Controversy surrounds Naomi Campbell’s meeting with Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met with British supermodel, Naomi Campbell, as he toured the Eko Atlantic City on Friday.

The supermodel was in Lagos for the Arise Fashion Week 2018, and many Nigerians were surprised to see her with the President during his tour of the new city under construction.

The British model had earlier tweeted that she was in Nigeria on the request of the Nigerian government but deleted the post shortly after.

She tweeted, “Was a pleasure to be invited by his Excellency, the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, to the private launch of Eko Atlantic @NGRPresident @MBuhari.”
After deleting the post, she replaced it with, “Was a pleasure to meet His Excellency the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, to the launch of Eko Atlantic. Here for Arise Fashion Week.”

However, before the first post was deleted, Nigerians had already seen it and bombarded the model with questions, with some asking why she deleted her initial post.
A Twitter user simply identified as, Olawoyin4u, posted a screenshot of her first post and asked why the supermodel deleted the tweet. He posted on his twitter handle, “Nigerians want to know why you deleted the post below?”

The Presidency also denied reports that President Buhari had invited the British actor, singer and model for the tour of the Eko Atlantic City. It claimed that the President met Campbell at Eko Atlantic City and that she requested to take some pictures with Buhari.

A tweet by the Personal Assistant to the President on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, said, “For the sake of clarity, President MBuhari didn’t invite Ms. Naomi Campbell to any event during his 2-day visit to Lagos State.”

Punch Report

Knocks for presidency as Martin Luther King family disowns Buhari’s award

Public commentators and thousands of Nigerians invaded the social media space on Thursday, condemning the roles allegedly played by some presidential aides in the controversial award for President Muhammadu Buhari by the Martin Luther King center a few days ago.

Pictures of the delegation from the centre, The King Center, presenting the award on behalf of the family of legendary American civil rights activist to Buhari at the Presidential villa, found their way into the media space hours after the visit.

Obviously uncomfortable with the development, The King Center tweeted on Wednesday, dissociating itself from the award.

The statement, released via @TheKingCenter, read, “The award given to President Buhari of Nigeria was not given by The King Center, at the request of The King Center or by the children of #MLK and CorettaScottKing.”

The development ignited a series of unfavourable comments from members of the public, especially when an online platform, LeadersNG, published on Thursday that the Nigerian government might have paid up to $3m to procure the ‘fake award’ for the President.

Following the outrage, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, hurriedly issued a statement on Thursday to defend the award.

She explained that the award was in appreciation of the President’s fight against corruption, noting that the visit of the MLK family members to Nigeria was not sponsored by the Federal Government.
Dabiri-Erewa in the statement by her media aide, Abdurrahman Balogun, dismissed insinuations that the government paid money for the award, stressing that nothing could be further from the truth.

“It must be categorically stated here that the trip was totally privately funded and not one kobo was spent by the Nigerian government,” she said.

The Presidential aide also clarified that the commemorative plaque given to Buhari was presented on behalf of the Martin Luther King family and not the TK Center as being speculated.
The statement read in part, “Our attention has been drawn to obviously fake online news reports on the visit of some members of the MLK family to Nigeria.

“The members, led by the Matriarch of MLK, Naomi Barbara King, were in Nigeria as part of the activities initiated to celebrate a low- key Black History Month in Nigeria as part of deepening partnership between Africa and its diaspora.

“As part of the activities, they visited President Buhari and gave him a commemorative plaque for his fight against corruption and what they termed from the “Africania Diaspora” a term for Africans in diaspora for which the oldest of them all, Naomi Barbara King, was selected to present on behalf of the family (Not TK Center) as a sign of appreciation to the President.”

The statement further stated that the Americans enjoyed their visit and they decided to extend their stay by two days, noting that the political endorsement of Buhari by a member of the MLK family was done in his personal capacity.

“As a non-political group, he was asked to refute the statement, which he refused to, insisting that it was his personal opinion, and not that of the family nor that of the centre, of which he has been a board member and the Chief Operating Officer for over five years.

