Nigeria Senate propose the return of tolls back to major roads

Nigerians might begin to experience toll gates at major roads in the country as the Senate is proposing the return of tolls on federal roads and the setting aside of 0.5 per cent of transport fares paid by mass transit passengers for inter-state trips to generate funds for the rehabilitation and maintenance of roads in the country.
A levy of N5 will also be imposed on every litre of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) and Automobile General Oil (diesel) imported or refined in the country for the same purpose.

These were part of the recommendations of the Senate Committee on Works on the National Roads Fund Establishment Bill, 2017 “for the purpose of financing the maintenance and rehabilitation of national roads.”
Consideration of reports by the committee on the National Roads Fund Establishment Bill and the Federal Road Authority Establishment Bill, 2017 was listed on the Order Paper of Thursday.
The lawmakers, who began with the consideration of the Federal Road Authority report, however, stepped down the consideration of the National Roads Fund report to another legislative day.
In the report on the National Roads Fund, the panel listed the sources of funding to include a fuel levy of N5 chargeable per litre on any volume of petrol and diesel products imported into the country and on locally refined petroleum products.
Other sources are axle load control charges and tolls not exceeding 10 per cent of any revenue paid as user charge per vehicle on any federal road designated as a toll road, which will not be applicable to roads under public-private partnership plans.
The panel also recommended international vehicle transit charges and inter-state mass transit user charge of 0.5 per cent deductible from the fare paid by passengers to commercial mass transit operators on inter-state roads.
It also proposed a roads’ fund surcharge of 0.5 per cent chargeable on the assessed value of any vehicle imported at any time into the country, as well as lease, licensing or other fees, which shall be 10 per cent of the revenue accruing from the lease or licensing or other fees pertaining to non-vehicular road usages along any federal road and collected by the federal roads agency.
The National Roads Fund is also expected to generate revenue from grants and loans as well as “gifts of land, money or other property.”
The Senate Committee on Works listed the objectives of the bill to include the establishment of the National Roads Fund “to be a repository of revenues from road user related charges and other sources for financing, which shall be managed and administered for routine and periodic maintenance works on roads in Nigeria.”
It said the proposed fund would provide “predictable and sustainable funding for road maintenance and promote the sustainable management of the road networks; establish the governing board, which shall be responsible for the management of the fund; and create an enabling environment for private sector participation, management and financing in the road sector.”
The lawmakers recommended that the National Roads Fund be established with high level of independence under the jurisdiction of the Federal Ministry of Finance, which would only oversee it for policy direction.

Govs to pay salary, pension arrears with Paris Club refund

State governors have agreed to pay off all salary and pension arrears owed workers with the next tranche of payment of the Paris Club debt refund.

The Head of Media and Public Affairs of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Mr. Abulrazaque Bello-barkindo, said in a statement on Thursday that the state governors arrived at the decision at a meeting convened by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, in Abuja on Thursday night.He said that the governors held the meeting in expectation of the next tranche of payment of the money already approved for payment by the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

He said the governors would receive the money in the month of June.

“We all agreed that a substantial amount from the next tranche of the Paris-London refunds be used in the settlement of workers’ salary and pension arrears,” Yari was quoted as saying.

He said that governors were aware of the widespread criticism of the non-payment of the backlog of salary and pension arrears and the suffering of the Nigerian workers and concluded that the situation of the workers be ameliorated to put the country on the path of growth.

Bello-barkindo recalled that out of the N522.74bn owed states, N388.304bn was paid in December 2016.

He also stated that the NGF had set up a committee under Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State to provide a solution to litigations filed by 10 consultants demanding payment for their roles in the release of the funds.

According to the statement, the committee comprises Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of Bauchi State; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; Plateau State’s Simon Lalong; Bayelsa’s Seriaki Dickson; Rivers’ Nyesom Wike; and a former Accountant General of the Federation and Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo.

Bello-barkindo added that the NGF also resolved to set up a seven-man committee to pursue “reconciliation of the forum and the betterment of the country.”

The committee comprises the governors of Imo, Bayelsa, Abia, Ekiti, Kano, Nasarawa and Bauchi states.

Paul Okoye Replies Davido; “who Has The 30 Billion In The Account Now?”

Davido asked;“How do you live here but drive this poo. How do you live here but drive all this?”

