‘Mr. President, you are wrong on the regulation of domiciliary accounts in Nigeria’- PDP

Press statement from the PDP below...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wishes to bring to the notice of President Buhari that the apparent absence of an economic team in the third month of his administration is leading the country into economic quagmire and doldrums. In the past, we had given examples of the devastating effect of lack of an economic team and a clear-cut fiscal policy by this administration as evidenced in the lull and painful decline in the stock market, spiral rate of inflation, the disastrous outing of the government team in bilateral talks during the recent visit to the United States of America and the shambolic state of our economy at present.

This confusion has been extended to operations and regulations of the foreign exchange transactions in Nigeria wherein the government is making it impossible for honest Nigerians to engage in free trade and regulate their personal activities as guaranteed by the constitution, and this is clearly an agenda to illegally impose a communist economic regime on Nigerians.

In a desperate attempt to create a semblance of movement out of the clearly motionless and stoic state of affairs of this government, they have reeled out bans and complete clampdown on free trade. One begins to wonder therefore whether we are not heading back to the era of import duty licenses and regulation of commodity prices. The most disturbing aspect of this communist economic agenda is the illegal and unlawful attempt to repeal the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Monitoring And Miscellaneous Provisions Act, otherwise known as Decree No 17 of 1995 and replace it with unilateral imposition of new regulations.

This Act remains the subsisting law regulating the operations of domiciliary accounts in Nigeria and by its provisions therefore, Nigerians are empowered to freely open and operate domiciliary accounts. As such, any enactment and or regulation inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are deemed void. Thus, the recent foreign exchange transaction restrictions by this government are illegal, unlawful and void. Besides the provisions of the law, the PDP declares this administration’s archaic communist economic agenda as unworkable and unsustainable.

Finally, we wish to remind Mr. President that this is 2015 and not 1984; we remind him that trade and import restrictions are archaic and outdated; and we remind him that we are practicing a proper democracy and not the dictatorship of the politburo under a communist regime.

Signed; Chief Olisa Metuh
National Publicity Secretary

16yr old girl who was stabbed at Jerusalem Gay Pride dies from her wounds

Israeli high school student, Shira Banki, 16, (left and the one in green with the knife in her back) was one of six people stabbed by ultra-orthodox jew Yishai Shlissel during a gay pride march in Jerusalem on Thursday July 30th. (read previous story here). She died today at Hadassah hospital from injuries sustained during the attack. She wasn't gay...she went to the march in support of her LGBT friends. Sad

 

In a statement her family said: 

'Our magical Shira was murdered because she was a happy 16-year-old – full of life and love – who came to express her support for her friends' rights to live as they choose. For no good reason and because of evil, stupidity and negligence, the life of our beautiful flower was cut short. Bad things happen to good people, and a very bad thing happened to our amazing girl. 

'The family expresses hope for a less hatred and more tolerance.' The family requests the public respect their privacy as they grieve. We won't permit the terrible murderer to challenge the basic values on which Israeli society is built.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement after sending his condolences to the family.

'We reject with disgust any attempt to impose hatred and violence among us and will bring the murderer to justice. Shira was murdered because she bravely supported the principle that everyone has the right to live their lives respectfully and with security.'

Candlelight vigils held tonight in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in memory of Shira.

Of the remaining five people wounded in the attack two are still in hospital in a serious condition, while three others have been released from hospital. 

More photos from Dolapo Oni and Prince Sijuwade's wedding

Beautiful couple. More photos after the cut...

Photo of actress Joke Silva and her beautiful sisters

The veteran actress pictured with her younger sisters at their mum's funeral last week.

Photos: Pres. Buhari decorated with Rep. of Benin's highest honor

During his state visit to the Republic of Benin yesterday August 1st, President Buhari was decorated with the country's highest honor, the Grande Croix Du Benin (The Great Cross of Benin). He is seen above being decorated by President Boni Yayi of Benin republic. More photos after the cut...

INEC office in Abia burnt down

The office of the Independent National Electoral Commission at Obingwa Local Government of Abia state was razed today August 2nd by some hoodlums. Residents of the community say the fire outbreak was politically motivated as suspected political thugs armed with knives, cutlasses and guns stormed the local government before setting the electoral office on fire. This action comes ahead of the August 10th date fixed for the commencement of the state election tribunal. Results from the local government is among many issues that is strongly being contested.

Dear police officer, this is not how to treat people nah...

Haba!