“This may have led to some arguments among them, which they have said they will resolve when they get back to the United States, which apparently led to the tweet being circulated,” it said.
But the LeadersNG, in its report, alleged that the award was facilitated by Dabiri-Erewa, through a Ghanaian self-acclaimed foreign diplomat, Dr. Erieka Bennett.

According to the LeadersNG, a quick fact-check on Erieka Bennet revealed that she runs a non-governmental organisation, called, Diaspora African Forum, based in Accra, Ghana, and that she used her influence to facilitate foreign awards for unsuspecting African leaders.

The online newspaper further alleged that Bennett was contracted by Dabiri-Erewa to bring Martin Luther King Jnr’s family to Nigeria to present an award to Buhari.

It added that Bennet contacted someone in King’s family, a distant relative of Martin Luther King called Dr. Naomi Barbara, “after The King Center declined earlier request by Bennett to influence an award for a certain African leader.”

In his reaction on his facebook page, An Associate Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media in the School of Communication & Media, Kennesaw State University in the USA, Farooq Kperogi, condemned the action which Buhari’s aides played in the saga.

Kperogi wrote, “Nigerian scam artists, led by Abike Dabiri, got some Black American hustlers from Atlanta to pose as close relatives of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr. and presented a fraudulent “Black History Award” to Buhari.

“First, Coretta King, Martin Luther King’s wife, died on January 30, 2006. I know Buhari gives appointments to dead people, but in America dead people don’t give awards. Second, Black History is celebrated in February, not March, in America and Canada.

“The extent the Buhari government is prepared to go to court of embarrassment and ridicule Nigeria in its bid to conceal its crying incompetence is simply astounding.

Also, one Aminu Farooq, said, “This fraudulent award didn’t come to me as a surprise. Nigerian leaders are always vulnerable when it comes to these types of awards. My father had been chief executive officer in a Federal Government establishment in Nigeria.

“He said if he had paid attention to awards, he would have received hundreds of them during the period he occupied office. There is a growing business industry in Nigeria that can be called the award industry. Buhari’s case is only different from the ones I know about because his own award is ‘international.’ It is very sickening and sad.”

Another Facebook user, Isyaka Laminu Badamasi, said, “When a few nights ago my wife and I watched Channels TV News at 10 and saw the presentation of an award called the First Black History Month National Black Excellence and Exceptional Leadership Award by a certain falsely described ‘matriarch’ of the King family, I smelt a rat. I told her this award is very strange though I couldn’t put my finger on why.”

Also, Musa Idris said, “The long and short of it is that the award is a big fraud, as fraudulent as Buhari’s integrity! My surprise is that it is Abike Dabiri whom we used to know and love in NTA of old that organised this heist and foisted it on the unaware President-in-a-trance.”
In 2016, former President Goodluck Jonathan became the first African leader to be given the Martin Luther King human rights award.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party described the saga as a national disgrace and embarrassment.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, on Thursday said the lie by  Buhari’s handlers smacked of  what it described as a desperation by the presidency and the All Progressives Congress to procure international endorsement,ahead of the 2019 elections.
Ologbondiyan said the embarrassing act had made the nation a laughing stock before the international community.

He said the nation was jolted when the centre distanced itself from the award and noted that, “the award given to President Buhari of Nigeria was not given by The King Centre, at the request of The King Centre or by the children of Martin Luther King jnr.”

He said, “It is now clear that this sinking, incompetent and deceptive APC administration, in their desperation, can fabricate and stage-manage anything, including name-dropping of international figures and agencies, in their desperate attempt to delude Nigerians again, now that the 2019 general election is fast approaching.

“Nigerians have discovered that having failed to gain any endorsement from reputable international figures such as Bill Gates, the APC and the Presidency have now cheapened the nation by resorting to this despicable act of name-dropping of world-renowned human right activist, Dr. Martin Luther King jnr., further dragging down our once sterling image before the comity of nations.

“The fact remains that not many Nigerians believed in the authenticity of the award in the first place, as the Buhari-led administration, by its undemocratic and anti-people proclivities, including records of violations of rights of citizens, is not deserving of any form of recognition by any human rights group, let alone the family of the world-acclaimed Martin Luther King Jnr.
“Today, the PDP has been vindicated in its stand that the APC government is not only hypocritical but overtly deceptive and must not be trusted.”

