WHY DIGITAL PAY TV SERVICES PROVIDERS MUST UP THEIR GAMES.

 

BY POPOOLA KAZEEM

The recent announcement by Director General of National Broadcasting Commission, (NBC), about the acquisition of a N34b license for digital pay TV by telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, is one that stirs a mixture of feelings. MTN Nigeria is the pioneer private mobile telecommunications company in the country and since inception has continued to dominate the market, shrouding off competitions from other services providers. This translates into stability on the part of MTN. 

Digital pay TV services industry in the country, though still evolving, is dominated by Multichoice Nigeria limited and a number of other indigenous service providers that have grossly enriched themselves over the years at the expense of innocent Nigerians who continue to pay through their noses for services below par largely due to the freehand approach of the government-owned National Broadcasting Commission which continuously turns deaf ears to the yearnings and complaints of these Nigerians. 

The stories are now about to change. The entry of MTN Nigeria into the digital pay TV industry will greatly alter the face of the potential-rich market. MTN Nigeria already has an existing consumer base in the telecommunications industry and can conveniently make use of this advantage to garner some shares of the digital pay TV market to itself having already earned the trust and confidence of these consumers. Existing service providers must sit tight and review some of their policies and approaches if they are to remain relevant in the market. 

One thing is certain. Innocent Nigerians that have suffered until now will heave a sigh of relieve through reductions in subscription for costs for bouquets, provision of quality services and overall growth of that sector of the Nigerian economy from the ensuing competitions. 

National Broadcasting Commission must stand up to her responsibilities as the government watchdog and guide against all forms exploitative tendencies of these services providers if they are to reclaim the lost glory and earn the trust of the Nigerian population.

Asset Declaration Trial: A’Court To Rule On Saraki Today

The Court of Appeal Abuja division will today (Monday) decide the fate of Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki’s false assets declaration trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Senator Saraki had pleaded not guilty to the one count charge before the tribunal and went ahead to challenge the trial through an appeal anchored on five grounds upon which his counsel said the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Code of Conduct Tribunal had erred by arraigning him.

The appellate court presided by Justice Moore Adumein reserved the judgment last Friday after Joseph Daudu (SAN) who represented Senator Saraki and Rotimi Jacob (SAN) the Federal Government private prosecutor had addressed the court on the merit of their cases.

Justice Adumein, who heard the appeal alongside with two other justices, announced that the verdict would be delivered at 2pm today (October 19, 2015. He struck out Saraki’s application for a stay of proceedings of the trial at the Code of Conduct tribunal and explained that it was no longer necessary as the court had heard the substantive appeal.

Students' Union LAUTECH writes VC an open letter.

 

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE VICE - CHANCELLOR OF LAUTECH

Dear Mr vice chancellor,

With due respect and humility to your office sir, i Bakare Olatunde Solace write to remind you of the word of Marthin Luther King, that the peculiarity of a man is not known in times of comfort but would be known in times of intimidation, victimization, oppression and other oppressing layers"

Sir, it would be pointless to start reminding you of the sad event on campus in which some students were robbed, ravished, assaulted and raped by the whimsical creatures, arising from the spate of insecurity and other horrid act of injustice. There is absolutely no meaningful development on campus that surpasses the general safety of students and properties. This buttresses the fact that the joint ownership government ( OSUN & OYO) and the management are ideally hoped to leave no stone unturned in ensuring a serene academic environment that creates rooms for effective assimilation of what ever taught and the safety of the students in the school environment.

There is no gain saying the fact that the school environment have in recent time battling with protracted insecurity leading to loss of precious lives and destruction of valuables. Yet, your excellency is not primarily doing anything to rekindle hope out of despair and ensure that the robbers or monsters tormenting the lives of the people meet their waterloo and apprehended by the SARS in due time.

Mr Vice Chancellor sir, LAUTECH was conceived and believed to be a peaceful environment ever since the creation of the institution in 1990. But as it seem today, it calls for a total concern. Why? Cause the students hope is being shattered and their safety is no longer guaranteed on and off campus.

At this juncture, it will be pertinent to note that students are major stakeholders in the education Sub sector. They tend to contribute to the overall development of the society. For this reason, they ought to be protected from dangerous threats. The school management must rise above reluctance and not rest on its oars in tackling insecurity on and off campus.

