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Hello Everyone,

The 2019 Presidential Election is just 45 days away.

All candidates will only be represented on the ballot paper with their political parties’ names and symbol.

Which candidate/political party has impressed or convinced you the most with his/her manifesto so far?

Let’s hear from you all.

Drop your comments.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has spelt out what he considered the ABC of fighting corruption.

The President also recommended this to young people in Africa to tackle the menace in their countries.

Buhari spoke at the launch of the African Youth Congress Against Corruption (AYCAC 2018) at the conference centre of the presidential villa, Abuja on Sunday.

According to him, “‘A’ stands for Action. Let us all move from talk to action. I urge you to develop tangible projects in your community to instil transparency and accountability of the highest standard.

“I look forward to receiving your Creed of Transparency from this Congress with a view to forwarding the recommendations to the next Summit of the African Union in February next year.

“‘B’ stands for Building Bridges. The youth have a unique opportunity to spearhead the building of inter-generational and cross-sectoral bridges in our various communities.

“Often, fighting corruption requires partnerships with unlikely allies. Be open to exploring constructive partnerships with a wide base of actors. Again, I look forward to all of you joining the Transparency Champions Network that was created following the Regional Youth Consultations.

“‘C’ stands for Culture. So, let us cultivate and equip ourselves with African culture, the right attitude and mindset change that will enable us to stand firmly against corruption. By so doing, accountability and change will begin with you.”

Speaking further, Buhari told the young people to own the fight against corruption.

He continued, “To the young people of Africa, this fight against corruption is yours to lead and to win in order to reverse the negative trends of corruption and it’s implications for Africa.

“The Youth of Africa must pool their energies to effectively ensure that our natural and mineral resources remain on the continent for value addition, job and wealth creation as well as to create affordable health-care and quality education for our people. Winning the fight against corruption is very much in your hands!

“Of particular interest to the youth, as reflected in the Nouakchott Declaration, is the emphasis on the imperative of investing in the demographic dividends through anti-corruption, education and sensitisation campaigns, targeting young people as a means of bringing about behavioural change.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that he has no preferred candidate in the forthcoming general elections.

Obasanjo said he would not tell Nigerians to vote or not to vote for any particular candidate, but should vote wisely.

Obasanjo, who some people believed had decided to support Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he needed Nigerians to vote for a credible candidate.

He made the remarks at the 27th annual Owu National Convention, held in Iwo, Osun on Saturday.

The former President, however, urged Nigerians to vote for credible candidates, who can liberate the country.

In his remark, Chairman, Supreme Council of Owu Obas, Oba Hammed Oyelude, said Owu, being the largest Yoruba speaking ethnic group in the South West, has been contributing to the development of Nigeria.

Hammed, who is the Olowu of Owu Kuta, said Royal Union of Owu People (ROUP) is not a political party, but must contribute to the policy direction of the country.

He called on Owu people to participate in politics, in order to have a say in the running of the affairs of the country and be able to contribute their quota.

Oyelude also called on sons and daughters of Owu to support and vote for any Owu indigene contesting for any political office.

OAP Daddy Freeze has reacted to the controversial video of Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka disgracing Peter Obi for not donating to his church.

At the 2018 harvest and bazaar yesterday, lots of politicians and dignitaries were present at Father Mbaka's ministry and they donated to his church project, including president Muhammadu Buhari who donated 2 million Naira through Senator Hope Uzodinma.

But when it got to Peter Obi's turn to donate, the former governor of Anambra state said he will see Mbaka later. Mbaka was not impressed and publicly shamed him by telling him that "God hates stinginess" and that he and Atiku will not win the 2019 election if they continue this way.

Well, Freeze thinks Mbaka was wrong and had a short message for him.

See below.

National Association of Nigerian Students, (NANS)

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged the federal government to stop treating tertiary education across the country with levity.

The student union gave the charge on Monday in Minna when it protested the shutdown of academic activities in some federal universities by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU).