Ologbondiyan recalled that the PDP had issued a statement, earlier this year, cautioning Nigerians and the international community to be wary of information and claims coming from the APC and the presidency, particularly on endorsements and performance indices.

While he urged the Presidency to shed its alleged proclivity for lies, he also demanded the immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of all the Presidency officials involved in this messy scandal and crime against our nation.

“Moreover, the Presidency and the APC should save the nation from further embarrassment by jettisoning other planned endorsement stunts and fabricated performance indices, as Nigerians are already rallying with the repositioned and rebranded PDP in their collective quest to end the misrule of the APC and restore a sincere, purposeful and people-oriented government come 2019,” he added.

Punch Report

How U.S. shortchanges swindles Nigerians in visa application fees

• Makes N19b in one year, excess gain hits N4.5 billion
• Official says consulate uses market-based exchange rate 

Though the Federal Government pegged the exchange rate at N305.25 to a dollar, the American Consulate in Nigeria exchanged N400 to a dollar in visa application fees for one fiscal year, until yesterday.

This was deduced from the visa fees and exchange rate published on the website of the American Consulate:http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ng/ng-niv-visafeeinfo.asp.
Consequently, at the exchange rate of N400 to a dollar, a Nigerian applying for the non-immigrant U.S. visa at $160 fee was made to pay N64, 000 instead of N48, 840.

The N400-to-a dollar exchange rate allowed the U.S. Consulate to cream off excess gain of N15, 200 per applicant. Even at the black market rate of N370 to a dollar, which was sustained for months, the consulate made an excess gain of N8, 400 on each visa granted Nigerians.

According to the U.S. Department of State, more than 163,000 immigrant and non-immigrant visas were issued to Nigerians between March 2017 and January 2018.
The number of applicants denied visa in 2017 were over 130,000, representing 44 per cent of the visas granted in the fiscal year.

Therefore, at the exchange rate of N400 to a dollar, the consulate made nearly N19 billion in 11 months instead of N14.5 billion it would have made at N305.25 to a dollar. The difference of N4.5 billion represents 23 per cent excess gain.

Considering that other visa types such as H, L, O, P, Q, R, K and E attract higher fees, ranging between $190 and $265, the embassy’s gross earnings increased by a significant amount.
For instance, a religious worker travelling to the U.S. had paid N76, 000 for P-type visa instead of N58, 000; the same for athletes, artists and entertainers.

Adam Alqali, a reporter with an online newspaper, African News Page, said he felt cheated when he realised he paid $160 at N400 to a dollar rate, more so, when he was eventually denied a visa.
Alqali was offered a fellowship to attend Federation of Science Conference in San Francisco in October 2017, all expenses paid by his sponsor.

“Despite the fact that all my papers were valid, I was still denied a visa. That was how I missed an opportunity to attend the fellowship,” he said.
A visa applicant, Kayode Bello, described the exchange rate as “extortion.”

Bello, who was denied U.S. visa early March 2018, said the ideal for which America is known globally did not support taking advantage of people who want to travel to the United States.
“Not all of us are running away from Nigeria as the U.S. consular officers always like to assume,” he said.

Bello said he had written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking the authorities to wade into the matter but there was no response.
In a mail sent to The Guardian, Darcy Fyock Zotter, the Public Affairs Officer U.S. Consulate, Lagos justified the exchange rate of N400 to a dollar.

“We note that there are multiple exchange rates listed for Nigeria. The U.S. Mission Nigeria uses a market-based exchange rate for the payment of U.S. visa fees.”
But Zotter did not explain how the Consulate arrived at N400 to a dollar rate.

Notwithstanding, more Nigerians are being refused the chance to visit America in the last three years.
The statistics published by the U.S. Department of State show that the refusal rate for B-visa has increased from 32 per cent in 2015 to 44 per cent in 2017, despite the rip-off.

