My Husband Must Do Second Term - Mrs Jonathan

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzkVNZxmebhCiNvcYEOZuYHhd4YxYqge2D2dnSN88L6qQ_S9VHMa5vR5puw52m2Bk4ArJd9N8QpIqBGN952YRWbpuOcW_1a_0YhQ4BCghIJ3P65SYLIJpp1km6agB8BWL2sfd4H-K8s8K/s1600/Patience2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzkVNZxmebhCiNvcYEOZuYHhd4YxYqge2D2dnSN88L6qQ_S9VHMa5vR5puw52m2Bk4ArJd9N8QpIqBGN952YRWbpuOcW_1a_0YhQ4BCghIJ3P65SYLIJpp1km6agB8BWL2sfd4H-K8s8K/s1600/Patience2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>The wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, on Saturday said her husband would remain in office for eight years to complete his two terms in office.</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Mrs. Jonathan said this during the Peoples Democratic Party women rally under the auspices of Women for Change and Development Initiative in Benin, Edo State.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> She was accompanied by national and state leaders of the party.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Women, drawn from different support groups across the state, had turned out for the event as early as 9am.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Some had left the stadium at about 1.30pm when Mrs. Jonathan arrived at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, venue of the rally.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> ‎Unable to bear the scorching heat, two women fainted but were later revived by a medical team provided by the party.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> A mild drama ensued shortly before the ‎President’s wife’s address when two men, said to be aggrieved PDP youths, tore down some banners bearing the image of the President’s wife.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> They were, ho‎wever, whisked away by some security operatives at the arena.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Addressing the women, Mrs Jonathan said the Presidency had been occupied for eight years by other ‎geopolitical zones and wondered why the South-South should be denied the opportunity.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> She also noted that the Jonathan-led administration had performed creditably in various sectors such as in transport and education, and by her assessment, the president’s performance had been satisfactory.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Mrs. Jonathan described the present administration as a gender-sensitive government, which had prioritised women development through the appointment of several women in key positions, the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme and the YouWin Initiative.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> She stressed that re-electing her husband was an opportunity for Nigerian women to appreciate his good performance, adding that the opposition party was not dependable ‎and had nothing to offer.</div>

My Husband Must Do Second Term - Mrs Jonathan

The wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, on Saturday said her husband would remain in office for eight years to complete his two terms in office. Mrs. Jonathan said this durin…

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Body Of Suspected Stowaway Found In Arik Air Plane

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg493LrjuXV8Ze8J7vtDBkK-hch7OO1Fb43iTPlImUTCNLQYHlsqauoU6dI3EKNa02IsdxsYLesPj1BSDkj5nUnk1HVV-XUkdyzv35pIRmlTAD_3-U4lmwipKC4b720RamX_hcKY9y79IRw/s1600/Arik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg493LrjuXV8Ze8J7vtDBkK-hch7OO1Fb43iTPlImUTCNLQYHlsqauoU6dI3EKNa02IsdxsYLesPj1BSDkj5nUnk1HVV-XUkdyzv35pIRmlTAD_3-U4lmwipKC4b720RamX_hcKY9y79IRw/s1600/Arik.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> A suspected stowaway has reportedly died in the undercarriage compartment of an Arik Air plane. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The body was evacuated by men of the Airport Police Command on Saturday. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> A statement by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, which confirmed this, said the body was discovered in the Arik airbus A345, Reg CS-TFX, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> It added that the corpse, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, has been deposited at an undisclosed mortuary, following due diligence by the relevant Aviation and Security agencies.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The statement said FAAN is currently reviewing footages of the CCTV system and airside security operations with a view to identifying the gaps and personnel failure, if any, in order to take remedial actions.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The spokesperson of Arik Air, Mr. Banji Ola, could not be reached for comments on the issue. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> However, the General Manager, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, confirmed to our correspondent that the flight was due to take off for JFK on Saturday night. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He said, “Well, the aircraft was parked by the time ‎the body was discovered, but we found out it was bound to leave for JFK later this night.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He added that FAAN had intensified efforts at improving security and safety at both land and airside through the installation of high tech screening machines, CCTV surveillance cameras and patrol teams, the <b><a href="http://www.punchng.com/news/suspected-stowaway-dies-in-arik-air-plane/">PUNCH</a></b> reports.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “The Authority is assuring all travelling passengers of safety of lives and property throughout the nation’s airport,” he said.</div>