Paul responded by saying, “It is well @davidoofficial because I have light and Water 24Hours and it’s central in Victoria Island,” he added saying “I’m a landlord. Paid in full. In few weeks I will surprise U.”
The surprise that Paul Okoye was talking about came too soon when he published a video in his Instagram page of his still uncompleted mansion; “Victoria Island landlord Association not Lekki River Niger Street #VI landlord @davidoofficial @fuzengn”

Paul and Davido also came to a conclusion when the entertainment mogul asked the singer who was the boss and who has 30 billion in the account.

I walked from Kaduna to Zaria to raise money for school abroad- Amina Mohammed

United Nations deputy secretary general, Amina Mohammed, once walked a total of 76 km (47 miles) from Kaduna to Zaria in search of funds to finance her education abroad.

 lawyer has requested that the grave of Ugandan-born South Africa-based late billionaire, Ivan Semwanga, be opened up. The 39-year-old billionaire was buried with a large amount of money said to be about 100 million Ugandan Shillings by family and friends. The lawyer, Tugume Gideon, had deposed that Semwanga was buried with money, a legal tender that no one is allowed to hoard. Ugandan media reports that Gideon had sued to have the grave opened and the money removed, claiming that the money is a legal tender and should not be locked down with anyone. The lawyer has consequently petitioned the high court to have Ivan Semwanga’s grave dismantled . Ivan’s crew, who call themselves the “Rich Gang,” had poured hundreds of notes into the late billionaire’s grave, along with a generous quantity of champagnes. Semwanga was buried Tuesday, May 30, at his home in Kayunga, Uganda.

The former environment minister revealed that she had to raise money when she wanted to study hotel catering management in Italy.
“I said to my father: ‘I’m leaving,’” “He said, ‘OK, but I have no money to give you’. So I challenged everyone and said I am walking from Kaduna to Zaria — which is 76km — to raise the cash. They all said ‘You can’t do it!’ But I raised £4,000, and that was it, I was off.”
Amina Mohammed is the eldest of five daughters and now a mother of six children. Her father, a herdsman and a former military officer, met her mother, a nurse, while studying in Britain. After Mohammad finished her studies in Italy, her father demanded she return to Nigeria, and to a job — he promised — at the then American embassy in Kaduna.

According to her, when she arrived Nigeria, it quickly became apparent there was no job. “So I walked around and around and, eventually, I was 11 years at an architectural design office in northern Nigeria. It was tough being a single woman and going into offices,” she says.
“The men would say, ‘Why is she here?’ They also often thought I couldn’t speak the native languages, so I would hear an awful lot of stuff they thought I couldn’t understand, I can tell you.”
After years in the private sector, Mohammad served under the president Olusegun Obasanjo, the late  Yar'adua, and former president Goodluck Jonathan before becoming adviser to Ban Ki-moon, Guterres’ predecessor as secretary general, on the post-2015 development agenda.

 lawyer has requested that the grave of Ugandan-born South Africa-based late billionaire, Ivan Semwanga, be opened up. The 39-year-old billionaire was buried with a large amount of money said to be about 100 million Ugandan Shillings by family and friends. The lawyer, Tugume Gideon, had deposed that Semwanga was buried with money, a legal tender that no one is allowed to hoard. Ugandan media reports that Gideon had sued to have the grave opened and the money removed, claiming that the money is a legal tender and should not be locked down with anyone. The lawyer has consequently petitioned the high court to have Ivan Semwanga’s grave dismantled . Ivan’s crew, who call themselves the “Rich Gang,” had poured hundreds of notes into the late billionaire’s grave, along with a generous quantity of champagnes. Semwanga was buried Tuesday, May 30, at his home in Kayunga, Uganda.

Read more at: https://dailytimes.ng/life-times/billionaire-buried-100-million-lawyer-sues-open-grave-retrieve-buried-money/  

 lawyer has requested that the grave of Ugandan-born South Africa-based late billionaire, Ivan Semwanga, be opened up. The 39-year-old billionaire was buried with a large amount of money said to be about 100 million Ugandan Shillings by family and friends. The lawyer, Tugume Gideon, had deposed that Semwanga was buried with money, a legal tender that no one is allowed to hoard. Ugandan media reports that Gideon had sued to have the grave opened and the money removed, claiming that the money is a legal tender and should not be locked down with anyone. The lawyer has consequently petitioned the high court to have Ivan Semwanga’s grave dismantled . Ivan’s crew, who call themselves the “Rich Gang,” had poured hundreds of notes into the late billionaire’s grave, along with a generous quantity of champagnes. Semwanga was buried Tuesday, May 30, at his home in Kayunga, Uganda.