One of the applicants denied B-visa recently, Paul Oletu, said he had been twice denied the permit in 2015 and 2018.

“At the last time, I did not spend more than two minutes with the consular officer before I was dismissed. I could not believe it happened so fast. I don’t know what the visa officer saw that made him to make such a quick decision. It was a group visa, and only two applicants in the group were granted out of 50 of us.”

Oletu said the news of his denial sent him into depression. “I could not go to work for three days after they denied me. I paid a total of N190, 000, including consultancy fees, all for nothing,” he said.
The Guardian’s effort to get reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was rebuffed.

Meanwhile, the exchange rate was lowered yesterday to N360 to a dollar.
In a mail sent to The Guardian yesterday, Information Officer at the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. embassy in Nigeria, Russell K. Brooks, confirmed the change.

He reiterated that naira-to-dollar rate changes periodically subject to market-based exchange rate established by commercial banks in concert with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Brooks also gave a hint that visa fees might increase soon.

“U.S. policy requires reciprocity with regard to visa fees. Discussions have been underway to ensure that the fees paid by U.S. citizens match those paid by Nigerians,” he said.

Guardian Report

MMM founder, Sergei Mavrodi, dies of heart attack at 62

Russian businessman Sergei Mavrodi, whose MMM pyramid scheme deprived millions of Russians of their savings in the 1990s, has died of a heart attack, according to Russia media.

Reports said the 62-year-old was rushed to the hospital late on March 25 with pain in his chest and died several hours later.

Mavrodi’s MMM financial pyramid was a typical Ponzi scheme in which earlier investors receive their profits from subsequent investors. Mavrodi promised returns of 20 percent to 75 percent a month, as well as lotteries and bonuses for investors.

As soon as the number of new clients stopped growing, the pyramid collapsed, causing huge financial losses for at least 10 million people, in some cases leaving them destitute.

In 1994, Mavrodi was elected as a lawmaker, a decision he later said was to ensure he received immunity from prosecution. In 1996, he lost his parliamentary mandate.

In 2007, a Moscow court found him guilty of financial fraud and sentenced him to 4 1/2 years in a penal colony.

In 2011, Mavrodi launched another pyramid scheme called MMM-2011, calling on investors to purchase so-called Mavro currency units in a bid to get rid of the “unfair” financial system. Some 15 months later, Mavrodi halted the project.

From 2011-16, Mavrodi launched Ponzi schemes under the MMM brand in India, China, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria.
In many of those countries, Mavrodi’s operations were subsequently shut down or suspended.

Punch Report

Looted funds: Adeosun accuses Magu of concocting figures

WITH different officials of the Federal Government eagerly beating their chest over how much has been recovered from former functionaries, there is a growing confusion in Abuja over the actual amount already recovered.

In May 2016, Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, said government recovered N78.3 billion, $185 million, £3.5 million and €11,250.

In addition, he disclosed that 239 non-cash recoveries were made with interim forfeiture amounting to N126 billion, $9 billion, £2.4 million and €303,399.
He also put anticipated repatriation of looted funds from offshore sources at $321.3 million, £6.9m and €11,826, the minister added.

These figures are, however, different from those recently given by acting chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, late last year at the seventh session of the Conference of State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Vienna, Austria.

According to Magu, EFCC monetary recoveries between May 2015 and October 20, 2017 were in excess of N738.9 billion, which is equivalent to over $2.9 billion, adding “this does not include smaller currencies like Durham, CRA and British Pound,” he added.

“Within this year alone, the commission recovered stolen assets running into several millions of US dollars and billions in naira.

This include the sum of $43 million recovered from Deziani Allison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum and N2 billion spread in seven accounts within three Nigerian banks laundered from the Federal Capital Territory Police Command Salary Accounts,” he explained.

The variation of figures is apparently causing some confusion in government as the Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun has written a letter to Magu, asking him to explain how much exactly the EFCC has recovered.

In the letter dated February 9, 2018, and personally sined by her, entitled “Summary of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recoveries from May 2015 to January 2018”, the Finance minister wrote:

Why EFCC, ICPC continue to lose corruption cases —Akin Olujimi
“This is to notify you of the records of cash assets recoveries in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from May 2015 till date based on the information available to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (attached).

“It has, however, come to the attention of the Ministry of Finance, the use of recovery figures in media reports by the EFCC that do not reconcile with the records of the Ministry.

You are, therefore, kindly requested to clarify where these cash recoveries have been deposited and provide accompanying evidence.”

It will be recalled that one of the reasons given by the Senate for refusing to confirm Magu for the position was his inability to give figures of recoveries as of the time he was being interviewed by the committee of the whole house.

Some citizens have also accused the anti-graft agency of converting part of recovered looted funds to personal use by agents.

A senior official in the Ministry of Justice said “it appears that Magu is using a different means of computation from standard procedure.

“Maybe he is adding the value of confiscated property to the cash recoveries, which should not be so,” the official said.

Tribune Report

BUHARI OFFERS UNCONDITIONAL AMNESTY TO B/HARAM INSURGENTS

President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration will give unconditional amnesty to insurgents willing to lay down arms.

Buhari said this at the Presidential Villa on Friday while receiving the freed Dapchi schoolgirls.

The president said the security agencies would not hesitate to deal with those seeking political gains from the abduction.

He also asked the security agencies to ensure that there is no repeat of students' abduction .

Earlier, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura, had said that the social media and utterances of those incompetent to speak on the matter almost marred efforts to rescue the girls.

He also said that almost all the freed Dapchi schoolgirls had one skin infection or the other for not bathing for one month.

Daily Trust Report

Buhari’s ERGP can’t lift Nigerians out of poverty –Gates

… No. You’re wrong –el Rufai

Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, yesterday, criticised the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), saying it does not reflect people’s needs.

Gates, who stated this at the expanded National Economic Council on Investment in Human Capital, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja, submitted that investment in infrastructure and competitiveness must go hand in hand with investments in people, to anchor the economy over the long term.

He, however, regretted that Nigeria’s approach places more priorities on physical capital over human capital development.

“The Nigerian government’s ERGP identifies ‘investing in our people’ as one of three ‘strategic objectives’. But the ‘execution priorities’ don’t fully reflect people’s needs, prioritising physical capital over human capital.”

Gates who spoke on the theme, “Role of Human Capital Investment in Supporting Pro-poor and Economic Growth Agenda”, urged Nigeria “to face the facts so as to make progress.”

He said the country will thrive better with strong investment in health and education, rather than concentrating on physical infrastructure, to the detriment of human capital development.

Even though World Bank’s World Development Report shows direct link between the level of education and improvements in employment, productivity and wages, Nigeria’s case shows that half of the country’s children cannot read and write.

While admitting he does not enjoy “speaking bluntly” to Nigeria when the people had been “so gracious enough” to invite him, he hinted that statistical data show the country “still looks like a low- income country.”

He said he was encouraged to be blunt by Aliko Dangote’s frank approach to “stressing the importance of accurate data.”

Taking a comparative analysis of data to back his arguments, information technology entreprenuer described Nigeria as “one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth”, with “one in three Nigerian children chronically malnourished.”

Nigeria, he said, has the fourth worst maternal mortality rate in the world, only ahead of Sierra Leone, Central African Republic and Chad.

“In upper middle-income countries, the average life expectancy is 75 years. In lower middle-income countries, it’s 68; in low-income countries, it’s 62. In Nigeria, it is lower still, just 53 years.”

The former world’s richest man, however, sees the country thriving if it is ready to invest in the health, education and opportunities – the human capital. “If you don’t, however, then it is very important to recognise that there will be a sharp limit on how much the country can grow.”

Gates, who sees Nigeria as having “unmatched economic potential” assured his audience that his Foundation was eager to support the government to make “Nigeria a powerhouse that provides opportunities for all its citizens.”

Citing the gains the country has recorded in the immunisation against polio, he urged the government to pursue human capital development with the same vigour to achieve the desired results.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, in his opening remarks, said Nigeria can truly compete globally, if it can prioritise investments in the health, education and create job opportunity for the people alongside other critical areas like infrastructure. Together, these are the inputs that will make Nigeria richer.