Body Of Suspected Stowaway Found In Arik Air Plane

A suspected stowaway has reportedly died in the undercarriage compartment of an Arik Air plane.  The body was evacuated by men of the Airport Police Command on Saturday.  A statement by the Federal A…

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Muhammadu Buhari Vows No Witch-Hunt If He Wins Nigeria Presidency | Financial Times

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij27-US3Mq2DhdwQt4QFIzOY5WN8AFd_30nuD_z_aLUloOgx0Wk5NADkLEQg7Sw3lfih_fY6GJSvOhKmaC_vwmoxKt4qTjPJRku72S4WXrmO2j9VmOQxQ1mHe0502K7yP0qtLUfbRaYxsc/s1600/GMB+FT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij27-US3Mq2DhdwQt4QFIzOY5WN8AFd_30nuD_z_aLUloOgx0Wk5NADkLEQg7Sw3lfih_fY6GJSvOhKmaC_vwmoxKt4qTjPJRku72S4WXrmO2j9VmOQxQ1mHe0502K7yP0qtLUfbRaYxsc/s1600/GMB+FT.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Muhammadu Buhari is under no illusion about the circumstances he will inherit should he this month become the first opposition candidate in Nigeria’s history to win presidential elections.</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> But the ascetic former military ruler, attempting for the fourth time to return to power via the ballot box since the restoration of civilian rule in 1999, says he has no plans to launch a witch-hunt against those responsible for the mess in which Africa’s biggest economy finds itself.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> If he returns to power, ongoing inquiries into the mismanagement of oil revenues, pension funds and defence procurement will run their course, he says. But there will be no repeat of the mid-1980s when, after seizing power in 1983, Gen Buhari presided for 20 months over a military junta that jailed hundreds of businessmen and politicians suspected of abusing state resources during the free-for-all that preceded the coup.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Whoever wins at the polls - scheduled for March 28 after a six-week delay on security grounds - will find themselves at the helm of a nation sharply divided along religious and ethnic lines, beset by the Boko Haram insurgency raging in the north and with its principal hard currency earner haemorrhaging revenues to oil thieves.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The rapidly depreciating currency has hit rich and poor alike, and with the treasury stretched by the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan’s government to put away sufficient savings before the collapse in the oil price, there will be little cash to paper over the cracks.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “So much damage has been done - if you said you would pursue everybody around, you will end up achieving nothing,” he told the <b><a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3b542040-c645-11e4-add0-00144feab7de.html">Financial Times</a></b> in an interview in London. “From the day the government is put in place, we [will] move forward. That is the best way we can make progress.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Gen Buhari was speaking at a central London flat at the end of a curious, two-week hiatus in his campaign, during which some allies fretted that his bid for the presidency was losing momentum. Unfazed, he says he managed to “get some rest”.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He returns home convinced that Nigerians have had enough both of Mr Jonathan and the ruling People’s Democratic party, in power since the transition from military rule in 1999.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The 72-year-old visited 35 of 36 states in a gruelling tour of Africa’s most populous nation earlier this year, attracting hundreds of thousands of supporters at his most successful rallies.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “Wherever we went, they want change. One can see in people’s faces they really mean what they say: from Bayelsa to Maiduguri, from Calabar to Sokoto, from Katsina to Port Harcourt,” he said.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Delivering that change will be no easy task. Gen Buhari gives few policy details. His priorities would be stimulating agriculture and non-oil mining to create jobs and tackling the energy crisis besetting one of the world’s leading oil exporters.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He says the PDP government has addressed electricity shortages the wrong way, licensing and selling off power plants before putting in place the infrastructure to deliver gas to fuel them. His priority would be building the gas infrastructure.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> On the chronic mismanagement of the state oil company, Gen Buhari says he needs to see how bad the damage is before deciding what to do.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He is unimpressed by a government-backed audit into billions of dollars in oil revenues that have allegedly gone unaccounted for.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “I don’t think they tried to account for it. They just told a story,” he says. Simply by curbing the waste there would be enough money to meet government commitments even if oil prices remain depressed, he adds.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “There may have to be some structural reforms,” he says. “But all the rules and regulations are there on the ground. We have to look for those people who can deliver.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> An old friend sitting in on the interview interjects: “If the top man is not fiddling, everything else will correct itself.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In previous attempts to return to power via the ballot box, Gen Buhari struggled to shake off his image as a former dictator who is partisan to his home turf in the predominately Muslim north. Backed now by a broad coalition including influential power brokers from the predominately Christian south, his campaign has gathered a groundswell of support.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> His appeal has much to do with the times and with his reputation for personal integrity. Nigeria can ill-afford another round of profligacy.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Unlike many of his peers, Gen Buhari left previous stints in office - as petroleum minister, military ruler and chairman of an infrastructure fund - unadorned by riches. “I resisted temptation consciously and that has paid off,” he says.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> But it is Gen Buhari’s air of austerity that frightens those politicians dependent on state resources for lavish lifestyles. They are not afraid he will lock them up, he says, laughing, so much as that he will “halt the gravy train”.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Opposition and civil society activists remain concerned that the electoral process could be disrupted again as politicians with the most to lose seek to stop the former general winning.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “They have the resources and coercive forces at their disposal, and they think they can play God,” he says.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Thanking the British and Americans for maintaining pressure on the government to ensure the elections go ahead, he adds: “I don’t think they can dare Nigeria and the whole world.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> -------------------------------------------</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Buhari’s rise to power</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Muhammadu Buhari is one of a group of ex-generals who rose to prominence in Nigeria’s army shortly after independence from Britain in 1960 and have remained at the heart of politics, writes William Wallis.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Born in 1942 in the state of Katsina in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north, he joined the army at the age of 19, rising through the ranks during the 1967-70 Biafran civil war. During the 1970s he served as a state governor and then petroleum minister.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In December 1983 he became military head of state after the army overthrew the government of Shehu Shagari following an election marred by fraud.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Nigeria, then as now, was suffering from a collapse in world oil prices and the overhang from debt accumulated during the boom years. Gen Buhari imposed a “war on indiscipline” which saw drug dealers executed and businessmen and politicians thrown in jail on suspicion of corruption. He was overthrown by fellow officers 20 months into his rule.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> A devout Muslim with an ascetic lifestyle, he commands a dedicated following among poorer inhabitants of the north.</div>

