EXPOSING THE NEWS - politics . sports . cartoons

We all looked forward to the Grand finale.   The hype surrounding the build-up to the National Assembly leadership election was much.   Newspapers, Television, Radio, billboards all pointed to one direction.   The icing to the cake was when the All Progressive Congress (APC) Chieftains apparently thought they had settled the leadership question declaring support for Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila for the Speakership of the House of Representatives.   This was on Thursday.   Instead of peace to reign, crisis took centre stage. The interlude that followed during the weekend paved the way for a shock treatment.   While the “anointed” candidates went to sleep waiting for Monday to be coronated, a double shuffle awaited them.   The resistants were cooking their ace. Over the weekend, they dusted the record books.   By now national patriotism had given way to personal survival.   In this game, the strategy is to outwi...

Novices outside the realm of the legislative chambers often ask questions about what the National Assembly really is.   A good number of them actually are at a loss to understand the functions and operation of that elite Establishment, which is why so much dust is raised about their finances.   Somebody asked me what does the Clerk of Senate do; same to Clerk of the House and even the National Assembly. Another was to ask me where does the billions budgeted by NASS go to? For now, the National Assembly is the legislative arm of Government and it is made up of the politicians (law makers) and the Civil Servants (Bureaucrats).   The legislative Aides compliments the wheel of the Establishment.   Between them are two Chambers – the Red (Senate) and Green (for Reps.) The Senate President is Head of the Senate Chambers while the Speaker is head of the House of Representatives.   The CNA (Clerk) is the overall head, supported by (Permanent Secreta...

Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria!   Immediately after the exit of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, as if that was the signal beggars were waiting for, the streets of Abuja has been literally taken over by beggars! In every nook and cranny they are seen in wheelchairs, walking sticks – almost anything to aid their movement. More worrisome now is the fact that they appeared to be buoyed by a recent statement credited to the Presidency that 5,000 stipends would be handed over to each beggar as part of election promises! If this is true, then residents of the Federal Capital should brace up for harder times as the ranks of beggars are expected to increase radically.

It’s time to ask ourselves this question: what do we want for our Nation?   Just last week, President Mohammadu Buhari told a startled Nation that “strong men” have actually held the Nation down.   This statement is pregnant with meaning.   But before delving into this topic, let me first, revisit the flawless, awesome powers of our Lord who made all things possible, and then the impressive manner the system abroad works.   Before treating this subject; I will be very brief. God created this world in six days and on the seventh day, He rested.   He created Day and Night, Summer and Winter; the mighty seas, Hills and Mountains.   Then, we Humans, along with all sort of animals and creeping things.   Since then, this arrangement has been the same with we humans replenishing the Earth – in orderly manner.   This orderly manner is observed dearly when you drive through a Primary School during parade and you observe the children in their uni...

How the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan frittered away the nation’s scarce resources is beginning to spill out – despite the shrill insistence by ex-Finance Minister, Okonjo Iweala that the records sheet were clean! Information pieced together by our investigators show that several paramilitary Agencies under the Federal Ministry of Interior shared a record 10 billion each for the purpose of influencing the March 28 General Elections in favour of the defeated incumbent.   However, things did not go down well with the ranks and file during the sharing. Outgoing Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Boss (name withheld) was said to have misappropriated the huge booty by allegedly pocketing 5 billion for himself, while declaring the other half (5 billion) as the sum total.   The bone of contention was that while the rank and file received 40,000 each some key associates close to the big guns went home with a hefty slice.   Causing the rumble.

The last has not been heard about the One billion naira earmarked to raise to substantial level the corporate building of a Grade One Federal Ministry responsible for Investments and Trade. The dilapidated foundation of the building situated opposite the Federal Ministry of Finance, adjacent to the Distant Learning edifice next to the Foreign Affairs Complex before the Federal Secretariat has been overtaken by weeds, rodents and dangerous snakes. When the sum of One billion naira was released for the building to be taken to the next level, FCDA officials had argued vehemently that the money was supposed to be in their custody since the construction of the building falls under their purview as did other high profile ones for the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature.