BREAKING: 2017 budget finally passed by National Assembly

Presentation of 2016 budget to the National
Assembly by President Buhari

The National Assembly has finally passed the 2017 appropriation bill into law after so much delay that kept the document on the shelf for five months.

According to Premium Times the House of Representatives passed the 2017 budget in the lower chambers.

The green house of legislature agreed on the report by the committee on appropriation of the house and approved a total sum of ₦7.44 trillion.

The upper chamber on its own aspect, approved the report by its own committee on appropriation headed by Senator Goje Danjuma after spending almost one hour at an executive session.

The Senate checked the report bit by bit before passing it to law after dissolving itself into the Committee of Supply.

The Senate's official twitter handle confirmed the approval.

Recall that Tellforceblog reported on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 that the Senate had received the 2017 budget report and promised that it will be passed on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the 2017 appropriation bill was laid before the upper chamber of the legislative arm by Senator Danjuma Goje, the chairman of the senate committee on appropriations.

The bill was expected to have been passed since last week, before Friday, May 5, which was the expiration date for 2016 budget but was stepped down by the Senators.

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Revealed: Plot to force Osinbajo is real - Princess Hadiza Ibrahim

Princess Hadiza Ibrahim, has stated that some people in form of cabal are doing their possible best to push the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo out of office ahead of 2019 elections.

She made the claimed while begging to Osinbajo, not to be intimidated by any cabal which could push him to resign.

Hadiza said that if the Ag President resigns, he would be betraying the trust and confidence Nigerians have in him and his joint mandate with President Muhammdu Buhari.

Hadiza spoke to Daily Sun: “In fairness, I also believe in Osinbajo. For the little time that Buhari was away on medical vacation recently, Osinbajo tried his best for this country. The value of naira appreciated. I am sure with time again, the value of naira will be on a higher side and dollar will be on a lower side.”

“Vividly, by the analysis probably done by me, if Buhari and somebody else and not Osinbajo had contested the presidential election in 2015, Buhari might not have come to power.

"I believe Osinbajo is a God sent man. He is a pastor and I see him as a prophet too because is so simple.

“I am sure God wants to use Osinbajo to rectify this country. So, I believe in Buhari/Osinbajo joint mandate.

"I want to give Osinbajo this advice that under no circumstance because of our vote and the trust we put in the his joint ticket with Buhari, he should not resign.

"The votes that brought them to power were for Buhari and Osinbajo. He should not disappoint us.

“I cast my vote because it is Buhari/Osinbajo.

"The vote is a debt on them. So, they should have the fear of God.

"So, Osinbajo should not resign, no matter what. The cabal should have the fear of God.

“Osinbajo should not be afraid of any threat from anywhere.

"Nobody is above God. Since he is a man of God, he should stand by God. He should not be forced to resign and he should not resign on his own.

"He should continue to hold the mandate for President Buhari. When the Buhari gets well, he should handover to him. But in the absence of Buhari, he should not be forced to resign.”

When asked about the possibility of the perceived cabal to use the National Assembly to impeach Prof. Osinbajo, Hadiza replied, “Why would the National Assembly impeach Osinbajo? For what offence? I Hadiza Ibrahim will not agree to that. I am crying out now. The change we asked for is reality. It is change for progress, and a change to move the country forward. It is not a change for different things.

“I believe in Buhari and Osinbajo joint mandate. I am crying now because I don’t understand where things are going to in Nigeria now. The cabal may ask him to resign, let me use this medium to tell him, he should not.

“Osinbajo has a mandate because we voted for Buhari and him. The mandate will last till May 29, 2019. So, he should not be coerced to resign so that he would not betray the confidence we have in him.”

Recall that the former Minister of Aviation also stated something similar to Princess Hadiza's assertion. Fani-Kayode also said that their is a plot against the Ag. President.

A statement released by Fani-Kayode read, “The only thing that is relevant is the interpretation that the Service Chiefs and the military place on the “National Coordinator” letter that was sent to the Senate.

“They will act on that interpetation if Buhari dies and they are urged to do so by the corpsocrats. That is the game plan.

“It is not by accident that every single security agency in Nigeria today is headed by a northern Muslim except for the Navy. And now for the first time since 1999, a northern Muslim has been appointed GOC of the all powerful and critical 1st Division which covers the north west."

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Breaking: Tottenham FC coach, Ugo Ehiogu dies

Former England defender Ugo Ehiogu has passed away in hospital in England following his suffering from a heart attack during a training the Premier League club Tottenham's training ground on April 20, 2017.