Muhammadu Buhari Vows No Witch-Hunt If He Wins Nigeria Presidency | Financial Times

Muhammadu Buhari is under no illusion about the circumstances he will inherit should he this month become the first opposition candidate in Nigeria’s history to win presidential elections. But the as…

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Welcome to Ogun, The State With 15 Universities

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xKFDZ7ZMNWzvgM5rihJ71MbUJLJBhI3KeBvMhHSiIq3qhsRjMj4xXp8OTjJEQHQP6s3kszDxHrm-cJTA7VzcT4BxeuXNGBLQkH5QyIBIJ6tSXzoOnmjp9BHmdCvT8Y_BCR4TKmeFZmEy/s1600/NUC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xKFDZ7ZMNWzvgM5rihJ71MbUJLJBhI3KeBvMhHSiIq3qhsRjMj4xXp8OTjJEQHQP6s3kszDxHrm-cJTA7VzcT4BxeuXNGBLQkH5QyIBIJ6tSXzoOnmjp9BHmdCvT8Y_BCR4TKmeFZmEy/s1600/NUC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>With approval of four new private universities by the Federal Government, the number of varsities in the Gateway State is now 15. CHARLES ABAH looks at the attractions the state has for proprietors</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> With the approval of nine more universities by the Federal Government, Ogun State has practically become the breeding ground of universities. The state now has the highest number of universities in the country, as four out of the nine are located there.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> A former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Peter Okebukola, offers an explanation why the state has a growing collection of private universities.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The state, which shares boundaries with Lagos to the south, Oyo and Osun to the north, Ondo to the east and the Republic of Benin to the west, currently is the home of 15 registered universities, comprising 12 private universities and three public ones.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> According to the former NUC helmsman, the state’s closeness to Lagos, proprietors’ influence, early access to missionaries and education, as well as an investor-friendly environment are some of the reasons for the high number of schools in the state.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The private universities are the Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo (owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church); Bells University of Technology, Ota (owned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo); Covenant University, Ota, (Living Faith Church); Crawford University Igbesa, (the Apostolic Faith Mission); Crescent University, Abeokuta (the Prince Bola Ajibola-led Islamic Mission for Africa); McPherson University, Seriki Sotayo, Ajebo (Foursquare Gospel Church), and the Southern University, Okun-Owa.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Until recently, the Redeemer University, Mowe, owned by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, with its permanent site now in Osun State, had been operating in Ogun State. In fact, the university still maintains skeletal operations in Mowe.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The new universities in the state approved by the Federal Government last week are Chrisland University, Owode; Christopher University, Mowe; Hallmark University, Ijebu Itele, and the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries-owned Mountain Top University on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The Federal Executive Council, after its meeting on Wednesday, announced the approval of nine more private universities. With this, the country now has 59 private universities and 79 federal and state-owned ones.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The public universities are the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye, and the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The 39-year-old state, with a land mass of 16,980.55 km2 (6,556.23 sq mi) and a population of 3,751,140 (2006 census), also has three polytechnics, consisting of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta; Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro; and the D.S Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori. It also hosts the Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu-Ijebu and the Federal College of Education, Osiele.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Giving reasons for the high number of the ivory towers, Okebukola says, “There are at least four reasons why Ogun State has the highest density of private universities in Nigeria. Proximity to Lagos, the densest city in Nigeria, with a high population of persons hungry for university education, is one of such reasons. Because of the limitation in land area of Lagos, Ogun State, which is proximal and adjoining, takes advantage by providing proprietors a relatively cheaper land space for the establishment of their universities.