ASSU had three weeks ago mobilised its members on an industrial strike, demanding the release of N1.1 trillion to fund public universities.

The students in a peaceful protest tagged: ‘Save Education Rally’ decried incessant strikes in the education sector and called on the federal government to shift ground on the matter.

They bear placards with inscriptions such as: “FG should meet up their agreement with COEASU”, “Nigerian students are tired of unstable education”, “Save education save the future”, “stop mortgaging our future”, “Education is the future we have”, “No nation can survive without good education”.

NANS Zone A Coordinator, Umar Faruk Lawal, said there is endemic decay in the sector which requires urgent intervention, adding that although the agreement which led to the ongoing face off was reached before the current administration assumed power but government is continuum.

He also urged the federal government to refrain from treating the issue with levity.

“We are not happy with the federal government, all our institutions are shut down, we are not happy with the way things are going in the education system. Nigeria students should be called back to the classrooms.

“We are not happy that all our institutions are shut down by ASUU, COEASU and NASU. Federal government should look into the sector and do something about it. The students are not happy sitting down at home”, he said.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar says if elected, he will implement policies that will foster development of the Entertainment industry and protect practitioners against piracy.

The document highlighted the issues affecting the creative and entertainment industry including inadequate access to funding.

Intellectual property theft, piracy, uncoordinated distribution channels and lack of access to tax incentives were also listed as major issues.

He pledged to “Enact right policies and legislations that will provide the latest infrastructure, financial and business development facilities.

“Provide specific finance and strategic support tailored to each segment of the entertainment industry,” he said.

Atiku also stated that his policy objective will be focused on demonstrating the potential of the entertainment and creative industry in Nigeria including the promotion of Nollywood and Kannywood.

The policy document further states that this is to contribute to economic growth and job creation, as well as providing a road map for the sector’s development.

The policy document seeks to “create interventions schemes focused on offering subsidy to the creative arts industry in order to promote stand-alone businesses.” (NAN)

It has been over two weeks since the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embark on an indefinite strike and yet nothing meaningful has come out of their meeting with the government concerning the strike. ASUU at its NEC meeting of 3rd and 4th November, 2018, at the FUTA, resolved to resume the national wide strike action it suspended in September, 2017 and yet nothing tangible has been done to avert the situation.

Reacting to this, the National President of the ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi said all entreaties made to the Federal Government to honour the agreement with the union fell on deaf ears and they had no other alternative but to begin the strike action. This is sad news as the strike compares students to stay away from the school activities and examination.

This is a sad turn of event as most students are praying earnestly for the Federal Government to fulfill their promise to ASUU so as the strike could be called off as they were preparing for their examination and some universities were already writing examination before the commencement of the strike. Many students whose parents could not afford their transport fare back home due to the fact that they were not anticipating the strike and therefore did not make provisions for it are still roaming around the campuses aimlessly.

While interacting with some students concerning the ongoing strike, Salmat Abdulwaheed, an M.Sc student in the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano expresses her worry when she said that “this strike has really disorganised my plans. Personally, my plan was to do my internal defence before the end of this year but as it is now, I am not sure whether the internal defence will hold this year. But why would the Federal Government renege on their agreement when they have the money? I am pleading with the Federal Government to settle ASUU so that we can go back to school”.

Corroborating this, Abubakar Aliyu Abba, a lecturer at Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State, in the Department of Mass Communication also established that the strike is indeed a setback to students and lecturers alike. He pointed out that ASUU should dialogue with the Federal Government in order to come up with a lasting solution so that students can be able to go back to school and do their defence as well as those that were writing examination”.

There is no gainsaying to acknowledge the efforts tabled by the Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and that of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige towards seeing that the strike is called off. However, I must confess that their effort is not yielding any good since ASUU and the Federal Government have not reached an agreement. They should do more by ensuring that the demands of ASUU is met in the shortest time as this will redeem their image in the sight of the students and also print their names in the sands of time.