ALSO READ: Tottenham FC coach, Ugo Ehiogu suffers heart attack during training

Tellforceblog had previously reported that the 44-year-old Tottenham’s under-23 coach, who is of Nigerian origin was rushed to the hospital after collapsing during a training session before he died.

ALSO READ: Tottenham FC coach, Ugo Ehiogu suffers heart attack during training

Ehiogu enjoyed a playing career with the England first team, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Middlesbrough over 350 times. 

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BREAKING: President Buhari finally suspends SGF Babachir Lawal and NIA's DG

After so much pressure from every angle, President Muhammadu Buhari had on Wednesday, April 19, finally bow to those pressure to suspend the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke.

Femi Adesina, who is the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity made the information pubic through a statement signed and issued today.

Tellforceblog gathered that Lawal was found guilty of complicity in the finances designated for the welfare of the Internally Displace Persons, IDPs by the Senate and they had asked the president to remove him.

The Senate report indicted Lawal for allegedly contravening the provisions of the public procurement act and the Nigerian government’s financial rules and regulations relating to award of contracts.

Read the full statement below:

"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.

"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."

However, according to the Punch, Lawal was reportedly holding a meeting with the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo when his suspension was announced.

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DSS arrests and detains Ifeanyi Ubah

Ifeanyi Ubah.

Reports flying around says that men of the Department of State Services (DSS) have detained the owner of Capital Oil, Ifeanyi Ubah.

Sahara Reporters reported that Ubah was caught up in a corruption instance involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

It was stated that the Capital Oil owner was suspected of ‘misappropriating funds from an unlawful sale of crude oil kept in his facility.’

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BREAKING: Body of medical doctor who jumped into lagoon from 3rd mainlad bridge found

Reports says the mother of Dr. Allwell Orji, who jumped into the Lagos Lagoon from Third Mainland Bridge, claimed that the recovered body by marine policemen was not that of her child (son).

The Zone 2 Police Command spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmos stated that: “The mother has come to identify the body recovered, but she said the deceased was not her son.”

Read also: Medical doctor who jumped into lagoon had attempted suicide several times four years ago

It was earlier reported that the corpse of Allwell Orji, a medical doctor, who jumped into the lagoon on the Third Mainland Bridge had been recovered from the Lagoon by marine policemen.

Speaking to The Punch, a police source said that Allwell’s mother had been reached to come for the identification of the corpse.

The Source said: “The body of the doctor was found at about 11.30am. We want to be double sure and his parent has been called to come and identify the body.”

The Lagos State Police Command has however withdrew its statement that the body of Dr. Allwell Orji who jumped into the Lagos lagoon on Sunday evening had been recovered.

Reports from Channels Television says, the Lagos state commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni had established that the corpse belongs to the medical doctor.

He said the corpse was found by the Marine Police at the Onikan end of the lagoon.

If the body recovered belongs to Dr. Orji’s, it means it took three days to recover the corpse after the incident occurred.

Before his death, the late doctor worked at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Surulere, Lagos state.

Read also: Medical doctor who jumped into lagoon had attempted suicide several times four years ago

He was alleged to be on his way to Victoria Island for a meeting with the Medical and Dental Association of Nigeria when the incident occurred.

Recall that the deceased on Sunday, March 19, 2017 asked his driver to pullover before jumping across the bridge and into the Lagoon.

In a statement released by the Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), there was a distress call of a man who parked his grey coloured Nissan SUV around 4.50 pm around Adekunle and jumped into the Lagos lagoon.

LASEMA said the vehicle and the driver had been moved to Adeniji Adele Police Station for more investigation.

According to his neighbours, the doctor had made several attempts to take his live four years ago, at the family’s two story building situated on Odunukan street, Ebute-Ejigbo, Yaba area of Lagos. But, during all those previous incidents, his neighbours were his rescuers.

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BREAKING: FG announces outbreak of new disease in Nigeria

The Federal Government of Nigeria says it has distributed epidemiologists and vaccines to contain the outbreak of a new a concern of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in some parts of the country.

The outbreak of this CSM has already claimed five lives in Gada and Wauru towns of Gada Local Government Area, Sokoto State.

The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, said this yesterday, Thurday, March 16, in Abuja that the new tension, which is actually uncommon in Nigeria, was brought into the country from Niger Republic.

He noted that the new strain involves a different type of vaccine and a team of epidemiologists have been sent down to the affected regions to address the encounter.

He called the outbreak of meningitis in Zamfara and Sokoto states as an unfortunate occurrence, emphasizing that the ministry is on its feet working tirelessly to arrest the situation.

Adewole said: “It has become an annual ritual under this administration; we would want to put an end to annual outbreak of meningitis in some of the northern states.

