The Ailoba Ahonkhai Blog Spot

By Reno Omokri Ladies and gentlemen, of course you are no doubt aware that the most lucrative industry in Nigeria at the moment is paying get-well visits to President Muhammadu Buhari in London. In fact, I even saw a schedule circulating on Facebook of dates for different blocs and interest groups to go and see the President in London. However, what has gone unnoticed is that governance in Nigeria has slid to slow pace and in some cases to a halt. For the past two weeks, various Nigerian cities have suffered from unprecedented floods, yet the only response from the All Progressives Congress federal government appears to be for its elected and appointed officials to flood London to visit President Muhammadu Buhari! It is almost as if by flooding London with their sycophantic visit, they will repair their flood-ravaged cities. I wonder why these officials cannot consider that if it is true what the Presidency says, that President Buhari is returning soon (and we pray it is...

A 60-year-old man, one Romanus Ugwuodo of Ogor village in Ikem Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State has been arraigned in court for allegedly killing of his daughter and son. He was arraigned in court 1 of the Enugu North Magisterial District on four count charges of conspiracy, murder, criminal charm, among others. A statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ebere Amaraizu, noted that the suspect was remanded in the prison custody as the case was adjourned to August 30, 2017 for presentation of the Director of Public Prosecution’s opinion and further hearing. Amaraizu said the police investigation revealed that the suspect had allegedly on April 23, 2017 directed for an unlawful trial of his daughter by ordeal through ‘Akolo Juju Shrine’ in Ogor village Ikem Isi-Uzo He was also alleged to have been in possession of various charms together with the use of the Akolo juju, which was reported to possess the power of causing ‘Natural Phenom...

Britain will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040 in an attempt to reduce air pollution, a move that will spell doom for oil producers such as Nigeria. The measure, 23 years away, could herald the end of over a century of the popular use of the fossil fuel-guzzling internal combustion engine. Britain’s step, which follows France, amounts to a victory for electric cars that could eventually transform the wealth of major oil producers, car industry employment and one of the icons of 20th-century capitalism: the automobile itself. The mayors of Paris, Madrid, Mexico City and Athens have said they plan to ban diesel vehicles from city centres by 2025, while the French government also aims to end the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040. The British government has been under pressure to take steps to reduce air pollution after losing legal cases brought by campaign groups, and in May set out proposals for a scrappage scheme to get rid of the most pol...

In a major upset for the clamour for restructuring, the Senate Wednesday rejected the constitution alteration bill seeking the devolution of powers that would have moved some items from the bloated Exclusive List in the 1999 Constitution to the Concurrent List, which would have given more powers to the states. The Land Use Act and affirmative action bills also suffered defeats in the upper legislative chamber during the electronic voting on the 33 bills presented to amend the 1999 Constitution. Of the 33 bills, the lawmakers passed 29 and rejected four. They voted overwhelmingly in favour of bills seeking to reduce executive powers by removing the power of the executive arm of government to make laws, and provided procedures for overriding a presidential veto, in the event the president withholds assent to a legislation. The devolution of powers bill, which sought to alter the Second Schedule, Part I & II of the constitution, was defeated with 48 no votes. Forty-six ...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, says it has recovered a total of N328.9 billion from nine major oil marketers in one year. The spokesperson of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Mr. Uwujaren identified the marketers as NNPC Retails, Conoil Plc, Total Plc, OVH Energy Plc, Oando Plc, Forte Oil and Gas Plc, Mobil Plc, MRS Oil Plc, and NIPCO Oil Plc. He said the recovery was made by the Kano office of the commission between July 2016 and July 2017. According to him, the recovery followed a petition against the management of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and its subsidiary, Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC). He said the petition alleged that N40 billion had been diverted by the major oil marketers in connivance with the leadership of the NNPC and PPMC. “The EFCC, in a swift reaction, referred the petition to a special task force which swung into action by conducting discrete inve...

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday voted in support of altering sections 150, 174, 195, 211, 318 and the third schedule of the Constitution to separate the office of the Minister or Commissioner for Justice from that of the Attorney-General of the Federation or that of a state. This amendment is to create an independent office of the attorney-general to insulate it from partisanship. The amendment will also, among others, redefine the role of the attorney-general, provide a fixed tenure, provide age and qualification for appointment and also a stringent process for the removal of occupant of the office. At the moment, the Attorney-General of the Federation or of a state is also the minister or commissioner for Justice. The duties of the attorney-general will among others be to institute and undertake criminal proceedings against any person before any court of law in Nigeria, other than a court-martial, in respect of any offence created by or under any Act of the National Assembly....

Despite proclamations to the contrary, evidence shows that the Nigerian government continues to perpetuate poverty in the country by practice of the enrichment of a few officials at the expense of millions of people. As a result, governments at federal and state levels underfund vital sectors of the economy except for the political sector where individuals at the very heart double-dip into the public purse.  Mathematically, just a few of these officials, for the privilege of serving in political office, earn in a year what over 112 Nigerians living below the poverty line cannot earn in a lifetime. Reporters looked at 24 well-positioned politicians today whose earnings as political office holders illustrate this fact. The 24 politicians—previous state governors or deputy governors who are currently serving as Senators or Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are drawing wages on the right and on the left—are: Former governors ripping Nigeria off Theodore Orji...