Aondover Eric Msughter, Bayero University, Kano

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, November 19th, opened its case against a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, who is being prosecuted for an alleged N2.2bn fraud before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos .

Fayose was arraigned alongside his company, Spotless Investment Limited, on October 22, 2018 on an 11-count charge bordering on fraud and money laundering to the tune of N2.2bn.

The former governor is facing trial in connection with N1.299bn and $5.3m out of the N4.65bn slush funds allegedly shared by the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, through a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.

Fayose pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him and was granted bail in the sum of N50m with one surety in like sum. The Judge had adjourned to Monday, November 19, 2018 for the commencement of trial.

In the course of the sitting, a prosecution witness, Lawrence Akande, told the court that one Abiodun Agbele informed him sometime in June 2014 that he had about N1.2 billion cash lodgement to make in Akure,Ondo State.

Akande, an employee of Zenith Bank Plc in charge of South West comprising Ogun, Oyo and Osun States, further told the court that he subsequently received a call from the first defendant in respect of the same issue earlier discussed with him by Agbele.

"Since the lodgement was in Akure, I had to call my colleague there to follow up on it. This is all I know about it, " he added.

When asked if he knew about the company, Spotless Investment Limited, Akande, who was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, stated that it was one of his bank's customers at the Dugbe branch.

When he was shown the account opening document of Spotless Nigeria Limited, De Privateer Limited and Still Earth Limited as well as account document of the first defendant, the witness confirmed the documents. They were tendered and admitted in evidence as exhibita A-D by the court.

When asked where the account of the first defendant was domiciled, he said: " It is not domiciled within my domain. "But from the documents before me here, I can see Apapa", he said.

Asked to state if the People's Democratic Party, PDP, maintained an account with his bank, the witness said so many parties, including PDP, had accounts with his bank.

Under cross-examination by counsel to the first defendant, Kanu Agabi, SAN, the witness told the court that he made statements to the EFCC on June 6, 2016. He, however, said that he did not mention the first defendant in his earlier statement. "I only mentioned him in my subsequent statements to the EFCC ," he added.

When the defence counsel told him that his evidence was based on what he was told by his colleague, whom he said handled the transactions in Akure, he responded that “I was told how the cash was processed.”

He also stated that he had sought patronage by the first defendant for opening of government account with his bank in line with his responsibility of looking for deposits.

During cross-examination by counsel to the second defendant, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, Akande confirmed to the court that a person who is not a signatory to an account cannot make withdrawals from such account.

"There are withdrawal limits in every account and where withdrawals are to be made above the stipulated limits, it is reported to the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to investigate such transaction," he further stated.

When asked if his bank ever lodged any report of suspicious transactions on the various company accounts, he said: “We had no reason to do so."

Also, when asked if he told the EFCC that before the account opening of De Privateer, the sum of N200 million was lodged in the account, he answered in the affirmative.

When asked if he was aware that the PDP organised a fund raiser before the election and that political parties do organise fund raising, the witness said, " It is not impossible. But I don’t know."

Akande, who confirmed that he had not had any dealing with the account of the second defendant, also told the court that the CCTV installed in the bank usually captures customers making lodgements in the bank, except it is faulty.

A second prosecution witness, Abiodun Oshodi, who is the Zonal Head of the bank covering South West 2 comprising Ondo, Kwara and Ekiti, recalled some developments in 2014 in relation to the case, saying, "I received a call from my colleague (Akande) that Agbele would be coming to make some lodgments and that I should organise a bullion van. I waited for Agbele who arrived with one Sadiku and some escorts. Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the then Minister of State for Defence, and his aide, also accompanied them. As soon as the aircraft arrived, I moved with the bullion van towards the plane to evacuate the money.

"The total sum amounted to N1.2 billion. They were lodged into accounts supplied by Agbele. Others include Spotless Nigeria Limited, De Privateer Limited as well as personal account of former governor, Fayose. Some cash were taken to Ado-Ekiti."

When asked to look at the deposits in the account of Spotless Limited from June 17 to Aug 4, 2014, Oshodi, who also supervises all branches in the three localities, told the court that there was a lodgment of N100 million on June 17. On June 23, there was a cash lodgement of N49 milion. On June 24, there was a cash lodgement of N200,000 while on August 4, there was a cash lodgement of N40 million.

"On same August 4, there were also cash lodgements in the sums of N35 million, N35 million, N24 million, N20 million and N14 million respectively," he added.

The witness told the court that Agbele made the deposit on June 17.

He, however, said that from the statement before him, the depositor's name on August 4 was given as Ayo.

A third prosecution witness, Olaitan Fajuyitan, a banker in Diamond Bank, told the court about the involvement of the bank in the transaction, saying , "We received payment instructions on June 16, 2014 to pay cash of N1.2bn. We then moved the funds to CITS account. On the same process on June 17, 2014, we paid N200 millon."

The account details, account statement and instructions were tendered and admitted as exhibit E.

He confirmed to court that the money was legitimate, since it was received from the Office of the National Security Adviser NSA, through the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

PW3 mentioned the beneficiaries of disbursement funds as: Santuraki Bello( N200m); Yusuf Ulama (N120m); Chmenun Injoku( N250m); Josaha Moses( N250m); Abubaka Sodiq Zanna (N200m) and Franklin Tolani (N150m), respectively.

Also, the fourth prosecution witness, PW4, Damola Otuyemo, Head, Cash in Transit in Service, Diamond Bank, said his duties involved evacuating cash from a bank that has surplus and supplying banks that do not have enough.

He said on June 16, 2014, his Director, Premier Oiwoh, informed him that they needed to pay a sum of N1.2bn cash to a customer, and that he should get the cash ready.

He said because the beneficiaries were not available to pay the cash to, he was told by his Director to move the cash to the airport.

He said: "We had to contact a company that operates bullion vans and moved the cash to the Muritala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos .

"On getting to the Airport, we could not have access to enter. So, my Director spoke to Gbolahan Obanikoro, who was described as the person that could help us to proccess the pass. He did and we then entered. After, this Musilu Obanikoro was phoned and the cash was handed over to him. Obanikoro told me not to evacute the cash because it had to be loaded in aircraft", he said

Giving further evidence, he said: " The whole cash was moved into the aircraft and they left the airport.

"We did not see the six beneficiaries. We released the cash to Mr Musilu Obanikoro, having been identified by my Director. It was Obanikoro who signed for the money. On June 17, 2014, my Director called me and instructed that I pay a sum of N200m to Malik Bauchi. He said we should waive identification.

"But because the amount was too much, we did not waive the identification, and the money was paid to Obanikoro. They used a cash bag called "jumbo bags" to pack N1.2bn and Ghana- must-go bags to pack N200m. The cash was handed over to Musliu Obanikoro".

Justice Olatoregun adjourned the matter to January 21 and 28, 2019 for continuation of trial.

Read President Buhari's full speech below.

Fellow Nigerians,

Today is a day of celebration and solemn reflection. It is the anniversary of the day Nigerians realised one of the most cherished of human desires – the desire for freedom. We, therefore, give thanks to and remember our founding fathers who laboured so hard and sacrificed so much to build and bequeath to us this wonderful nation. It is our duty to consolidate this great legacy.

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2. On this first October date and on the eve of the start of the general election cycle, we should do well to reflect on what binds us together and the great strength our diversity bestows on us. Ours is an ambitious nation, and, as citizens we have every right to look forward to the future with confidence and optimism which are well founded, considering where we find ourselves today.

3. There has been a steady improvement in the security situation in the North East. We remain committed to ending the crisis and make the North East safe for all.