Yours Sincerely,

SUG President ( SOLACE)

APC to Appeal Tribunal’s Ruling on Akpabio’s Election

Senator Godswill Akpabio

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has said it would appeal against the judgment given on its election petition in respect of the Akwa Ibom South senatorial district for which upheld the victory of the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The party described the judgment delivered in the petition filed by the party and its candidates at the state National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in respect of the Akwa Ibom South senatorial election as a miscarriage of justice.

It said the tribunal failed to deliver justice in the case but rather allowed itself to be swayed by the PDP.

Addressing journalists in Abuja at the Weekend, the state Chairman of the APC, Dr. Amadu  Attai, accused the trial judge of acting in a manner as to suggest that he was compromised to give favourable judgment to the PDP candidate.

While protesting the outcome of the petition, Attai said the party was taking aback at how the tribunal brazenly over-looked the flaws in the conduct of the election in the senatorial district.

For instance, the APC scribe said there was an evidence to show that former Governor, Akpabio, contested the election in a senatorial district other than the one his party registered him for. According to Attai, rather than rule against the ex-governor based on the error and clearly recorded evidences of vote fraud, it justified it and went ahead to rule in his favour.

Continue reading...

Nigeria: Oil Boom Is Over, Adopt Tax As Alternative Revenue, Says FIRS

By Josiah Oluwole

The man who violated traffic rules while claiming to be a staff of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, is an impostor, the agency has said.

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, has subsequently directed the arrest and prosecution of Adeola Alabi, who was arrested by Governor Ayodele Fayose's security details for driving against traffic at Ikere Ekiti.

Mr. Alabi had claimed that he was an official of the corps and he was fined N20,000 by the Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency.

A statement by the FRSC spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, on Sunday, said findings showed that Mr. Alabi was neither a staff of the corps nor a member of its Special Marshal Unit.

According to him, the Peugeot 505 vehicle driven by the offender with vehicle registration number AG 738 FGB, as well as the owner are under investigation and the Corps has taken a position to expose the offender.

Mr. Kazeem said it was illegal for any official of the Corps to violate traffic rules.

He said the corps was committed to finding out the true identity of Adeola Alabi with a view to ensuring a thorough investigation and application of the full weight of the law.

While calling on security agencies to desist from violating road traffic laws, the Corps Marshal commended Mr. Fayose for identifying with the "good road use culture" propagated by FRSC, teaching Nigerians by example, and not turning a blind eye to "bad road culture."

He also encouraged Nigerians to take a lesson from the governor whose singular act had positioned him as a good ambassador on road safety matters.

Unbelievable!... "Release Kanu or we go to war" – Biafra tells Buhari

By Wale Odunsi

The Indigenous People of Biafra Worldwide, owners of Radio Biafra, has written an open letter to world leaders over the arrest of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Kanu was picked up yesterday night by the Department of State Service, DSS.

A letter by Ifeanyi Chijioke on behalf of the group, said the arrest of Kanu had shown that freedom of speech in Nigeria was a ruse.

The group also threatened to fight the Nigerian government if Kanu was not freed.

“The world leaders must stand up to its integrity, pride, and in defense of the law they made,” the group said, adding that “the UN chatter on the rights of indigenous people had become endangered with the arrest of this leader of indigenous people of Biafra.”

“It’s on record that Nnamdi kanu is a law abiding leader who has disciplined indigenous people of Biafra to strictly abide by local and international law. The gut for his arrest is nothing but slap on the face of United Nations.

“Meanwhile, this is a gross provocation of indigenous people of Biafra and, as endangered people, would only wait shortly for due process and immediate release of her leader.

“The world should know that arrest of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is the making of monster in indigenous people of Biafra and to prevent and save lives, world leaders must stand up to their responsibility.

“Biafrans, as endangered species of terror, genocide, murder and unlawful detentions, must be sorted or laws will be taken into their hands.

“Biafrans call on world leaders to prevail on Buhari to with immediate effect release the leader of the people as he is charged with no crime”, he added.

Nigeria: FRSC Official Arrested By Fayose Is Fake - Official

By Josiah Oluwole

The man who violated traffic rules while claiming to be a staff of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, is an impostor, the agency has said.

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, has subsequently directed the arrest and prosecution of Adeola Alabi, who was arrested by Governor Ayodele Fayose's security details for driving against traffic at Ikere Ekiti.

Mr. Alabi had claimed that he was an official of the corps and he was fined N20,000 by the Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency.

A statement by the FRSC spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, on Sunday, said findings showed that Mr. Alabi was neither a staff of the corps nor a member of its Special Marshal Unit.