For his part, Vice President Osinbajo, regretted that high oil prices and economic growth of previous years had failed to translate into a better life for most Nigerians.

According to him, grand corruption prevented investments in healthcare and education and infrastructure, and shamelessly robbed government policies of most, if not all, of their intended impact.
Osinbajo, however, assured the gathering that the Muhammadu Buhari administration was determined to rewrite the Nigerian story for the better.

He reiterated that not only is the administration painfully aware of the issues facing the country, it is prepared to take the challenges Dangote Foundation as well as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have outlined head-on. “And we have no choice because the problem literally grows daily.”

But reacting to Gates’ verdict on Buhari’s economic policies, Nasir el-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State, said it was wrong for Bill Gates to say the execution process of the Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) does not truly reflect the needs of Nigerians.

El-Rufai, who was among the governors at the meeting where Gates spoke, said the ERGP has enough provisions for human capital and that what was needed was not an adjustment of the ERGP but for state governments to adopt similar plans.

“On the review of ERGP as suggested by Gates, it is not correct to say that the ERGP does not give primacy to human capital, it is not correct,” el-Rufai said.

“The ERGP has enough provision for human capital, it is a Federal Government plan. What is needed is for states to have similar plans as well as adequate provisions for healthcare and education.
“Because the bulk of the burden for healthcare and education really rests on states governments.

The disease burden of the country is largely at the primary healthcare level and this primary healthcare system is broken completely; we need to rebuild it.

“It is the responsibility of the states rather than the Federal Government. The Federal Government incentivises with funding, grants and aids. But essentially, routine immunisation, primary healthcare, is the responsibility of the states.”

Daily Sun Report

Ex-NNPC worker sentenced to death for murder of daughter’s boyfriend

 A Cross River State High Court sitting in Calabar on Wednesday sentenced a retired worker of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Godwin Elewana, to death by hanging.

The court found Elewana guilty of the murder of a 22-year-old pupil, Douglas Ojugbo, on March 10, 2015 over suspicion that the victim was having an affair with his daughter, Mercy.
Elewana, who had been in prison custody since 2016, was arraigned on one count of murder in case no. HC/9C/2015.

The presiding judge of the court, Justice Ukpa Ebitam, said the prosecution team, led by Mr. Eneji Amajama, a Deputy Director in the Department of Public Prosecutions in the state Ministry of Justice, proved its case that the accused committed the crime.

Ebitam listed the several confessional statements, hospital reports and other exhibits presented in the course of trial as reasons the accused was convicted.

He said, “The prosecution team was able to establish ingredients of murder against the accused. On whether it was the act of the accused that caused the death of the victim, the prosecution team placed reliance mostly on the confessional statement of the accused…clearly, the statement linked the murder to the accused.

“The prosecution team also proved the second ingredient of murder which was the intentional act. To have fired the victim twice with his pump-action gun, I agree that the killing was intentional. I hereby find the accused person guilty of murder.

“Subject to Section 319 of the Criminal Code of Cross River State, any person who commits murder is sentenced to death by hanging.”
Moments before the verdict was given, the defence counsel, Mr. Clement Ukaegbu, had pleaded for leniency.

Ukaegbu’s position was supported by another lawyer, Mr. Orchardson Umoh, who pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy on the grounds that the convict had a good religious standing and high integrity in the society.
Shortly after the verdict, the leader of the prosecution team, Amajama, said the law had taken its course.

He said, “I thank God that we have industrious and sound judges who still uphold the rule of law. Today, the parents of the deceased would have some respite that the law of the land took its course.
“This judgement will serve as a deterrent to others that you cannot do what is wrong and go away with it and I think that our society will be better for it.

“The accused was tried under Section 319 of the Criminal Code of Cross River State. Under this section, the judge does not have the right to give him life imprisonment or any other jail term. The judge has just done what the law stipulates.”

