What Is The Federal Government Waiting For Before Reducing The Price Of Fuel?

What is the federal government waiting for before announcing a reduction in the price of petrol in Nigeria? The commodity has been selling for N97 per litre for a while now, with the government claiming to have been paying subsidies on the cost of landing it in the country.

We all know that petrol subsidy is a scam and a propaganda been fuelled by the elite in the country to further siphon crude oil cash and submerge the common man into further misery and abject poverty; anyway, this would be the story for another day.

Early 2012, the Nigeria Labour Congress went into strike contesting the decision of the federal government to raise the price of petrol to N120 per litre; however, after much threats and tension, the President of Nigeria used his veto power to coherce Nigerians into accepting to pay N97 for the commodity.

With the falling price of crude oil around the globe, the cost of landing petrol in Nigeria has dropped massively from a high of N140 per litre to N82 as at the time of filing this report. The price of crude oil which has maintained a high of $110 per barrel has equally dropped to $60 as well.

The question now, on the lips and minds of every normal citizen of this country is: what must Nigeria continue to pay N97 to buy a litre of petrol when the landing cost has dropped to N82 per litre? Why is the federal government acting mute about the whole saga? Where is the president of the country? Where is the finance minister, who has always defended the poor policing making and strategy of the elite? I make bold to assert here that Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was sent by the IMF and World Bank to systematically distabilize, distort, and destroy the Nigerian economy; so far, their plans seem to very much in place.

But, come to think of it, would the federal government not have acted quickly without hesitation to increase the price of petrol if the reverse had been the case? Was there not a time in this country when the federal government wanted Nigerians to purchase the commodity for an international market price of N140 per litre?

When the naira was under great pressure from importers, and speculators heaped great pressure on the Central Bank of Nigeria, did the CBN not bow to pressure and further devalued the naira against the dollar? The shocking thing here is: ever since the devaluation, things have become even worse; just last week, the naira fell to a low of almost N195 to the dollar.

With the constant silence of the elite into the current situation in Nigeria, it further strengthens the position of the critics which opine that they are only after their interest and more importantly, making life unbearable for the common man.

It remains to be seen whether the federal government would reduce the price of petrol as they did few years ago when it was reduced from N70 to N65; however, let this be a clarion call to every citizen of Nigeria out there that we must all stand up and take destiny into our hands: let us make the federal government accountable to us the citizens and do the needful by reducing the price of petrol.

It will be a welcomed development if the price of petrol is reduced to N40 per litre with the insistence of the federal government claiming to be paying subsidies on the commodity.

Written by Avwenagha Edesiri,
A Political Analyst from the FCT,
Abuja.

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You Lack The Moral Integrity To Pass Judgement On President Jonathan, Okupe Blasts Buhari

The Presidency has reacted to recent statement made by a campaign group to Buhari suggesting to president Jonathan to channel the N21 billion he received from donors into the electricity sector in the country.

According to The PUNCH, the Presidency through the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said the group lacked integrity to condemn the donation.

Okupe, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the telephone added, "We knew before and everyday that the so-called Buhari group is not a serious organisation. It is made up of power-mongers with no clear objective programmes for the country.

"They have perfected the act of deception and glorified falsehood. That's why they will say Buhari doesn't have N1m in his account and he wants to go into a national campaign.

"He wants to get the money for campaign from corrupt politicians and people of questionable character."

Okupe said   what happened at the Presidential Villa on Saturday was normal and done everywhere in the world.

He said, "What we did is done everywhere in the world. What we did was in the open and it was in a transparent manner.

"We know for a fact that Buhari's funds will come from dubious sources, including corrupt governors."

On why the President would collect donations from governors, some of whom are still owing civil servants in their states , Okupe said it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

He said, "Buhari was sponsored for the APC primary by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who unashamedly brought the treasury of the state to Lagos.

"Yet, he has not paid teachers in the state for about eight months. APC should stop this pretence and put their house in order. Nigerians are tired of their propaganda."