4. Our thoughts and prayers are always with the victims of the Boko Haram’s atrocities and their families. Beyond that, we know that the goals of the Boko Haram terrorists include capturing territories, destroying our democracy and denying our children the right to education. We will not allow them to succeed.

5. I want at this point to pay tribute to the men and women of our armed forces, the Police and other security and law enforcement agencies, who have been working under the most difficult conditions to keep the country safe. In the process, many have made the supreme sacrifice.

6. As their Commander -In- Chief, I assure these our gallant men and women that I will continue to empower them by deepening their professionalism and providing all the necessary force multipliers and enablers required for them to prevail on the field. I am looking into all reported cases of inadequacies in relation to their entitlements, their welfare and those of their families.

7. We are diversifying away from reliance on oil to increased manufacturing capacity, solid minerals development, and agriculture.

8. Efforts are on course in the Niger Delta to clean up polluted lands, restore hopes of the youths in the region and re-establish livelihoods, and strengthen their capacity to guarantee for themselves and for our country a brighter future.

9. The age-long conflict between herders and farmers that was being exploited by those seeking to plant the seeds of discord and disunity amongst our people, is being addressed decisively. We will sustain and continue to support the commendable efforts by all including civil society organisations, local and states governments and our traditional and religious leaders in finding durable solution to this problem.

10. This being a transhumance issue, we are working with countries in our region that are also facing similar difficulties to complement our common efforts. In this context I must warn that the perpetrators of murder and general mayhem in the name of defending or protecting herders or farmers will face the full wrath of the law. Meanwhile, we urge all peace loving Nigerians to reject any simplistic portrayal, at home or abroad, of this conflict as either religious or ethnic based.

11. We are one of the countries in the world most affected by environmental degradation, as a consequence of climate change. We are signatories to almost all conventions and agreements aimed at slowing down the effect of climate change and mitigating its now evident consequences.

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12. The consequences on lives and livelihoods of the shrinking of the Lake Chad and the pollution caused by oil exploitation activities alone make it mandatory on us to be at the forefront of the struggle for a safer and more sustainable environment. We will continue to mobilise international support for our efforts in this regard.

13. We are making progress in the fight against corruption and recovery of stolen public funds and assets despite vicious and stiff resistance. The shameful past practice, of the brazen theft of billions of Naira is no more. Shady oil deals and public contracts that were never delivered have become things of the past.

14. Consequently, and this is very evident across the country, we have done more with less in infrastructural developments. Roads, railways, major bridges, schools, energy and power, air and sea ports, welfare of serving and retired personnel both civilian and military including payment of legacy debt such as pension arrears, have been attended to.

15. There is now an enabling environment for local and foreign investment in Nigeria. We are building a rules-based system - a level playing field that is free from fixers and intermediaries. This is the cornerstone to help genuine investors and honest consumers, and the platform that will allow for the real reforms that we intend to deliver over the coming years.

16. We are gradually strengthening the economy with a stable Naira and falling inflation rate. We are building an economy that is moving away from over reliance on oil. Consequently we have witnessed massive return to farms and seen bumper harvest, despite recurrent floods across the country.

17. These positive developments are the result of our collective pursuit of a common vision through hard work and dedication, after the missed opportunities and disappointments that followed the return to democracy in 1999.

18. At the forefront, have always been our youths. They have been at the vanguard of the struggle for independence. They fought in the war to keep the country united. And it was they who kept alive the struggle for democracy and human rights in our country at times when these were at risk, especially following the June 12th 1993 election and the historic 2015 election process.

19. Even today, our youths play a central role in Nigeria’s continuing progress and developments in all fields of our national endeavour –technology, agriculture, mining, engineering and especially the creative arts. Together we are building a more diverse, inclusive and self-reliant economy.

20. In the past three years we have introduced many policies and programmes targeted at youth development and youth empowerment. We support the ‘not too young to run’ legislation aimed at giving the youths greater say in our national politics and governance.

