OONI'S THRONE - GIESI RULING HOUSE COMMENCES SCREENING OF 17 CANDIDATES.

As the Osun State Government initiates the process for the selection of new Ooni of Ile-Ife, the Giesi Ruling House of Ile-Ife has set up another screening committee to verify all the 17 contenders that have shown interest to contest the vacant stool.

A reliable source on Tuesday informed  in Osogbo that the screening committee superseded the one earlier put in place to collate and ascertain the intention of all the candidates.

No fewer than 31 candidates had signified interest to occupy the stool before they were reduced to 17.

EFCC ARRAIGNS FOUR OVER N1.2BN PENSION SCAM.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday  arraigned four persons before an Abuja High Court for their involvement in an alleged pension scam running to the tune of N1.2 billion.

According to a statement signed by EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the accused persons, allegedly smuggled fake names into the pensioners’ register when they were offered a biometric contract to regularise the names of pensioners on the pension payroll, by the former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsaye.

The four accused persons arraigned  before Justice Abubakar Talba on a 29-count charge bordering on conspiracy, and obtaining by false pretence, allegedly smuggled in the names of fake pensioners, and collected unearned pensions.

According to the statement: “The four accused persons - Ibrahim Ahmed Mazangari, Muhammed Sani Sulaiman, Hajia Fatima Mazangari and Saleh Yerima Tsojon, were alleged to have obtained N1.2 billion from the federal government by false pretence and with intent to defraud, purporting same to be monthly pension payable to M. S. Suleiman, Saleh Yerima Tsojon, Isah U. Adamu, Daniel Mikano, and Abdulahi Garba Musa who were falsely held out at pensioners of the federal government, by inserting their names in the pensioners’ payroll.”

Uwujaren added that the alleged fraud involved two companies, which are Xangee Technologies Limited and Century Construction Company Limited.

FACING AFRICA'S DEEPENING POVERTY.

Africa’s poverty situation was put on the front burner when Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina was sworn in as the new President of African Development Bank in Abidjan, early this month. Lack of critical infrastructure, such as electricity, denies most economies on the continent the badly needed productive base for sustainable growth and development. This is a serious challenge the AfDB boss has pledged to confront from five priority areas: electricity, food production, economic integration, industrialisation and improvement in the quality of life.

According to him, electricity is the most significant because of its multiplier effect. Unfortunately, power is not available to two-thirds of Africa and this explains why the International Energy Agency says that additional $450 billion investment is required in the power sector to, at least, reduce the problem by 50 per cent, and make every urban dweller have access to power by 2040. It is this consciousness that propelled Adesina to pledge: “We must light up and power Africa…Energy is the engine that powers.”

TREASURY SINGLE ACCOUNT - BANKS MOVE N1.2TN INTO CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA.

Banks were, yesterday, busy with the transfer of an estimated N1.2 trillion of public sector funds to the Central Bank of Nigeria in compliance with the Federal Government directive on Treasury  Single Account, TSA.

As the deadline for the implementation of the  Treasury Single Account for MDAs closed, yesterday, Nigerian banks were sorting out accounts of MDAs the CBN circulated among banks to identify which of the accounts was domiciled in their banks.

As a result, there was no trading between banks. According to , banks made no bids on the inter-bank money market yesterday as they were engaged on how to comply with the directive to transfer government revenues into a single account with the Central Bank.

PRESIDENCY UNDER PRESSURE TO RELOCATE ASO ROCK VILLA CHAPEL & MOSQUE.

Indications emerged last night that despite denials by top officials of the administration, the Presidency had come under pressure to relocate the Villa Chapel, where Christians have been worshipping on Sundays.

Informed Presidency sources familiar with the location of the Villa Chapel, which was built and inaugurated by President Olusegun Obasanjo, is said to be too close to Buhari’s bedroom and kitchen and must give way.

Findings show that unlike Obasanjo who deliberately built the church to be close to his official residence so that he could enjoy worship and prayers from the comfort of his bedroom, the same would not apply to the new president, who is of a different faith.

NORTHERN LEADERS DEMAND FRESH NATIONAL CONFERENCE.

Northern leaders, mainly former political office holders from the zone, on Tuesday canvassed against the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference convened by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

The northerners said the Jonathan’s government had its agenda for setting up the confab and that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari could not work with the outcome of the 2014 conference.

The northern ex-political office holders, under the aegis of the Northern Reawakening Forum, asked Buhari to convene a fresh National Conference, specifically to address some pertinent issues affecting the North-East and other parts of the region.

WE ARE NEGOTIATING WITH BOKO HARAM OVER RELEASE OF CHIBOK GIRLS - PRESIDENT BUHARI.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that the Federal Government had begun negotiations with members of the Boko Haram sect to secure the release of the Chibok girls.

The President disclosed this while responding to questions from members of the Nigerian community in France under the aegis of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation.

Buhari said that he was worried by the continued stay of the girls in the camps of Boko Haram since April 14, 2014 when they were abducted by Boko Haram fighters.

NIGERIA IS DESTINED TO FAIL - FEMI FANI KAYODE.

A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, says Nigeria has been destined to fail since its creation by the British in 1914.

