BREAKING: Read Names of Nnamdi Kanu's Sureties

Finally, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu fulfills bail conditions and may walk home anytime from now
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Enyinnaya Abaribe (Senator), Immanu-El Shalom (Jewish High Priest) & Tochukwu Uchendu (Abuja-based Chartered Accountant) signed the bail bonds.

This fulfills the primary bail terms which includes three sureties who must be a high-ranking member of the society, a Jewish high priest and a top ranking Abuja resident respectively. Each guarantor also paid N100 million each as part of the bail conditions spelt out by Justice Bunts Nyako while granting him bail Wednesday, 26 April.

Nig. Govt Scraps HND, Merges Polys With Universities

THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved a comprehensive reform of Nigeria's tertiary education system, scrapping the award of the Higher National Diploma (HND) by the nation's polytechnics.
In effect, the award of the HND will be limited to only the students currently admitted for the programmes.
Also, all the programmes currently being run by the polytechnics, which are not technology-based, and which are about 70 per cent,
will be scrapped.
Under the new rule, the polytechnics will now become campuses of the proximate universities with the Vice Chancellors of those
universities appointing provosts for the polytechnics, subject to the ratification of the Universities Councils.
The polytechnics will now be limited to award of the National Diploma (ND) while those desirous of further education will be awarded
the Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) by the proximate university.
To kick-start the new policy, the nation's two most prominent polytechnics - Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic -
will henceforth be known as City University of Technology, Yaba and City University of Technology, Kaduna.
And to give legal teeth to these approvals, the FEC approved the submission of two Executive bills to the National Assembly for enactment into law.
With education being on the concurrent list, the states may wish to consolidate their tertiary institutions. But if they do not wish to follow the federal example, their programmes will continue to be regulated by the relevant agencies of the Federal Ministry of Education.
The first bill will concretise the setting up of the two city universities while the second will approve the preparation and consolidation
of all federal polytechnics and colleges of education as campuses of proximate universities.
The Ministry of Justice will do the preparation and submission of the two bills to the National Assembly.
Minister of Education, Mall. Adamu, told journalists after the weekly meeting of the council that under the reform measures, her ministry would, however, continue to licence private polytechnics and colleges of education for the award of qualification at ND and National Certificate in Education (NCE) levels.
She said: "There will be no more award of HND.
After we have exhausted the current students under the programme, there will be no more award of HND. This means that there will be no fresh admission for HND programmes. And in addition, any programme that is not technical will be out of the polytechnics. About 70 per cent of polytechnic graduates are in the non-technical courses. It is going to be a rigorous implementation programme."
A ministerial committee to ensure the smooth implementation of all that is required for the take-off of the reform initiatives is to begin work immediately.
Mall. Adamu said: "The HND certificate will remain a legal tender in Nigeria and holders of such certificate will continue to be recognised as the equivalent of first degree holders without discriminatory remunerations and limit to progression in the work place.
The NCE certificate will be retained as the minimum teaching qualification at the basic level of education. Any higher qualifications by
these private or state-owned polytechnics will be only affiliation with a university. So, HND is no longer in existence, but existing HND will be respected and considered legal tender."
The council also approved the Federal Government's formal take-over of the Waziri Umaru Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, which will be the College of Technology campus of the Othman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, as well as the Hussein Adamu Polytechnic, Kazaure,
Bauchi, which will be a College of Technology of the proximate university in the state.
Also, the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, Imo State, has been taken over as a campus of the Federal University of
Technology, Owerri.
A state that had never had any federal institution, like Bayelsa, is to have a College of Technology as a campus of the College of Technology of the University of Port Harcourt.
Also, Bali, in Taraba State, is to have a college of technology.

Surprising Revelations in Olusegun Adeniyi's New Book; Tinubu, Jonathan, Obasanjo Speak on Burning Issues

A National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has alleged that Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, worked against the plan to make him President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 presidential election.

Tinubu stated that Saraki, El-Rufai and other stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party, who defected to the APC in the build-up to the 2015 elections, instigated Buhari and some APC chieftains not to pick him as the would-be Vice-President.

