We Still Await Committee On Chibok Girls’ Abduction- Community

Indigenes of Chibok community under the aegis of  Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA) have called on President Muhammadu Buhari  to fulfil his promise of  setting up a committee that will investigate the abduction of the Chibok school girls on April 14, 2014.

While briefing the press, the chairman of the association, Tsambido Hosea-Abana stated that during the community’s visit to the president, on July 8, 2015, he had promised to set up a committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls adding that the committee was yet to be set up for over a year after.

Hosea-Abana added that the investigative committee will help to avoid a repeat of such ugly occurrences in the community or anywhere else in the country and to resolve once and for all the unanswered questions surrounding the abduction.

“On January 14, 2016, the Chibok Community along with the parents, Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group and others paid visit to Mr. President to re-engage with him after the first meeting of July 8, 2015.

“We were elated by promises he made to us.  One of these is that an investigation committee was to be set up to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls.

“We the affected community felt and believed that this will finally create the opportunity to unravel the mystery surrounding the abduction for two main reasons;  to avoid a repeat of such ugly occurrences in the community or elsewhere; and to resolve once and for all the unanswered questions surrounding the abduction.

“We are still awaiting the constitution of the committee and we assure the Presidency that we shall render all assistance and cooperation the committee needs from us towards achieving its objectives,” it said.

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http://www.leadership.ng/chibokgirls/545209/we-still-await-committee-on-chibok-girls-abduction-community

Presidential Villa Workers Await Buhari, Osinbajo

Workers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, reported for duties early on Monday in readiness to formally receive President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Having been inaugurated on Friday, the duo are expected to be in their offices for the first time on Monday (today). There were fears that with his disciplined posture, Buhari might want to take workers unawares by reporting to work early.

Olalekan Adetayo

But at the time of filing this report, at 11am, Buhari and Osinbajo have yet to arrive the Presidential Villa. Both of them have yet to relocate to their official residence in the villa.

Credit: punchng

Huge Debts Await Buhari & In-Coming Govs

After the euphoria of their electoral victories, one of the major challenges that will confront the President-elect, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), and 20 or 21 new governors is the level of debt stock the out-going administrations will leave behind.

According to the Debt Management Office, DMO, the Federal Government has a stock of $6.445 billion in external debt (N1.29 trillion at the rate of one dollar to N200)) and another N7. 9 trillion domestic debt totalling N9.19 trillion, as of December 31, 2014. This is the equivalent of two years budget. The huge debt stock, if not properly managed, can hamper the delivery of democracy dividends.

According to external debt figures released by the DMO, Lagos State is the most indebted state in the country with a debt of $1,169,712,848.65 (N233.94 billion). The state had also borrowed N167.5 billion from the bond market. Thus, Lagos is owing at least N401.44 billion. This is one of the issues that Governor-elect, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode will confront when he takes over from Governor Babatunde Fashola, next month.

Among the 29 states where governorship elections were held last Saturday, new persons will take over in 20 states, if Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State is re-elected after the April 25 supplementary elections otherwise the number of newcomers will be 21.

The other states where fresh men will take over are Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Lagos, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto and Taraba.

Most of these states are highly indebted. Following declining oil prices in the international market and inability to boost their internally generated revenue, many states, in addition to obtaining loans and overdraft from banks, had approached the capital market in the last four years to raise funds. The amount of money they borrowed through the issuance of bonds has tripled over the period, rising to N673 billion from N298 billion in 2011. About 12 states have issued bonds totalling N375 billion, surpassing the total bonds issued by all states in the country since 1978. Lagos State tops the list of borrowers from the bond market, at N167.5 billion. Rivers recently launched a N100 billion bond. Delta State is third with N50 billion. Others include Gombe (N30 billion), Ekiti (N25 bn), Niger N21 billion), Bauchi (N15 billion) and Benue (N13 bn).

Read More: vanguardngr