IHEDIOHA TO COURT: HALT ‘N19.63B’ FRAUD PROBE

Former Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha has asked an Owerri High Court to stop the House of Assembly from probing him for allegedly mismanaging N19.63 billion council funds.
The state Auditor-General for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs had issued an interim audit report detailing how N19.63 billion fraudulently disappeared from the Local Government accounts between May and December 31, 2019.
Apparently worried that the House of Assembly may probe the allegation, Ihedioha applied for a perpetual injunction restraining it from investigating him.

In May 5 suit filed at the Owerri Judicial Division, the former governor, through an origination summons, is seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the House of Assembly from inviting him for an investigation into the alleged missing funds.
Imo State House of Assembly, the Speaker and Clerk are the defendants.
The suit is also seeking an order to set aside any summon or invitation to Ihedioha, by the House or its agents, to appear before it for probe.
Two days after the originating summons was filed, Ihedioha’s lawyer, S.A Anyalewechi, dispatched a letter to the Speaker, asking him to restrain the House and its agents from inviting his client for an investigation.

The Assembly is expected to respond to the suit ahead of hearing.
The state government, on April 14, approved a request by the Auditor-General for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs to recover N19.63 billion allegedly misappropriated by the Ihedioha administration.
The money was allegedly taken from the State-Local Government Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC), through the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs (BLGCA).
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba said the sum was discovered during a routine audit of the accounts and records of JAAC for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.
Emelumba said the government’s action was in line with the New Imo Agenda of transparency in public service and financial discipline.
According to the Commissioner, the money was illegally withdrawn from JAAC account without any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Stores Receipt Vouchers (SRV) or Stores Issue Vouchers (SIV).
According to him, the Ihedioha administration paid a ‘crony’ N1.215 billion for unsupplied construction equipment without any document.
“There was also an unconscionable mandatory withdrawal of N2.405 billion by the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs (BLGCA). Others are payment of N9.378 billion to local government councils for an undisclosed purpose. A firm also received N245 million for no disclosed purpose.
“Other fictitious and fraudulent withdrawals include compulsory returns from councils to the BLGCA to the tune of N2.404 billion.  This was deducted from the allocated funds of the LGAs,” he added.
Ihedioha and those named in the report had denied the allegations.

PLANT EXTRACT IN MADAGASCAR’S COVID-19 ‘REMEDY’ GROWS IN NIGERIA – FG

The Federal Government has said the ‘Artemisia annua’, the plant extract in Madagascar’s announced ‘remedy’ for coronavirus also grows in Nigeria.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, revealed this during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday.
Ehanire said samples of the said plant would be got from Madagascar and compared with the ones which grow here in the country.
He said, “The cure from Madagascar has been making the news and we have promised to get samples of the herb or the botanical products that is there for analysis and (also) use (that) as an opportunity to speak with the health authorities, particularly the scientific community, on how they use it.

“We will give that to the research community with us here to examine and see what they can do with it. We understand that it is something called Artemisia annua which also grows here but if we get it, we will like to compare it with the strain here whether they are identical or whether they are similar and see what properties they have. Things like that are subjected to analysis.
“All countries in the world are interested in finding a cure and we are no different and we will look at all options, possibilities, and promises that were made. But before we give them to our people, we will ensure they are safe and make sure they work.”

FACILITIES OVER STRETCHED, WE’LL STAGGER SUBSEQUENT EVACUATION OF NIGERIANS ABROAD, SAYS MINISTER

Nigerians anxious to return home would have to exercise patience as facilities for their accommodation back home were already overstretched.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, made the disclosure on Monday at the weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, who put the figures of returnees so far from the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America at 600, revealed that there were Nigerians in China, France, India, South Africa, Sudan, among others who want to return the country.