The APC leader’s comments were contained in a book titled ‘Against the Run of Play,’ written by the Chairman, Editorial Board of ThisDay, Olusegun Adeniyi.

Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos State, said his opponents persuaded Buhari to look for another running mate on the grounds that Christians in the North would not embrace a Muslim-Muslim ticket, and as such, could jeopardise the party’s victory.

The former governor said the arguments put forward by the party members were not genuine, adding that El-Rufai had the intention to ensure the emergence of the Serving Overseer of The Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Buhari’s running mate.

Tinubu added, “What they (Saraki and others from the PDP) did behind my back was wrong. We always do things as a group. By the time they joined, we were already too far ahead in our processes but we accommodated them.

“We agreed to take their state structures and subsume them into the part and they all had their opportunity to nominate the candidates of their choices for different political offices.

“But they went behind to instigate Buhari and some other people in the party against me on the pretext of religion. That was not right. They were canvassing arguments that the Christians in the North would not vote for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“Nasir el-Rufai was also selling the same argument within the CPC (the defunct Congress for Progressive Change) because at that point, he still wanted to have Pastor Bakare brought in as Buhari’s running mate.”

Tinubu stated that some senators and governors then, who defected from the PDP to the APC, met with him on the eve of the primaries to know if there was an agreement between him and Buhari to run together.

He said he evaded the inquiry, which compelled the allies to join him in canvassing for Buhari as the right presidential candidate of the party.

“I told them that it was better to resolve such issue after the primaries, but they wanted to make it a condition for supporting Buhari, which, for me, was very wrong. I told them I could not insist on this as a condition for my support for Buhari. I felt that was not right to hold Buhari hostage in this manner.

“I believe the support that we gave was fundamental to Buhari clinching the party nomination. Without that support, a different outcome would have been most likely,” Tinubu added.

He noted that Buhari later requested him to nominate three persons for the job, but he (Tinubu) presented only Yemi Osinbajo as his ultimate choice.

 “I backed down because I did not want to be depicted as causing a problem. I backed away from the position in order to offer Buhari a name I once raised with him in 2011: that of Professor Yemi Osibanjo,” he added.

 2015 election, outcome of Nigerians will, US replies to Jonathan

Meanwhile, the United States, on Wednesday, declared that the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 was the expression of the will of Nigerians.

The US government said this in response to allegations by Jonathan that his electoral defeat in the 2015 election was partly caused by former US President Barack Obama and his officials.

He alleged that the US worked with France and the United Kingdom to frustrate his failed re-election bid in 2015.

“The US advocated a free, fair and transparent election. The election outcome was an expression of the will of the Nigerian people,” the US embassy spokesman, Russel Brooks, said on Wednesday.

I advised Jonathan against appointing Diezani petroleum minister – Obasanjo

Meanwhile, former President Olusegun Obasanjo claimed he advised ex-President Goodluck Jonathan against giving Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke a critical portfolio.

The ex-President stated that there were decisions taken by Jonathan early in his administration that showed that the Presidency was too big for him.

According to him, one of such decisions was the appointment of Alison-Madueke as the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

“He (Jonathan) gave me the impression that he was not going to give her the portfolio (petroleum ministry), but at the end, he did and we can see the consequences. He, of course, knew what he was doing,” he stated.

‘In 2011, I pleaded with prominent northerners to let Jonathan run for a term’

Obasanjo also explained why he supported Jonathan to contest the 2011 presidential election.

He said he pleaded with prominent people in the North to allow Jonathan run for a term.

The former President explained that he met with many northern leaders to explain to them why he endorsed Jonathan for the 2011 presidential election.

Obasanjo stated, “I saw the emergence of Jonathan as an opportunity to solve the problem of minority agitation. The three majority ethnic groups in Nigeria can always sort themselves out, but not so for the minority.