According to him, the Peugeot 505 vehicle driven by the offender with vehicle registration number AG 738 FGB, as well as the owner are under investigation and the Corps has taken a position to expose the offender.

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Abacha loot: We need more time, World Bank tells SERAP

Following a request by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for information on the spending of recovered assets stolen by Late General Sani Abacha, the World Bank has said that it needed “additional time to provide (SERAP)with a more comprehensive response.”

 In a letter dated 15 October 2015 and signed by Ann May of the Access to Information Team, the Bank said that “In response to your request under AI3982, we would like to inform you that we are still considering your request and need additional time to provide you with a more comprehensive response.”

 The letter reads in part “In most cases, we will be able to respond within twenty (20) working days from receipt of a request for information. However, we may need additional time in special circumstances, for example, if the request is complex or voluminous or if it requires further review by or consultation with internal World Bank units, external parties, the Access to Information Committee, or the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors.”

 “We regret any inconvenience that a delay may cause you and, if one does occur, will aim to minimize it as much as possible. We will notify you promptly of any updates to the status of your request. Thank you for your interest in the World Bank.”

 SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni said, “We welcome the Bank’s decision to thoroughly consider the request. This thorough process shows the seriousness the Bank attaches to the request, and will hopefully contribute to a positive outcome that will serve the interest of justice and millions of Nigerians who want to know about disbursement of Abacha loot.”

It would be recalled that SERAP had on 21 September 2015 sent an access to information request to Jim Yong Kim, President, World Bank Group urging him to “exercise the Bank’s prerogative to release documents relating to spending of recovered assets stolen by Late General Sani Abacha”.

 The group also asked Mr Yong Kim to “disclose information about the Bank’s role in the implementation of any projects funded by the recovered assets and any other on-going repatriation initiatives on Nigeria with which the Bank is engaged.”

 The request was “pursuant to the World Bank’s Access to Information Policy (The Policy), approved by the Board on June 30 205.  SERAP notes that one of the Policy’s guiding principles is to maximize access to information. There is also clear public interest in Nigerians knowing about the Bank’s supervisory role and specifically its involvement in the implementation of projects on which repatriated funds were spent.”

 According to the request, “The World Bank has been involved in overseeing the transfer, disbursement, spending of recovered funds from General Abacha, and other similar initiatives to repatriate stolen funds to Nigeria. As such, the World Bank is not a neutral party in this matter.”

The request also stated that “SERAP believes that releasing the documents would enable civil society to meaningfully engage in the management and supervision of repatriated funds, contribute to the greater public good, and enhance transparency and accountability in the management of the country’s resources.”

According to SERAP, “the release of the requested documents is of paramount importance to the public interest in preserving the legitimacy, credibility and relevance of the World Bank as a leading international development institution. Indeed, the Bank need to lead by example in issues such as transparency and public disclosure raised in this request.”

The organisation said that, “The information is also being sought to improve the ongoing fight against corruption in the country and the provision of essential public services.”

Read More....http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/abacha-loot-we-need-more-time-world-bank-tells-serap/?

Postponement of ministerial screening ploy to delay Saraki’s trial’

By Nazifi Dawud Khalid, Kano ‘Postponement of ministerial screening ploy to delay Saraki’s trial’ Senate President Bukola Saraki The Network for Justice, a civil society organization, has condemned the postponement of the ministerial screening by the Senate, saying the act smacks of political mischief designed to delay the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki. The group’s Executive Director, Dr. Abdullahi Bala Gaduwama, made the remark yesterday in a statement in Kano, stressing that the postponement of the exercise was a ploy to shield Saraki from appearing at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for the continuation of his trial next week. The activist demanded the immediate resumption of the exercise and warned the Senate against joking with the future of the country. “It is on record that the 7th Senate outrageously passed 40 bills in 40 minutes simply because it served their interest to do so and the 8th Senate is now telling us that they cannot complete the screening of 16 ministerial nominees whose names were released two weeks ago by the President,” Gaduwama stated.

A picture of heartbreak: After her split from stockbroker boyfriend Nico, how lonely Pippa shows she can't hide the pain...or escape from her sister's shadow

AFTER DIVORCE

BEFORE DIVORCE

Troubled, careworn and without a hint of makeup, Pippa Middleton had heartbreak written across her face last week, a lonely figure pacing the streets of London.

Days after breaking up with Nico Jackson – the boyfriend of three years who she was expected to marry – Pippa was seen leaving the smart members-only South Kensington Club, where she had been putting herself through a stress-relieving gym session.