The mother of the victim, Mrs. Maria Ojugbo, said, “I thank God for doing what should be done. It is stated in the Bible that anyone who kills by the sword, will die by the sword. Elewana had no reason whatsoever to kill my son in such a manner and conceal the act by burying him. It was Almighty God that gave approval for this judgement.”

Punch Report

5000 Youwin connect winners plan massive protest against FG as facilitators tell them “No money”, a clear deviation from Jonathans regime

The final winners of the Youwin connect academy are getting agitated and some are already calling on their counterparts across the nation for a nationwide media campaign against the federal government if the planned funding promised by the federal government is not done.

The You win connect academy is a continuation of the youwin connect programme started by the government of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, aimed at empowering youths financially to start up their businesses in other to reduce unemployment in the country.

The programme under the former administration saw thousands of youths empowered to start up various businesses. Our correspondent who interviewed some of the participants observed that they are already getting agitated with what their facilitators at the various 25 training centres across the nation are telling them. It is best assumed that the facilitators don’t know what they are saying, but if their voice is really the heart of the ministry of finance led by Kemi Adeosun then FG has 5,000 angry youths to contend with before the 2019 general elections.

Hundreds of thousands of youths earlier applied for the youwin connect programme after a nationwide sensitization encouraging youths to apply as the government was ready and willing to give as much as 10,000,000 to each winner to finance their businesses. After the rigorous application process, about 55,000 where selected to go through the online training and accessment, after which about 50,000 where disqualified based on scores and performance. The remaining 5,000 who were sent congratulatory messages and asked to go for face to face trainings before funding are now having their hopes dashed.

One of the state facilitators reportedly told the participants ‘no money oh’, another adviced the participants to use the certificates they have been issued to gain funding for their businesses, things remain quite unclear as the participants presently don’t know their fate after spending so much for the different levels of the competition. They are calling on the federal ministry of finance to clear the air and do the needful, rather than deviating from the original vision of the programme. Below is a communique issued by the participants of the programme in one of the training centres as obtained by Olika Reporters;

A COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED BY THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE YOUWIN CONNECT ACADEMY (MASTER CLASS) AT THE END OF THE FACE TO FACE TRAINING HELD AT THE LABOUR HALL, NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS, ASABA, DELTA STATE .

Participants bring to the notice of the Federal government of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Stake Holders of the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria(YouWIN) connect programme, all concerned Nigerians who are passionate about the development of young entrepreneurs and youth in Nigeria, and the general public that:

(i) As part of the ongoing YouWIN connect capacity building programme, an in-class sector specific training tagged ‘YouWIN Connect Academy’ held in Labour House, Asaba, Delta state from Wednesday 14th March to Friday, 16th March, 2018.

(ii) 250 persons were invited via emails and SMS from various towns, cities and communities of Edo and Delta States of which 245 persons were in attendance.

(iii) Participants at Asaba YouWIN Connect Academy make a small percentage of the 5000 National, Regional and State winners who had been chosen from over 61,000 persons who partook in the online training and are receiving training scheduled to take place in 25 locations across the six geopolitical zones for 3 days each. It was a face to face training that was delivered by J.K. Consulting Co. Ltd which builds on what participants previously learnt during the online training and will hopefully increase participants’ chances of succeeding as business owners.

(iv) Participants received trainings targeted at specific sectors of Information and Communication Technology, Fashion, Agriculture/ Agro- processing, Manufacturing, and construction with Business Model Canvass (BMC), Cluster specific BMC and Business Plan, as courses taken and were given Certificates at the end.

(v) Participants commend the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Finance and all stake holders of the YouWIN connect programme for the brilliant initiative targeted at empowering young entrepreneurs of our dear country Nigeria.

(vi) Participants commend all resource persons used for all the trainings in all locations across the 6 geo political zones of the country, especially J.K. Consulting Co. Ltd who anchored the programme at the Asaba venue.

(vii) Participants also commend the various Government officials especially the representative of the YouWIN connect programme Mr. Yemi Bello who took out time to visit and ensure the smooth running of the programme and responded to the questions raised at the interactive sessions. 