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “Secondly, most of the evangelical churches that are proprietors of about half of the private universities in Nigeria have their headquarters in the Lagos axis and would desire to establish their universities not too far from their centre of operations. Hence, for the first reason of challenge of space in Lagos, they turn to the adjoining Ogun State to establish their educational institutions, including universities.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “The third reason is historical. Western-type education came through Badagry and had its early foothold in Ogun State. The missionaries came to preach the gospel of Christ and had schools as a platform for evangelism. This early lead of Ogun State in education has been ascribed to the activities of the missionaries, especially the Anglican, Methodist, Baptist and Catholic through the establishment of schools to propagate Christianity.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “So, history is repeating itself through the activities of the new wave of evangelical ministries, which have a firm foothold in Ogun State and are fanning out to other parts of the country. The first set of (white) missionaries established schools, which are models for us today. The second set of (black) missionaries are establishing universities, which are playing the same role of evangelism and serving as a model for the Nigerian university system. One of such universities, Covenant University, Ota is a pace setter and its exemplary operations are currently being studied for possible adoption by other universities not only in Nigeria but also in Africa.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “The fourth reason is that Ogun State provides an investor-friendly environment for businesses, including the business of running a university.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> For the state Commissioner for Education, Mr. Olusegun Odubela, the density of the schools is born out of the fact that the state is the cradle of education in the country.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He also links their concentration to the early promotion of free and qualitative education as was espoused by the likes of the late nationalist, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Like Okebukola, the commissioner adds that the state is attractive to investors because its leadership has created an enabling environment for business.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He said, “The state is blessed with vast land. Ogun State is synonymous with education. It is the cradle of education. Among the nine private universities approved by government recently, four are here in the state.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Okebukola, however, notes that the NUC does not offer its approval to school proprietors without due diligence and scrutiny.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He identifies such basic approval requirements to include academic brief, physical masterplan, university law, and evidence of sustainable funding as well as extensive land area for future expansion.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Such institutions, he adds, must have state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, learning and research as well as staff and student residence, including classrooms, libraries, laboratories, workshops, staff offices, Senate building, offices for central administration, hostels and recreational/sports facilities.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Meanwhile, the NUC’s Spokesman, Mr. Ibrahim, Yakassai, has urged Nigerians not to attach any political coloration to the location of the private universities.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> According to him, the concern of the commission is to ensure that all the institutions meet the requirements and conditions.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He says, “We are not driven by political considerations. Once such proprietors meet our stringent requirements, they get the approval. I just hope nobody is attaching any political meaning to this development</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> There are no private universities in states like Zamfara, Borno, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe and Jigawa.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> While the Al-Qalam University, founded in 2005 is in Katsina, the American University of Nigeria, owned by a former Vice-President in 2003 is in Yola Adamawa State.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Edo State and Lagos rank second, each having four private universities. While Lagos accommodates Pan-Atlantic University; Caleb University, Imota, CETEP City University, and Augustine University, Ilara, Edo is the home to the Benson Idahosa University, Benin;Igbinedion University, Okada, Benin; Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State; and the Wellspring University, Evbuobanosa, Benin.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><a href="http://www.punchng.com/education/welcome-to-ogun-the-land-of-universities/">The Punch</a></b></div>