“I have just spoken with the commissioner for health in Zamfara who is appreciative of what the Federal Ministry of Health has been doing through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

“We have sent field epidemiologists; they are actually called disease detectives, to support them at the state level.”

He continued by saying that government have made available vaccines and would never relent in terms of whatever was needed with regards to material and technical support to contain the outbreak.

He continued: “What we know in public health is that there is always an outbreak, but what is uncertain is where and the type.

“We want to be ready at any time.”

Adewole said a meeting has been scheduled with the commissioners of health from the Northern parts of the country to bring on a good plan and strong strategy to put an end to this menace in the country.

He claimed all the northern states especially, northwest region are liable to get the disease and the states would be treated correspondingly when challenged by outbreaks such as this.

The minister said: “When people are coughing let them be referred to facilities, open windows and ensure that we do not get infected easily.

“Children are more susceptible and when they have unusual fever they should also be referred to the hospital.”

According to the minister, many diseases such as Lassa fever, meningitis and other diseases generally take place during the dry season and we expect many health issues.

“Global warming had changed many things; as far as we are concern we would be ready for many things,’’ Adewole said.

Speaking on the outbreak of CSN that has already claimed five lives in Sokoto State (Gada and Wauru towns), Dr Balarabe Kakale, who is the state Commissioner for Health, said that the victims died at the Gada General Hospital and Wauru Primary Health Centre.

Kakale said: “Three of the deaths were recorded at the Gada General hospital, while two were recorded at the Wauru PHC.”

A related report of outbreak was also reported from Zamfara on Tuesday, March 14, 2017.

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Customs boss, Hameed Ali walked out by Senate, ordered to re-appear in his uniform

The Senate, on Thursday, March 16, has walked out the Customs Comptroller General, Col. Hammed Ali from its chambers following his defiance in flouting its order.

Ali arriving the House of Assembly in Mufti

Recall that Ali was ordered to put on his Customs Service uniform when appearing at the senate today, Thursday but failed to do so and has been asked to return next week Wednesday, March 22, by 10AM in uniform.

The Senators told that Ali he should be a leader by example.

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekeremadu had formerly queried the Comptroller General for not putting on his official uniform.

In Response to the query, Ali claimed that the letter inviting him did not suggest that he should appear in uniform.

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Breaking: Ahmed Ahmed beats Hayatou to become the new CAF president. What now for Nigeria?

After 29 years on the CAF driver’s seat, the current CAF president, Issa Hayatou, has been sent packing following the just concluded CAF presidential election, today, March 16, 2017.

The election was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when he battled his strongest opponent in the history of CAF presidential elections, Ahmad Ahmad from Madagascar to see who will rule football on the African soil for the next 4 years.

Ahmed Ahmed whitewashed Issa Hayatou with 34 votes against 20 votes paving way for him as the next CAF president for the next 4 years.

What now for Nigeria? Why do we politicized everything?

Recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria mandated NFF to vote for Issa Hayatou. Read it here.

Also read:CAF election: Nigeria cannot vote against Cameroon says Dalung

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BREAKING: Senate enters closed session as Customs boss, Hameed Ali arrives in mufti

Ali arrives House of Assembly in Mufti

The Punch has just reported that Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.) has flouted the order of the Nigerian Senate that he should appear before the upper house of legislature in the uniform of the service.

The Customs Boss was allegedly sighted in the National Assembly Complex today, Thursday, March 16, in a traditional attire (white in colour).

This is opposing to the directive of the Senate which had insisted on several occasions that he must appear before the legislators in uniform depicting his rank as the DG.

Recall that there was noise in the Senate on Wednesday, March 15 after failing to show up but rather sent a letter, saying he could not appear before the lawmakers because he was bereaved.

But the Senators pushed that aside and called on the Senate leadership to force Ali to appear before it on Thursday, March 16 or risk being arrested.

Some of the legislators who kicked at Ali's decision maintained that the institution cannot afford to join issues with him but will make him to do as the lawmakers want.

Senator Sekibo moved the motion that Ali be mandated to appear before the Senate as stated in the constitution. Sekibo was supported by the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu

However, on Thursday, March 16, the lawmakers entered a closed door meeting at 10:45am, shortly after the plenary commenced.

It was unclear at press time, if the closed session was organised because of Hameed Ali's insubordination or not.

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Breaking! President Buhari is Back in Nigeria

President Buhari returns

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to the country, after 51 days on a medical leave.

According to ThisDay newspaper, he arrived at around 4.00 a.m. this morning.

However, due to the closure of the Abuja airport, his plane landed at the Kaduna airport and would from there, he moves via Helicopter to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

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