Jonathan orders restructuring of Office of the Head of Service

President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the restructuring of the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation to enable it fast track the development of the country.
Jonathan made this known in Abuja on Friday at a formal send-off ceremony for two past Heads of Service of the Federation, Mr Stephen Oronsaye and Prof. Oladapo Afolabi.
The president was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo.
He said his administration was committed to the transformation of the service into an enviable and modern institution capable of supporting the political leadership in its effort to fast track the development of Nigeria.
“It is in line with this thinking that I have recently approved the restructuring of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to enable it drive the transformation of the service.
“It is envisaged that at the end of the restructuring, the present five office structure would be reduced to three.
“It will lead to slimmer, more efficient and fit-for-purpose organisation devoid of overlaps, duplications and fragmentation, more responsive and better able to provide quality management, direction and guidance to the Federal Civil Service,” he added.

Kidnappers kill two policemen in Taraba

Gunmen Thursday stormed a residence in TarabaState, which housed foreign workers, killing two police guards in an attack a company source said  was a failed kidnap attempt.
Police in the state confirmed the raid on the village of Tella at the site owned by the Triacta engineering firm, but declined to provide details, including whether the three Lebanese engineers working there were the target.
But an official from Triacta, who requested anonymity, told AFP that “based on what has been happening (recently in Nigeria) we have every reason to believe that our expatriates were the target. It was a clear case of a failed kidnap.”

Inyanya’s album launch freezes Lagos, Saturday, March 2nd

For hot-blooded Lagos girls who eat, sleep and dream Ur Waist master Inyanya, your man is in town as he storms the Convention Centre of the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, for the launch of his debut album Iyanya vs Desire.
The tickets pluck the usual tags from cheap to very expensive N 5,000, N25, 000, N500,000 and N1 Million.
The concert will feature D’banj, MI, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Flavour, Davido, Bracket, May D, Seyi Shay, Timaya, Burna Boy, Vector, Emma Nyra and Lola Rae.

Iyanya

Inyanya on the album features- M.I, Tekno, Yung L, Flavour, May D, Emma Nyra, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid, Vector and D’Banj
Producers D’Tunes, Tee-Y Mix, Gospel On D Beatz, Laxio Beats, Mr. Chido and Young D knocked the different tracks of the album together released under the label Made Men Music Group.

Amaechi’s Govs forum is a trade union – Presidency

Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak

The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, on Thursday said the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum was established because the leadership of the party became disenchanted with the way the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, ran the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.

Gulak said Amaechi ran the NGF as its chairman as a trade union and without having recourse to the laid down party mechanism of resolving issues.

He said this was completely contrary to what the PDP leaders expected from a governor elected on the platform of the party.

The Presidential aide spoke in an interview programme on independent Channels Television.

He said the PDP decided to establish a forum for its governors since the party no longer had influence on the NGF since other parties had governor-members in it.

He said, “The PDP, whether it likes Governor Amaechi to lead the Nigeria Governors’ Forum or not, it does not have influence on the forum because other governors are there.

“But what we believe is that the leadership of Amaechi in that forum has completely gone contrary to what PDP expects a PDP governor to do.

“The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has really constituted itself as a trade union, some elder statesmen have really come out to explain things in that perspective.

“For instance, about three weeks ago, Prof. Jubril Aminu came out publicly to say the NGF is not supposed to be a trade union. It is supposed to be an association of governors coming together to discuss common challenges in the country, not to hold the country to ransom.”

In a reaction, however, the Director-General of the NGF, Dr. Asishana Okauru, on Thursday said the NGF was never run like a trade union, contrary to Gulak’s assertion.

“The NGF operates as a policy hub and it is responsible for servicing all the 36 governors across party lines. It (NGF) is not a political association and it is not run like a trade union,” he told one of our correspondents in Port Harcourt.

Also, the Rivers State PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. George Ukwuoma-Nwogba, said it was wrong for anybody to accuse Amaechi of running the forum as a trade union.

Ukwuoma-Nwogba, who described Amaechi as the leader of the governors, stated that only those who lacked the knowledge of administration would conclude that the forum was being run like a trade union.

But Gulak said it had become the practice for the NGF to threaten court actions over little things.

He said, “Small thing, they will threaten to go to court contrary to the mechanism within PDP to solve issues. I hope the leadership of the NGF has not done well in that regard as far as we PDP are concerned.

“Our expectation from any governor from the PDP is to first and foremost explore all avenues within the party mechanism to see how issues and problems are solved.”

Reps move to unravel status of N2tr assets seized by EFCC

A CLEAR picture of the status of over N2 trillion assets seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to emerge as the House of Representatives has mandated a committee to carry out a thorough investigation into property confiscated by the anti-graft agency.
The House, which tasked the Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes to conclude the assignment within two weeks, adopted a motion on the matter introduced by Toby Okechukwu and 15 other members who expressed the need for proper management of the assets.
Leading the debate on the motion, Okechukwu informed the parliament that the EFCC had between 2003 and 2010 confiscated over 200 mansions estimated to be over N2 trillion through 46 forfeiture court orders.
He said the affected landed property and business concerns included billions of naira in bank accounts, shares in blue-chip companies, exotic vehicles, fuel stations, hotels, warehouses, shopping malls, schools, bakeries, estates, telecommunication companies, radio stations in and outside Nigeria.
The lawmaker pointed out that the EFCC had within the terms of its mandate at many times confiscated through court orders assets from accused and convicted persons, including prominent Nigerians and corporate organisations.
He, however, expressed concern that there have been cases of vandalism, abandonment and waste of hitherto operating companies prior to forfeiture.
He further expressed worry over the status of the property and the lack of clarity on their use while litigation is on, and the reported breach of the seal of EFCC and attempts at unlawful and forceful repossession by those whose property had been confiscated.
Other lawmakers, including Benjamin Aboho, Micah Umor, Manir Baba, Khamir Akinlabi Mudasiru and Friday Itula, also spoke in support of the motion.