Photos: Kcee, Harrysong meet Governor Ambode at State House

Music stars Kcee and Harrysong with Lagos state governor Akinwunmi Ambode at State, House Marina this afternoon. More photos after the cut...

Photo: Actress Uche Jumbo Rodriguez and hubby dedicate their son

The actress and her hubby dedicated their son Mathew at the Praise Fellowship Church today August 2nd.

PDP Staff Reply Party Leaders: Face Your Corruption Not APC

The PDP Staff Welfare Association has described as an absolute bunkum, a clumsy, and blundering blackmail, an allegation by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh that staff members were being sponsored by the APC to destabilize the PDP.

They thus vowed that such a weak shot from a mortally crippled arsenal of witch hunt is incapable of breaking the resolve of the staff to expose the thieving in the NWC and restore the core vision of the party.

We are not surprised that the allegation will become the most fashionable means of covering tracks.

A statement Saturday by the Chairman of the Association, Ngozi Nze and Secretary, Dan Ochu-Baiye said the allegation is a wide window into the impressionable character of the man who has been in saddle as the party’s image-maker and an ominous signpost into the shallow manner the publicity of the party has been run.

"We wish to state that this is a man whose conduct, demeanor and media outings have been a repulse to professionalism and a source of embarrassment to party members.

"We therefore place on record that the majority of the establishment staff of the PDP are not just unrepentant members of the party who have spent over sixteen years in service; who have assimilated the PDP ethos as way of political life but are also the repository of the party's memory whose spirit can hardly succumb to the ephemerality of power loss.

"Who plays anti-party you may ask? Staff members who are genuinely resisting the morally repugnant and obsessively corrupt NWC so that the PDP will survive or the likes of Olisa Metuh who has a track record of anti-party given his open endorsement of APGA candidate in 2013 Anambra governorship election, the subsequent denigration of PDP candidate and his chances on live television program less than 24hours after the election, even as result was being awaited?

"Earlier in January 2010 Anambra governorship election, Metuh as National Vice Chairman, South East abandoned Chukwuma Soludo , the PDP candidate while openly galvanizing support for Hope Democratic Party candidate, his friend and benefactor. The PDP did not only woefully lose in Otolo Nnewi Ward 1 of the Party’s zonal vice Chairman but came a distant third in his polling booth! What a faithful party officer!

"Again, we have incontrovertible evidence that the man who is PDP Publicity Secretary worked assiduously against the presidential candidate of the PDP, former President Goodluck Jonathan in the last election in order to requite the ex-President for rejecting him as Director of Publicity of the Presidential Campaign which was given to Femi Kayode, a development which came after Metuh had squandered a whooping sum of 450 million naira media fund earlier given to him by President Jonathan.

"Last week’s controversial congresses in Anambra is another signpost to the destructive trajectory which the likes of Olisa Metuh is driving the PDP to. The chairman of the congress, Ike Abonyi, no doubt a veteran journalist is at present in Olisa Metuh’s employ as his media adviser. Another member of the committee, Collet Odenigbo is Metuh’s friend and adjutant on special assignments while the man returned as State Organizing Secretary, Sam Ben is Metuh’s personal assistant. The process was so personalized to the chagrin of party members , especially leaders who were also illegally compelled to part with certain amount of money. As we write, the party is still waiting for the result of the congresses a week after it was held, pending when Metuh is done with his conclave of distortion and extortion.

"This is the same man who we reliably gathered, is surreptitiously scheming to emerge as the Organizing Secretary of the party next year. To do what? Turn the party organization into Onitsha Main Market and institutionalize exaction, graft and impunity .

"This is a man who started in 1999 as a zonal youth leader, then National Ex-officio, Acting National Auditor, Zonal Vice Chairman and now publicity secretary. It is either his umbilical cord was buried at Wadata Plaza or that he can’t survive on any other thing except the PDP.

"We make bold to add that the worst form of anti-party is the mindless plunder of party resources by the NWC which Olisa Metuh is integral part of, in fact the leader of the body’s extortion gang. Recall that the same man was the Chairman of Kogi State congresses which held last week and match it with the fact that the widely rumoured request for One billion Naira from the State governor emanated the same week.

"Indeed labeling the staff of the PDP could be a veiled attempt to justify the huge sum of 70 million naira which Metuh collected in July in the name of fighting the APC in the media.

"We wish to therefore advise him and the NWC to respond to gritty issues raised in our press briefing without which the fortunes of the party will continue to dwindle."

DAN-OCHU-BAIYE (Chairman)  |  NGOZI NZE (Secretary)