With the breath of fresh air ushered in by the new
administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, after a peaceful elections
and a successful handing over of power, Nigerians are expecting a
change that would lead to a better society within the duration of four
years.
President Buhari, INEC, unpaid workers’
salaries, First lady’s advice to those soliciting to see Mr. President
as well as some eminent Nigerians that have declared war against cancer
dominates the national dailies for Monday, June 15, 2015.
THISDAY
reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has in an exclusive interview
with ARISE News, a THISDAY sister television network, revealed that
he is not in a hurry to appoint ministers to his cabinet, and wondered why there was so much anxiety over the makeup of his cabinet.
The President, who spoke on Sunday, June 14, after the dinner held for the heads of government attending the
African Union (AU)
summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, among other issues, also
commented on the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate
president. He tasked members of the National Assembly to sort out the
division created from the election.
President Buhari on Sunday
also ordered the release of $21 million (N4.16 billion) out of the $100
million pledged by Nigeria to the Multi-national Joint Task Force
(MNJTF) set up by Nigeria, Republic of Benin, Cameroun, Chad and Niger
against the terror group.
He gave the directive while chairing
the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) meeting at the weekend in
Johannesburg. He said the order, which is in response to the decision by
the leaders of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and Benin in Abuja
to quickly fund the MNJTF with not less than $30 million should be
carried out in a week.
According to
THE UNION,
Independent National Electoral Commission may be facing serious issues
of property grab as terminal date of the incumbent nears with lobby for
extension. It was gathered that as some INEC’s leadership prepares to
wind up its five-year tenure ending this month, some of its
commissioners have allegedly engaged in a last-minute move to mop up
public assets and converting same for private use.
Reports say
while the Federal Government monetization policy is still operational,
some national commissioners of the commission have devised a means to
ensure private ownership of homes built for INEC staff in the Guzape
District of Abuja as parting gifts. This is even as intense lobby has
mounted for tenure renewal for top INEC officials, whose tenure would
elapse by end of the month.
It is reported that INEC chairman,
Prof. Attahiru Jega might have been nudged into extension scheme by
commissioners as well as some political influence wielders from the
northern part of the country. The lobbyists, it was gathered, are also
dropping card readers and PVCs as bait, arguing that a change of guard
at this time, might negatively affect future election as the card
readers may be jettisoned.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nick Dazang, deputy
director publicity and voters education for INEC denied knowledge of
such move. While speaking on the justification for the last-minute
foreign trips by the commission’s chairman and some officials, he said
the essence was to share experience and better the Nigerian electoral
process from the development so far.
Dazang said Jega and some
INEC big shots went to Mexico on the invitation of the Mexican
government to observe the elections, adding that the experience sharing
would better the country’s electoral process.
VANGUARD
investigations have revealed that huge expenditures on capital projects
and sundry overhead are part of the reasons many state governments are
unable to pay their workers’ salaries for some months now. Currently, no
fewer than 18 state governments currently owe their workers’ salaries
for periods ranging from two to 11 months as at the end of May, 2015.
The affected states comprised Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross
River, Ekiti, Imo, Katsina, Kogi, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers
and Zamfara.
It was gathered that the states pledged their
federal allocations to contractors executing various capital projects by
signing irrevocable payment orders with various banks. As a result,
payments to contractors and other debt instruments are deducted at
source and have become first line charge on their lean resources.
In
response to the indebtedness of some states government, the Nigeria
Labour Congress General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, on Sunday, June
14, said the body through the Transition Committee of the President has
sent the names of state governments owing workers months of unpaid
salaries and other benefits to President Muhammad Buhari for immediate
action.
Moving away from the indebtedness in some states,
THE NATION
reports that Nigeria’s First Lady, Aidha Buhari, while speaking on
Saturday night during an appreciation dinner at the old Banquet Hall of
the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in honour of All Progressives Congress
women and youths, who played a major role in President Muhammadu
Buhari’s victory in the March 28 election, warned influence peddlers
never to collect money from people who want to see the President.
The
first lady promised that Buhari’s administration would run an open
government that would be a clear departure from what obtained in the
former president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration when people were
allegedly asked to pay money in foreign currency before they could see
the President or his wife.
She, however, revealed that she did
not take part in the campaigns of her husband in the first three times
he contested and failed, noting that her active participation in the
last electioneering made the difference. She further revealed that APC
national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu encouraged her to play an
active role in the Buhari campaign.
Meanwhile,
some eminent Nigerians have declared war on cancer, which is not a
respecter of any individual and usually responsible for several deaths.
THE GUARDIAN
reports that the nation-wide campaign for early detection and treatment
of cancer on Sunday, June 14, got a boost as eminent Nigerians rallied
behind the ‘Big War Against Cancer’ initiative. The initiative, led by
the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) Nigeria, is
raising funds for 37 Mobile Cancer Centres (MCCs), at N120 million each,
to go round the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Abuja. It was reported that a total of about N4.44 billion would be
required.
The eminent Nigerians, who gathered at Banquet of Stars
Against Cancer (BOSAC) and celebration of Lagos State governor’s
birthday in Lagos, said early detection and treatment services were
critical to defeating the common enemy as well as to prevent over 240
cancer-related deaths daily in the country.
Notable Nigerians,
who pledged their support to the project include; Vice-President, Prof.
Yemi Osinbajo; Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode; his Deputy, Dr.
Idiat Adebule; Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III; Cardinal John
Onaiyekan; Prof. Pat Utomi and Fola Adeola. Others are Speaker of the
Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; Amb. Christopher Kolade;
Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema;
Publisher of The Guardian Newspapers, Maiden Ibru and Chairman of Heirs
Holdings, Tony Elumelu among others.
Speaking also at the event,
Dr. Abia Nzelu, executive secretary, CECP, said no fewer than 100,000
new cases of cancer are recorded in Nigeria yearly while 80,000 die as
four out of every five cancer patients die in the country.
With
his new object of display, the senator has taken after the national
chairman of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Chief Adisa
Akinloye, who got the brewers of Cognac Champagne to do a customized
brand in his name for his birthday celebration. Nigerians found it
offensive and never forgave Akinloye and his party for being so
outlandish and insensitive to the plight of the masses. Senator Melaye
has recently displayed his customized champagne with his picture on it.
This
is not be Senator Melaye’s first attempt at display of opulence; he
does not shy away from showing off his taste for the good things of
life. Earlier he showed off his ostentatious wealth in his paradise-like
home, the interior of which will leave your mouth agape for a while.
When he showed off his newly acquired car, a beastly Lamborghini, after
he was elected as a senator, he admonished people saying, “No vex, na
God”. The senator shows off his opulence using Instagram like a showbiz
celebrity.
Senator Dino Melaye once wrote on his Twitter page – “I destroy the poverty of ideas in your home”.
But it seems that he rather likes the idea of destroying poverty in his
own home primarily – otherwise he wouldn’t post his Lamborghini, his
Harley Davidson, his fancy sun glasses and his mansion on social
networks.