He said the British created Nigeria such that the ‘poor North’ would continue to rule while the ‘rich South’ will remain oppressed.

Fani-Kayode said this in a Facebook post on Tuesday titled, “The 9th Earl of Bathrust and the Nigerian State.”

HELP "SIR BIGFEM" (@BIGFEMLUVSUTD) CATCH THE CAR THIEF WHO STOLE HIS HONDA CRV AT "THE PALMS, LEKKI". @POLICENG.

A car thief trailed  a twitter user and stole his car at "The Palms Mall", Lekki, on Monday, 14th September 2015. Here are pictures of thief.

(HIGHLIGHTS) Real Madrid 4 Shakhtar Donetsk 0.

REAL MADRID 4 SHAKHTAR DONETSK 0.

(HIGHLIGHTS) PSG 2 Malmo 0...

PSG 2 MALMO 0

(HIGHLIGHTS) Manchester City 1 Juventus 2.

Manchester City 1 Juventus 2

(VIDEO) PSV Eindhoven 2 Manchester United 1

PSV 2 ManU 1

IMMIGRATION TRAGEDY - EFCC GRILLS EX-COMPTROLLER GENERAL DAVID PARRADANG FOR EIGHT HOURS.

For about eight hours yesterday, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives quizzed a former Comptroller-General  of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Mr. David Parradang.

He was grilled over alleged N650million fees collected from job seekers last year.

The EFCC invited Parradang to explain how much was collected and the whereabouts of the funds.

FIRS BARS CONSULTANTS FROM COLLECTING TAX.

Tax consultants have been barred from assessing and collecting tax revenue on behalf of the Federal Government.

This clarification was given yesterday by the new Acting Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Mr. Babatunde Fowler in Abuja when he met with members of the Joint Tax Board (JTB).

Fowler admitted that consultants will be engaged by the FIRS to gather data only. He said the FIRS has under 1,000 staff in audit function. “So, you can imagine 1,000 staff trying to review or audit the books of 450,000 companies, it just won’t work, to improve the levels of transparency and accountability these consultants will only gather data, the law does not allow them to do assessment or collect revenue on behalf of government they’re just to assist our staff to collect data,’’ he said.

NEW OONI TO BE PICKED IN OCTOBER FROM THE GIESI FAMILY.

The 16 Ife kingmakers yesterday named Giesi as the only ruling house qualified to present candidate (s) for the vacant Ooni stool. They said the new Ooni would emerge in the next 40 days.

Addressing reporters at the Ooni’s palace, the Obalufe, Oba Folorunso Omisakin, said the 1980 Ife chieftaincy declaration will be used in selecting the next Ooni.

He said: “We, the kingmakers, hereby unanimously declare, affirm and confirm that the 1980 Ife chieftaincy declaration is the one in existence now and we affirm as follows:

PROTESTS AS "LA CASERA" SACKS 700 WORKERS OVER UNIONISM.

Scores of workers at Lacasera Company Plc staged a protest on Monday in Lagos, moments after about 700 workers received their sack letters, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The company, however, described the protest as an invasion of its premises by “hoodlums.’’

NAN reported that the crisis began after the workers arrived at the company premises in Amuwo Odofin Industrial Estate, Mile 2, Lagos, and found the gate locked against them and a notice of disengagement pasted at the entrance.

NIGERIA POLICE FORCE (@POLICENG) BEGINS INVESTIGATION INTO AKWA IBOM GOVERNOR'S DRIVER IMPERSONATION SCANDAL.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has commenced investigation into the alleged police impersonation of a driver to the state Governor, Emmanuel Udom, Mr. Edet Bassey.

This is just as the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress faulted the state government for disrespecting the rule of law.

The Force Police Public Relations Officer, acting ACP Olabisi Kolawole, told one of our correspondents that the state Commissioner of Police, Murtala Mani, would get back to police authorities with the investigation report.

It was reported on Monday that Bassey, from Cross River State, allegedly impersonated a policeman while discharging his duties.

THE HOPELESSNESS OF OUR ANTI-CORRUPTION WAR - YINKA ODUMAKIN.

“The fight against corruption mobilizes all of us because we want to do away with evil and injustice.  But we should remember that casting the bad into the sea does not imply the sudden appearance on our shores of the good that we need.”

-Prof. Ricardo Hausmann, Faculty  Chair  of Leading Economic Growth .

I will never forget that sunny afternoon at the Polo Ground Ibadan sometime in 1984 as we all massed to watch the public execution of three armed robbers who were condemned to deatth.

RIVERS APC FAULTS WIKE'S PLAN TO BORROW ANOTHER N10BN.

Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has faulted alleged plans by Governor Nyesom Wike to borrow another N10 billion from banks in the state, accusing him of borrowing recklessly without consideration for the present and future generations of the citizens.

The party, in a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, said APC was saddened at the level of borrowings going on since Nyesom Wike took over the saddle of power in the state less than four months ago.

He said: “Till date, the governor has collected N100 billion comprising federal allocations, Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, balance in the Reserve Fund and other sundry sums left in the state’s various accounts with the banks by  May 29. The aforementioned sum is exclusive of the earlier N30 billion loans obtained from banks by the governor since he assumed office.