On the call by the BSG that the N21bn donation be spent on the power sector, Okupe disagreed, saying that the nation did not lack money to prosecute its power programmes.

The presidential aide said, "The power road map, the first of its kind in this country, is being pursued diligently and efficiently and it is being funded legitimately through the budget for the purpose of accountability.

"The nation does not lack funds for this."
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Tackle The Issues That Made Us Leave And We Shall Return, PDP Defectors Tell Jonathan

Some of the aggrieved chieftains of the party including a former national chairman of the party, Senator Barnabas Gemade, a former governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, who recently left the party, said they could only return to the PDP if the problems that led to their defection were tackled objectively.

Gemade, who left the PDP to protest what he said was a primary skewed in favour of the incumbent Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, told one of our correspondents in a telephone interview that nobody had appealed to him.

Asked if he would yield to President Jonathan's appeal not to leave the party, he said, "Nobody has made any appeal to me. I won't be able to make comment on something that has not happened."
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The N21 Billion You Donated Would Be Used To Build A Formidable Party, Jonathan Assures Donors

President Jonathan has expressed his sincere gratitude to all those who contributed towards a successful recently held fund dinner raising party.

The PUNCH reports that While thanking those who donated the over N21bn realised at the dinner, he said the money was needed to build a formidable party.

He observed that if parties were tied around individuals, there would be dictatorial tendencies in such parties.

He promised that the money realised would be judiciously utilised, like his administration had done with the different funds raised earlier.

Describing his administration as business-friendly, he promised donors of more policies that would promote enterprise and industry.

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We Withdrew N310 Billion From Excess Crude Account In Six Months, FG Discloses

The Federal Government withdrew a total sum of N310.05bn from the Excess Crude Account within the first six months of this year, a document obtained from the Budget Office of the Federation showed.

The PUNCH Reports that the 2014 second quarter budget implementation report jointly signed by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the Director-General, BOF, Dr Bright Okogu, stated that the amount was used to settle various obligations of the Federal Government due to its inability to meet its revenue targets.

A copy of the report obtained by our correspondent on Sunday stated that the withdrawals for the first half of this year was significantly lower than the N1.257tn taken from the account within the first six months of 2013.

The ECA was set up in 2004 to serve as a stabilisation and savings account to protect planned budgets against revenue shortfalls due to volatility in crude oil prices.

By isolating government expenditures from oil revenues, the ECA aims to insulate the Nigerian economy from external shocks.
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Boko Haram Threatens Even More Destruction, As Shekau Releases New Video

Militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, has vowed that "from now on, killing, slaughtering, destruction and bombing'' would be its religious duty anywhere it invades.

The group, in a new video released to journalists on Saturday, showed its armed members mowing down civilians lying face down in a dormitory.

The setting of the latest video appeared to be   a long school dormitory furnished with bunk beds which an unnamed leader of the group claimed was in Bama, a town 40 miles north of Gwoza, Borno State.

The leader of the sect was heard saying that they were killing 'infidels' or non-believers.

The Mailonline which published a story on the chilling video , reported that there were "so many corpses the gunmen had difficulty stepping to reach bodies still twitching with life."

It quoted the Boko Haram leader as also saying that they had made sure the floor of the dormitory was turned red with blood to show   "how it is going to be in all future attacks and arrests of infidels "

According to the Mailonline, the start of the video shows the Islamists enter the building where the victims, mostly adult males, lay.

It added that the video came two days after fleeing villagers reported that the extremists were rounding up elderly people and killing them in two schools in Gwoza.

In it, the unnamed sect leader, who noted that Prophet Mohammed advised prisoners should be held, not killed, said, ''we felt this is not the right time for us to keep prisoners.''

He added that was why the group would "continue to see that the grounds are crimsoned with the flowing blood of prisoners.''

According to him, even though those killed may call themselves Muslims, the sect   considers them as "infidels."

