped two per cent before recovering its losses to show a gain of 0.8 per cent in afternoon trading.

France’s Cac index and Germany’s Dax were back in positive territory after erasing losses of more than two per cent.

Yahaya Bello, is not dead, he is hale and hearty- Media aide says

Yahaya Bello, is not dead, he is hale and hearty- Media aide says

. The DG Media and Publicity to the governor, Fanwo Kingsley, this morning released a statement denouncing the rumor. According to him, Governor Yahaya is currently on break for two weeks and would resume office on Saturday November 12th. Read the statement after...

One year after, APC hasn't been able to manage its God-given victory-Rochas Okorocha

One year after, APC hasn't been able to manage its God-given victory-Rochas Okorocha

Imo state Governor and Chairman of the APC Governors forum, Rochas Okorocha, has said that APC has not been able to manage its God-given victory very well, one year and several months after the party won the presidential election.

Okorocha said this when he paid a visit to APC members in the Senate. He visited the Senators to seek solutions to the cold relationship between the executive arm of government, the National Assembly and the party

"I am here because I am a stakeholder. I am here as the Chairman of the Progressives Governors' Forum - your friends and colleagues in the struggle. Mr. Senate President, leaders of these great Senate, you may recall a few years ago that we were all in the trenches, in battle, asking for change in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I recall vividly the role most of you played in that very struggle. We became a government when no one gave us a chance to be so. And shortly, Nigerians believed in us and entrusted us with the responsibility of leading this nation. But one year and several months after, we have not been able to manage this God-given victory very well and it is very worrisome, Mr. Senate President. That Nigerians expects so much from us but yet we seem to be in crisis within ourselves. Not crisis made by the opposition parties but crisis created by ourselves for ourselves and which has kept us in total difficult position that we are not making the headway we need to make as a party. One wonders then what went wrong. Where did we get it wrong? And after these troubles and after the much hope we have given to Nigerians, we still cannot work together as a party, as a family. And I noticed particularly that there is so much bitterness in the system - from the party, from the legislature, from the executive, from the governors - and it seems to me like there is no more platform for us to chant those old songs which we used to sing in the days of struggle for change. One wonders, was this what we were asking for or was this the change we were asking for. 

I think Nigerians expect so much from us and at the end of it all. Nigerians will not ask us, how many of each other we have been able to destroy or how many we have been able to bring down. But they will ask us how many plates of food have we put on the table of the common man who elected us. So, I am here Mr. President of the Senate to call for unity among us and our party. And to sheath our sword in whatever form anger has gotten to us. We noticed and we know that we are a party in majority at the National Assembly and we are a party with majority in the number of governors - state houses of assembly - but we notice there is no cordial relationship between the Governors, the Executive and the legislature. And let me reemphasize that in all these arms of government, it is only the legislature with the executive that are the elected members. Not the Judiciary. And Nigerians will hold us responsible as the executive and legislative arms of government. So, we must act quickly to ensure peace reigns among us. I have discussed with the party - that was my first point of call - to seek what we must do to forge a way forward. 

The Governors recently met with the President all in a bid to move this party forward and bring about unity. Today, I am before you, the Senate President, number three citizen of this country and I ask you to use your wisdom to bring peace among our party. We need to enjoy that very vibrancy for which the National Assembly has been known for. We need to enjoy those things that PDP used to enjoy when they were a majority in the National Assembly. The APC government must see you as majority in the National Assembly not minority in the house. My Senate President, my Senate President, my Senate President, to whom much is given, much is expected and two wrongs can never make a right. It takes one arm of a relationship to make good the other. I liken my situation to what I see in my own government that it is difficult to succeed as an executive if you do not have the proper support of the legislature. 

I will appeal that we make amends where possible to ensure smooth running of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And we intend again, to hold a meeting between the executive, the legislature and the governors and the presidency as soon as possible. I may suggest that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, has also agreed to address the leadership of our party very soon. But before then, I think all the rough edges must be smoothened. So we can truly tell the world that we are the government in power - our government is in the majority. Again, I want to thank you for the time taken to receive me and pray that this very visit would mark a new beginning in our relationship. Thank you"he said