(viii) Participants also highly commend all trainees who partook in the training for their high level of commitment, good conduct and active participation that led to the success of the 3–day training, all of whom solely bore the cost of transportation, hotel accommodation and other logistics on their own. 

(ix) Participants observe with serious concern that the YouWIN connect programme had gone through different sequential stages of awareness, campaign to registration, application, selection, online training and face to face training, with promises that: 

a) All successful participants will receive certification on completion of the training and will be required to submit a business plan for areas where their businesses require improvements.

b) All successfully funded businesses (start-up/existing) will receive a 1 year business development support (this includes introducing businesses to DFIs for further funding)

(x) Participants observe that at the various stages of the application, selection and online training, several persons were dropped based on merit. Participants also observe with disdain that there hasn’t been a scheduled time table for the YouWIN connect programme.

(xi) Participants note with interest that at the awareness campaign held in various locations especially in Labour House, Asaba, Delta state and Elora Hotel, Benin City Edo state in July 2017, they were told that they could access as much as ₦10,000,000 to ₦25,000,000 for their individual businesses.

(xii) Participants bring to the remembrance of the government that the present successful 5000 winners who took/are taking part in the ongoing face to face training across the country were chosen from about 61,000 persons who took the Youwin LMS online training sessions and scored very high marks.

(xiii) Participants also note that the 5,000 successful participants were tagged WINNERS based on National, Regional and State merit.

(xiv) Participants note that all who attended the training came with the same mind that they had scaled the hurdles of competition and are to be beneficiaries of the Federal Government Funding for their individual businesses.

(xv) Participants also bring to the notice of the government and the general public that FUNDING is a major SETBACK for young entrepreneurs partaking in this programme.

(xvi) Participants were informed by the YouWIN connect Representative that only ₦2.5 billion was set aside for series funding. Little as this may be, participants are shocked that the said sum of money will be open to all, including those who never partook in the YouWIN connect process, from the beginning, connoting that very few participants’ businesses if any will be funded. Not to mention the information we came to be aware of, that little or no preference will be given to 5,000 acclaimed Winners.

(xvii) Participants observe with concern that it is quite disheartening, discouraging and highly deceptive to have made 5000 acclaimed Winners to leave their homes, families, businesses, solely bearing the cost of transportation, hotel accommodation and logistics for mere training and certification. 

One may ask what then have been won by the National, Regional and State acclaimed Winners? What is going to be the benefit of all the sacrifices made so far? Of what benefit is business knowledge without capital to execute?

(xviii) Participants wish to remind the government that the Youwin connect programme can take the lead in empowering young entrepreneurs to plan, start and grow their businesses and become business moguls who will impart positively on the economy of Nigeria in the nearest future. This would lead to creation of jobs and decline in the high unemployment rate of our dear country. 

(xix) Participants wish to state confidently that no investment in young entrepreneurs will be too much as the massive positive impact cannot be overemphasized.

(xx) Participants use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government to make enough FUNDS available to the 5,000 National, Regional and State Winners who participated in the YouWIN connect academy in all locations of the training in Nigeria, as soon as their business plans are submitted. 

Doing otherwise may mean that government has no confidence in the quality of trainings (online and face to face) they offered to participants and this could be interpreted as manipulation and Oppression of young entrepreneurs. The government should note that even if a percentage of the 5,000 acclaimed WINNERS end up successful, the YouWIN connect programme will still be considered a huge success.

(xxi) Participants wish to state that if funds are given to all the 5000 acclaimed winners, who have workable business plans, a level playing ground would be created for all to perform. All these young entrepreneurs could become the future Dangotes, Otedolas, Elumelus, etc and many other big names in business in Nigeria today.

(xxii) Participants strongly support the idea of grants or equity funding for the sustainability of the YouWIN connect programme and ask for close monitoring for all would be recipients of the proposed funds.

(xxiii) As earlier stated, participants re – emphasize that they believe in the YouWIN connect programme to take the lead in empowering Young Nigerian entrepreneurs as done by other organizations like Shell LiveWire, Tony Elumelu Foundation who still fund young entrepreneurs till date.

Signed

 

Olikareporters Report