Yet the Duchess of Cambridge’s younger sister was so distracted that – as our pictures reveal – she managed to drive through a red light later that same evening.

Things could hardly have been more different just three weeks ago, when this paper published photographs of Pippa and blue-eyed stockbroker Nico, 36, walking through North London looking blissfully happy.

She was obviously delighted to allow the tall and handsome man she loved to wrap a protective arm around her shoulders.

Now everything has changed. At 32, Pippa finds herself without an established career, without a property of her own, and now without a boyfriend, leaving some to wonder if she will ever escape the shadow of elder sister Kate, whose young family is never out of the news.

How, then, did it all go so wrong?

The truth is that such a dramatic change in circumstances is probably a shock even to Pippa herself.

One source close to her says, unequivocally, that the decision to end the three-year relationship was a mutual one. But was it perhaps too mutual for Pippa’s liking?

Friends say that when she suggested a break-up to Nico, Pippa had suspected he might react with a grand gesture to win her back – like a marriage proposal...

Instead, Nico surprised her by accepting all too swiftly that the relationship had indeed ‘run its course’ and walked away, flying back to the Geneva flat he has called home for almost two years. Pippa was left behind, broken-hearted.

Read more:HERE

Smoking gun emails reveal 'deal in blood' George Bush and Tony Blair made as they secretly plotted the Iraq War behind closed doors a YEAR before the invasion had even started

A bombshell White House memo has revealed for the first time details of the ‘deal in blood’ forged by Tony Blair and George Bush over the Iraq War.

The sensational leak shows that Blair had given an unqualified pledge to sign up to the conflict a year before the invasion started.

It flies in the face of the Prime Minister’s public claims at the time that he was seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

He told voters: ‘We’re not proposing military action’ – in direct contrast to what the secret email now reveals.

Scroll down to read the documents in full 

The classified document also discloses that Blair agreed to act as a glorified spin doctor for the President by presenting ‘public affairs lines’ to convince a sceptical public that Saddam had Weapons of Mass Destruction – when none existed.

In return, the President would flatter Blair’s ego and give the impression that Britain was not America’s poodle but an equal partner in the ‘special relationship’.The damning memo, from Secretary of State Colin Powell to President George Bush, was written on March 28, 2002, a week before Bush’s famous summit with Blair at his Crawford ranch in Texas.

In it, Powell tells Bush that Blair ‘will be with us’ on military action. Powell assures the President: ‘The UK will follow our lead’.

Read more: here

Tinubu, Akande recommended me to Buhari – SGF, Lawal

By Wale OdunsiSecretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir David Lawal, yesterday, said the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Chief Bisi Akande were among the first persons to mention his name to President Muhammadu Buhari for the job.‬

‪Speaking at a thanksgiving service in his honour, the SGF said Nigerians must know that goodness was not restricted to tribe, religion or political party.‬

‪“My wife has not met Bisi Akande, she has not met Asiwaju, she has not met Buhari, yet we have been with him. But, it is fundamentally important for Nigerians to know that goodness is not restricted to tribe, religion or political party”, he said.‬

‪”My opinion is that if you have no investment in human beings and you just invest in yourself, like most politicians present in this church do, you will end up as nothing. If you look at just your community for friendship, or you look at your religion or in the same church with you for friendship, I doubt if you will go any where.‬

‪“I am Secretary to the Government today, because those people that I mentioned were the very first to put the idea in the mind of the President. They were the ones that made it possible.‬

‪“Because if it has been left to northerners, it is doubtful if they will take a Christian man to make Secretary to the Government of the Federation”.‬

‪“But these friends know me, they know that I am not ambitious. I just want to eat today and tomorrow I will find my way. By the grace of God, I am today the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, something I did not look for, people say it is hard work and dedication. It is not true, it is just by the grace of God that the President will just pick you and say this is your position.‬

‪“I never looked for it and I never expected it. I started getting hints to this job just about two to three days to it, and I thought it was a very big joke. Then I used to call it Timipre Silva project or Baba Akande project, when they mentioned that they heard story about it.‬

‪“Last year, if I was told that I will have an occasion where one single governor will attend, I will not believe it, but here we are today, it is the grace of God that has put all of us where we are today. Governors should know that”.‬

‪In his speech, Tinubu hailed Lawal as a selfless, honest man, who unarguably fits into the SGF position.‬

‪Tinubu, represented at the event by Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, said, “If you are looking for a man who is diligent in his work with a keen eye for details and correct process, there is none better than Babachir Lawal.‬

‪“He knows this nation and understands its complexities, from the intricacies of our federal bureaucracy to the diversity of our social fabric to the, multiple dimensions of our political dynamics.‬

‪“He is a man well-tailored to fit his position in today’s Nigeria where we find ourselves in a situation not meant for the faint hearted. A situation that requires grit, guts and wisdom. These attributes, Lawal has in abundance.”

Director of pirate radio, Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu

Director of pirate radio, Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, was on Saturday, reportedly arrested by Nigeria's secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS). 

Kanu, who is also acclaimed to be the Director of Biafra Television and the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was said to have been arrested in Lagos, yesterday.

The Deputy Director of Radio Biafra, Uche Mefor, alongside other members of the group, in a marathon broadcast on the pirate radio, alleged that Kanu was arrested in Lagos by the security operatives, as he flew into Nigeria from his base in the UK.

The group in a tweet on Sunday, via its Twitter handle, confirmed the arrest.

See tweet below

In a statement published on its website, the separatist movement also confirmed that their Director has been arrested in Lagos by the Nigerian authorities, noting that it (Nigeria) has through this arrest played into the grand strategy of Biafrans. See statement HERE 

However, at the time of filing this report, Vanguard was yet to independently confirm the arrest, even as the DSS authorities were yet to publicly make any statement about the arrest.

IPOB is a separatist movement that call for the independence of Nigeria’s former Eastern Region – proclaimed the Republic of Biafra in 1967 and re-annexed to Nigeria three years later, following a civil war that claimed between one and three million lives.

FRSC Rates Osun Low Accident Prone State

Members of the Safeway Special Marshal during the road show.

Osun State has the lowest record of accident cases in Nigeria, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said yesterday.

The commission, which flagged off its 2015 Ember Months Campaign at Oshogbo, the state capital, said the South West region recorded the least of road accidents, compared with other regions in the country.

Ondo State Commander of FRSC, Mr. Muhammed Husaini Hussain gave the result of accident rating, according to states and regions at the ceremony, which peaked the activities lined up for the campaigns.

The FRSC had earlier decorated key officials of the state government as Special Marshall (SM) at a ceremony, where his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, represented Governor Aregbesola.

Husaini called on the residents to continuously cooperate with the commission in its efforts to ensure “safest society and total security of lives and property on the roads.”

The state commander noted that FRSC has made available both human and material resources to meet the challenges of these periods, adding that the FRSC has always been proactive in all its programmes to mitigate the carnage on the roads.

“The Ember and Yuletide seasons happened to be the most challenging periods for us as many Nigerians, especially the road users, take advantage of the period to travel for various activities in haste. It has always been our plead to the road users to desist from road vices, such as speed violation, overloading, drunk driving, use of cell phones while driving, non-use of seat belts, use of worn-out tyres among others. To avoid being prosecuted, there must be strict compliance to all our rules and regulation, “ he said.

GRADUATION: Yemi Farounbi Congratulates NSDP-NIMASA students

Chief(Dr) Yemi Farounbi B.A, MPA, Doctorate (In Honoraries) FNIM, FSNB.A Veteran Journalist and Ace broadcaster and Immediate-Past Ambassador to Philippines sent an inspirational and congratulatory message to all Nigeria graduating students in Philippine.

Dr. farounbi on his facebook timeline wishing Nigeria Maritime, and Medical students in Universities across Philippine yesterday, 17th October, 2015 success in their future endeavour. 

He wrote in upper case letters "CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL NSDP-NIMASA STUDENTS WHO ARE GRADUATING NOW FROM LPU, BATANGAS AND UNIVERSITY OF CEBU. I KNOW YOU WILL DO WELL IN LIFE. I KNOW YOU WILL CREATE A GOOD NAME FOR NIGERIA IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY. YOU HAVE ALWAYS MADE ME PROUD ...AND I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU HAVE FINISHED THE RACE WELL. AND TO THE FOUR NIGERIANS WHO READ MEDICINE IN PHILIPPINES, AND PASSED THE NIGERIAN EXAMINATIONS AND WILL BE INDUCTED THIS OCTOBER. I SAY CONGRATULATIONS. I AM SO GLAD THAT ALL THE FOUR OF YOU PASSED. GOOD NIGERIANS. GREAT NATION."

By Adepoju Adeyemi, omoobaadepojuadeyemi@gmail.com.