Previously, the militants had told residents of villages and towns that they would kill only enemies since they wanted people to live peacefully in an area they dubbed an Islamic caliphate.

The sect had in its last video, threatened to attack the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, for mobilising support against it.

Sanusi had in statements asked Kano State residents as well as vigilantes to arm and defend themselves against future terror attacks following a recent attack by suspected members of the group on the Kano Central Mosque.

The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, condemned Sanusi and adherents of most Islamic sects, describing them as infidels who had abandoned the Islamic doctrine.

Shekau had said, "Before I start talking to my brothers who believed in me and the religion of Allah, not the religion of democracy, not that of western education, those who believed in the religion of the Quran not that of the constitution and not religion of the Emir of Kano.

"We do not practise the religion of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, not the religion of Jonathan, not the religion of Obasanjo, not the religion of Atiku, not the religion of Babangida, not the religion of Obama, not the religion of Bush, not the religion of Clinton, but the religion of Allah.

"Now listen to me Emir of Kano. I am talking to you and only you because of your recent utterances. Let me inform you now that you are late (dead), you should know that you are only the King of Kano, King of Central Bank, King of money, you are only Sanusi Lamido."

He also said, "Emir of Kano Sanusi, you are late, that our triumph is just for a period of time so you said. Even your predecessors who are renowned idol worshippers in Islamic history like 'Abujahal' could not succeed in fighting Islam.

"Yes, you can say that our success is for a period of time, because you are a king of Bank and a loyal citizen of your country.

"Because you are made the Emir of Kano, that is why you got angry and was calling on the vigilante groups and hunters to attack us. Let me tell you that the hunters and the vigilante groups will fail and you will also fail."

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You Must Be Drunk To Think That You Can Arrest Ekiti APC Lawmakers, Omirin Dares Fayose

The embattled Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, has reacted to the alleged directive by Governor Ayodele Fayose, asking the Commissioner of Police to arrest the 19 All Progressives Congress lawmakers in the state, The PUNCH reports.

Omirin, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, said that the APC lawmakers acted within the law to conduct their sitting in a public building in the state capital last Friday.

He said, "The governor or the police cannot arrest us for performing our constitutional duty. Section 101 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria makes it explicit that the House can regulate its activities, including conducting its sittings in public buildings in the state capital.

"The Supreme Court had also ruled that the House can conduct its sittings in public places in the state capital if conditions exist that endanger members in the conduct of their sittings.

"Governor Fayose has kept armed thugs permanently in the House of Assembly to attack us. We can't put ourselves in harm's way, yet we have a responsibility to our constituents to make laws for good governance. That is why we followed the law to sit to consider issues on the ongoing constitutional amendment."

According to The PUNCH, Omirin explained that the House had a responsibility to respond to the National Assembly demand to send Ekiti State contributions to the constitutional amendment process.

"Ekiti State has just one House of Assembly. That is why the National Assembly acknowledged the receipt of our resolutions on the constitutional amendment.

"If they are sure of their status, let them approach the National Assembly or the judiciary for recognition," he added.
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Mary The Queen Catholic Church, Iguosa, Benin City Holds Nine Lessons And Carols (Pictures)

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Mary The Queen Catholic Church Holds Nine Lessons And Carols (Pictures)

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Nine Lessons And Carols Hold At Mary The Queen Catholic Church, Iguosa, Benin, Edo State.

The celebration of the 2014 Nine Lessons And Carols will hold today, 21st of December, at Mary The Queen Catholic Church, Iguosa, Benin City.

The event will take place inside the church and it is expected to commence as from 4:00pm.

Some of the activities lined up today as follows:

...Welcome speech by the Chairperson
...Carol song by the central choir of the church
...The Nine Lessons
...Christmas Message by the Rev Father in charge of the parish
...Vote of thanks
...Closing prayer and Benediction

For Live coverage of the event later in the evening, click here: http://talkafrica.co/ng/p/13949/
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