“A good example is my state here in Ogun. Despite the best intentions, nobody from Ogun West has been able to become governor because of this minority issue and it will take a conscious effort to make it happen. So, it was in that contest that I had to plead with prominent people in the North to allow Jonathan run for a term.”

US not comfortable with Jonathan as Yar’Adua’s successor

The book also stated that there were indications that the United States was not comfortable with Jonathan as a successor of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

These facts emerged from WikiLeaks’ publications of the US Department of State memos.

The book cited a memo, dated December 1, 2009, written by the then US Ambassador, Robin Sanders.

“Dark rumours about Yar’Adua’s health have given way to broad fears that Yar’Adua is likely entering his final days,” it stated.

Giving its verdict on the then Vice-President Jonathan, the US embassy wrote, “We are preparing a report (septel) on the baggage that Jonathan will carry with him into the state House as there have been past reports of corruption, political thuggery and payments to ‘militant factions’ from his days as Governor of Bayelsa State as well as questions about his competency in general.”

The US embassy cable, according to the book, also cited  $13.5m allegedly seized by the EFCC from Jonathan’s wife,  Dame Patience.

 Copyright PUNCH.  

Atiku Renews Call for Restructuring

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says Nigeria is currently at a crossroads as poverty, unemployment, inflation, infant mortality and other social vices are on the increase.

He, therefore, called on Nigerians to unite in the demand for true federalism.

Atiku said this while delivering his speech at the formal public presentation of the Daily Stream newspaper in Abuja on Thursday.

He said, “A huge pall of pessimism hangs over a section of the citizenry, and the ranks of those who harbour real doubt about the future of the country swell by the day.

“The country is truly at a crossroads, and things are made worse by the cocktail of economic, social and political problems which we have had to contend with, and which add to the abysmally low estimation of our country even by its own citizens.”

The former Vice-President recalled that life was better in the First Republic because each region was allowed to grow at its own pace while the Federal Government was weaker.

Atiku, however, noted that following the creation of states, the Federal Government became very powerful while the federating units became poor, thereby, deepening poverty among the populace

He added, “Our beloved country has been in the throes of severe and debilitating social and economic problems. Virtually all the development indices have not been favourable: massive and pervasive poverty, double-digit inflation, unemployment, dwindling foreign exchange receipts, poor GDP growth rates, high infant and maternal mortality, high levels of illiteracy, and millions of school-age children out of school.”

Atiku said the many problems facing the nation were already threatening the unity and the existence of the country. He, therefore, urged Nigerians to come together to renegotiate the terms of our union.

The former vice-president said no leader could make far-reaching positive changes in the country except the current political structure is changed.

He added, “To be sure, good leaders do make a difference in the fortunes of countries. However, leaders operate within structural constraints imposed by constitutions, laws and regulations and the local and world economy.

“But the most germane question we need to ask ourselves is: must we really continue to live together as one country amidst such a pervasive climate of disunity, which is impeding our development?

“My prompt answer to this is yes, we should remain together because it is the best option, and because we will be stronger, greater, and better in one piece than in pieces.”

Attempts to get reactions of President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, did not succeed. He had not responded  to an email and   an SMS sent to him as of the time of sending this report.

Copyright PUNCH

President Buhari Suspends Intelligence Chief, Sec to Fed. Govt.

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into the allegations of violations of law and due process made against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal, in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

The President has also directed the suspension of the SGF from office pending the outcome of the investigations.

In a related development, the President has ordered a full scale investigation into the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, over which the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has made a claim.

Femi Adesina, special adviser to the President,  media and publicity, said in a State House press release that the investigation is also to enquire into the circumstances in which the NIA came into possession of the funds, how and by whose or which authority the funds were made available to the NIA, and to establish whether or not there has been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds.

The President has also directed the suspension of the Director General of the NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke, pending the outcome of the investigation.

A three-man Committee comprising the Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the National Security Adviser, headed by the Vice President, is to conduct both investigations.

The Committee is to submit its report to the President within 14 days.

The most senior Permanent Secretary in the SGF's office, and the most senior officer in the NIA, are to act, respectively, during the period of investigation.