Read more at: https://dailytimes.ng/life-times/billionaire-buried-100-million-lawyer-sues-open-grave-retrieve-buried-money/  

Suspected Ebola Corpse Arrives Nigeria From Congo Causes Uproar

The Federal Government may sanction Kenya Airways for conveying a corpse from the Ebola-affected Democratic Republic of Congo to Nigeria as it’s leaving no stone unturned tackling the dreaded spread of Ebola.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who spoke at a joint briefing organised by the state agency and the Federal Ministry of Heath, said the airline did not obtain the necessary approval to bring in the body from the Ebola-ravaged country.

Idris, however, said the laboratory investigations showed that the corpse was not infected with EVD.

“The airline brought the remains of a Nigerian without having all documentations that are required to process its clearance by the Department of Port Health Services, Federal Ministry of Health. The Federal Government of Nigeria and relevant agencies condemn this deliberate breach.

 

“In line with industry practice, a report has been made to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the regulatory agency of the Nigerian aviation industry on the occurrence.

 

“Necessary steps are being taken by the regulatory authorities to sanction the airline in a bid to prevent future occurrence. We have commenced detailed investigations by all relevant agencies of government to determine the immediate and remote intentions of this unfortunate behaviour,” Idris stated.

The commissioner noted that the Federal Government had banned repatriation of human remains into the country through all points of entry as a precautionary measure to avoid importation of any infectious disease during the Ebola outbreak.

He added that the Federal Ministry of Health and the Port Health Division had issued guidelines to all airlines on the procedures to be followed to obtain a waiver before repatriating any human remains into the country.

The commissioner said, “The government will like to reiterate that the ban is still in force and any attempt to contravene this ban will attract serious sanction. Government will want everyone to be vigilant and encourage all our officials at land, sea and air borders to continue the screening of international passengers.”

A little look at Juventus and Real Madrid's record in the Champions League final ahead of their Cardiff clash

Juventus and Real Madrid will meet in Cardiff on June 3rd. It's one of the most watched events in the world sporting calendar and in just over three weeks time the Champions League final is coming to Cardiff. And now we know which two sides will be vying for victory in that final - Juventus and Real Madrid. Neither side is a stranger to the competition, having both featured in the final five times. They last met in the tournament finals in 1998, which Real Madrid won 1-0. Here are a few facts and figures on each side's history in the competition: Most appearances - the teams are tied AC Milan - 6 FC Bayern Munich - 5 FC Barcelona - 5 Juventus - 5 Real Madrid - 5 Manchester United FC - 4 Real Madrid are through to the finals after beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 (Agg: 2-4). It will be their sixth final. Credit: NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images Most wins - Real Madrid Real Madrid - 5 (1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016) FC Barcelona - 4 (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015) AC Milan - 3 (1994, 2003, 2007) FC Bayern Munich - 2 (2001, 2013) Manchester United - 2 (1999, 2008) Juventus beat AS Monaco to reach their sixth final. They hold the record for the most final defeats. Credit: Maurizio Borsari/AFLO/Press Association Images Most defeats - Juventus Juventus - 4 (1997, 1998, 2003, 2015) AC Milan - 3 (1993, 1995, 2005) FC Bayern Munich - 3 (1999, 2010, 2012) Manchester United - 2 (2009, 2011) Valencia - 2 (2000, 2001) Atlético Madrid - 2 (2014, 2016) Biggest wins - Real Madrid 4-0 AC Milan v FC Barcelona (Athens) 1994 4-1 Real Madrid v Atlético Madrid (Lisbon) 2014 3-0 Real Madrid v Valencia (Saint-Denis) 2000 3-0 FC Porto - AS Monaco (Gelsenkirchen) 2004 3-1 Borussia Dortmund v Juventus (Munich) 1997 3-1 FC Barcelona v Manchester United (London) 2011 3-1 FC Barcelona v Juventus (Berlin) 2015.

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