21. The school feeding program in primary schools is aimed at encouraging enrolment and attendance. We are building on what we have already introduced to support schools and universities to which funds have recently been released for upgrade of facilities, training programs for our entrepreneurs, and rehabilitation schemes for victims of terrorism and human trafficking.

Fellow Nigerians,
22. Now we have in our hands technology that is a powerful tool that we can and should use for knowledge and understanding. As with other countries, we must also learn how to manage those tendencies that, instead, look to abuse new technologies to provoke passions and stir tensions.

23. Never before have we faced such a challenge. We must all rise to the responsibility of shutting out those disruptive and corrosive forces that hide in today’s world of social media. We need critical minds and independent thinking, to question and question until we are satisfied we have the facts. Otherwise, all the progress we have made as a democracy since 1999 is at stake.

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24. I have committed myself many times to ensure that elections are fully participatory, free and fair and that the Independent National Electoral Commission will be exactly INDEPENDENT and properly staffed and resourced. The ballot box is how we make our choice for the governments that rule in our name.

Fellow Nigerians,
25. Developing a thriving democracy is not an easy task. There can be no quick fixes or short cuts. These are the most important lessons that we have learnt in our 58 years as an independent nation.

26. At the international level, we remain a responsible and respected member of the international community, playing active positive roles within ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations as well as all other regional and international organisations and institutions of which we are members.

27. We will continue to support initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges of our times: global and regional crises and conflicts, terrorism, trans-border crime, climate change, human rights, gender equality, development, poverty and inequality within and between nations, etc. In this context, we are working hard to achieve both the AU 2063 Agenda for socio-economic transformation of our continent; and the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, which together aim at addressing these challenges

Fellow Nigerians,
28. As we celebrate the 58th Anniversary of our independence, we know we are on the right path. Although we have our differences, they count for far less than the values, virtues and common aspirations that unite us as a nation. We have so much for which we should be grateful, and in which we should rightly take pride. Our journey is not finished but we have come a long way.

29. I want to assure you that as President, I will continue to work tirelessly to promote, protect and preserve what really matters: a united, peaceful, prosperous and secure Nigeria, where all, irrespective of background, can aspire to succeed.

Thank you. I wish you a memorable independence celebration.

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The Plateau state contingent to the FOCAC summit in China had successfully landed at the Abuja International Airport about 1.45am on Thursday 6th September, 2018 with lots of good news to the business community in the state.

Of all the foreign Investment drives of the incumbent administration in Plateau state embarked upon since assumption of office of the Lalong administration, the latest outing to Beijing, China, by taking advantage of the summit of the Forum on China-African Cooperation has been adjudged the most productive and successful, having signed MoU with Chinese investors who indicated their desires to take advantage of the favourable business climate in Plateau to expand their businesses.

For instance, an MoU was signed with .... to invest in green house agricultural production.

Similarly, a transportation company is willing to partner with the Plateau Express Service Limited, the proprietors of Plateau Riders, to supply 100 busses to the company and also partner in the management of the transaction fleet in order to ensure the busses are well maintained.

I want to use this medium to appreciate His Excellency Barr Simon Bako Lalong for finding me worthy to be part of the delegation, and at a point bestowed the leadership of the delegation on me, despite the cream of highly respectable personalities in the Plateau contingent.

For instance, the leadership of Plateau Contingent was bestowed on me to lead Plateau contingent to Nigerian Embassy in Beijing, where President Buhari addressed a group of selected Nigerians living in China.

It was indeed a worthy outing with the potentials to turn around the fortune of Plateau state business-wise.

I will not forget to appreciate the people of Kantana constituency upon which their mandate I got to China. this rare privilege and display of confidence in me.

Rt. Hon Yusuf Gagdi, (Dan Malikin Kanam). I represent Kantana state constituency and Aspirant for Pankshin Kanke Kanam in the Federal House of Representatives, Abuja.