Welcome to Ogun, The State With 15 Universities

With approval of four new private universities by the Federal Government, the number of varsities in the Gateway State is now 15. CHARLES ABAH looks at the attractions the state has for proprietors W…

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The Missing Audit Into Nigeria’s Missing Billions | FT

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD9ScyKF8MID8JIL751YFHQWMWXqJ5vnSnLOgr_eYfer7DGYg54JyfA9NlQdADd8XAyiTIg8_fFooISUR3oFpyBauKEdxq6nECTCgGZvu3m1odeEbg3nrKFbteKuUmcHaDsn7EsQShFKQ/s1600/goodluck_jonathan_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD9ScyKF8MID8JIL751YFHQWMWXqJ5vnSnLOgr_eYfer7DGYg54JyfA9NlQdADd8XAyiTIg8_fFooISUR3oFpyBauKEdxq6nECTCgGZvu3m1odeEbg3nrKFbteKuUmcHaDsn7EsQShFKQ/s1600/goodluck_jonathan_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Goodluck Jonathan must publish the full report into lost oil earnings.</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency in Nigeria has been defined as much by what has gone missing as by what his government has put in place: the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram and billions of dollars in oil revenues allegedly unaccounted for. It is curious therefore, at such a politically sensitive time, that he has allowed another dossier to go adrift: the PriceWaterhouseCoopers audit into oil accounts. The longer his government withholds the report, the more suspicious its motives in public eyes.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Granted, the timing is awkward; just two weeks before presidential elections that have polarised a nation beset by violence and reeling from a fall in oil revenues. But the Nigerian public have a right to full disclosure on what has been an ugly stain on the country’s reputation. This is especially so as it touches on the management of Africa’s biggest economy under the incumbent president, who is seeking re-election.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> More than a year ago, Lamido Sanusi, the former central bank governor, publicly questioned discrepancies between oil sales and income of more than $1bn per month. Mr Sanusi warned that the alleged shortfalls to the treasury - up to $20bn between January 2012 and July 2013 - meant foreign reserves were under pressure, even though Nigeria should have been benefiting from the soaring price of oil and saving against an eventual fall. These revelations fuelled a public furore, and investor confidence was knocked further when Mr Sanusi, now Emir of Kano, was suspended from his job.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The government’s answer was to commission the forensic audit, originally due out by September. The auditor general finally released last month a page of selected findings from PwC’s inquiry. Top government and state oil company officials duly seized on these to declare the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation exonerated and the mystery of the “missing billions” resolved. The NNPC owes the treasury $1.49bn, the government claims, a far cry from the $20bn hole that Mr Sanusi pointed to.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Until the full audit is published, however, it is hard to be sure. Even if it is, PwC’s terms of reference did not cover the extent of questions raised by Mr Sanusi, nor do the findings released so far explain the shortfalls in Nigeria’s earnings during the oil boom. Notably absent is any detailed discussion of the value to the state of contentious financing arrangements with private companies, or of opaque crude oil swaps. Industry experts describe the latter, in which billions of dollars in crude exports are exchanged for refined fuel imports without money changing hands, as the real “Bermuda Triangle”.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> According to the auditor-general, PwC found that the state oil company had remitted $50.81bn out of a total of $69.34bn in revenues during the period under scrutiny. It spent $5.32bn on petrol subsidies and $3.38bn on kerosene subsidies, with the remaining gap filled by operational and financing costs. The legality of the kerosene subsidy, which was terminated by presidential directive in 2009 and was not budgeted for thereafter, remains at issue.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Mr Sanusi also alleged that the NNPC was importing about twice the amount of petrol that the nation used while supplying only half its fuel, with the rest provided by private marketers. There appears to have been no effort to audit the volumes of fuel imported, only the NNPC paperwork that supported the subsidies on these.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Fundamental changes to the way Nigeria manages its oil are long overdue. Greater transparency would go some way to help. A good place to start would be by publishing the full PwC report. But it would only be the start.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c9429bde-c8b1-11e4-8617-00144feab7de.html#axzz3UMfLc05p">Financial Times</a></b></div> <div> <br /></div>

The Missing Audit Into Nigeria’s Missing Billions | FT

Goodluck Jonathan must publish the full report into lost oil earnings. Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency in Nigeria has been defined as much by what has gone missing as by what his government has put in…

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