He however lamented that the position of the medical experts in the PTF team was that the facilities at home were already overstretched which necessitated the decision to stagger subsequent evacuation moves.
He said: “Now we have over 600 evacuees in various accommodation in Lagos and in Abuja and as I understand from our medical people, we are at saturation point and the maximum we can really cope with and able to deliver adequately and professionally with care that we are supposed to.
“This will mean, we will be staggering our flight in evacuating Nigerians and making sure that we do with the ones that we have in place before bringing back others.
“But we certainly hope that with adequate period of time, we will be able to bring back some of the others out there.


“There are many still out there: Nigerians in China, in India, Canada, South Africa, Sudan, France Lebanon, Egypt and all these really call to question our capacity to absorb such large numbers and truly, our system is being strained and we really have to take it easier and also to ensure that we can deliver optimally as we are supposed to.”
Mr Onyeama however has cheering news for local airlines operators as he revealed that they would be considered in subsequent evacuation flights.
“Another issue that has come up in the media has been the issue of using Nigerian carriers. I have explained in the past and I will do that just very quickly again.
“The carrier that came from the UAE wasn’t a government organised one and the one from UK was one that was coming already and the one that came from the US was the one that had been arranged and pretty much it was a private sector initiative.
“The government is being mindful of the importance and the need to use local carriers and I am happy to say that the pipeline flights, the ones we had in process of arranging are all Nigerian carriers. So, henceforth going forward, we hope that we will be using only Nigerian carriers.”

*Buhari Appoints Executive Secretary For NALDA*

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mr Paul Ikonne as the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA).
Mr Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made this known on Tuesday in Abuja, in a statement signed by Mr Willie Bassey, Director, Information, Office of the SGF.

According to Mustapha, Ikonne’s appointment will take effect from June 1, for an initial period of five years.

“Before now, Ikonne held several responsibilities in Abia State to include Commissioner for Lands between 2007 and 2008, as well as Commissioner for Works and Transport from 2008 to 2009,” he stated.

The SGF said that the president had congratulated Ikonne on the appointment and urged him to bring his wealth of experience to bear on the new assignment.

Goal setting Tips

True success doesn’t come from the outside but from within. Cancel that which disturbs you. You can’t simply say I WANT and expect it to happen.
 Goal setting is the process that starts with careful considerations of what you want to achieve and ends with a lot of hard work to actually do it.
 Don’t be lazy or reluctant to start it, cancel procrastination and get hold of your dreams.
 Make sure it’s possible to achieve the goals you set. If you set a goal that you have no hope of achieving, you will only demoralize yourself and erode your confidence. Goal setting is an ongoing activity not just a means to an end.

 Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, make regular time-slots available to renew your goals. It is much more than simply saying you want something to happen
Taking greater personal accountability is the key to succeeding in everything you do.

Good morning

Greatness comes from the desire to do extraordinary things, to reach beyond the status quo and relentlessly chase your dreams. It all starts with setting and achieving goals.
  There is greatness inside us, but first, we must cancel that which disturbs our goal setting.
  The process of goal setting helps you to choose where you want to be in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you have to know where you have to concentrate your efforts, put in more efforts, though you will also spot the distractions that can so easily lead you astray.
 Always remember to aim high but start low, celebrate and keep going.

Finding a compatible partner is very significant and many people feel trapped in marriage because they married the wrong person. However, you need to focus on two things; one is the level of your commitment and secondly is finding the right partner.

The quest of freedom is not all about lack of responsibilities or lack of commitments but instead, it is about finding the things that resonate with your personal interest, time, health and ability to dedicate yourself to the things that is most important to you. A loving partner will help you do just that and you can do the same for them.
The power and strength that people gain from a happy and healthy relationship is virtually unparallel and represents a whole new kind of independence. It always makes you feel like you got a back up every time.

Understanding the difference between single life and married life especially when it comes to finance, emotion and responsibility can be beneficial to us when making marital decision.
The difference between single and married life vary from very little to very huge, but there are a few difference that serve to illustrate the preference among male and female. Responsibility is one of the issue influencing the preference among male and female. Single life is just being self-responsible and married life is responsible for partners.

An unhealthy relationship is based on power and control, not on equality and respect. You may not think deep about the unhealthy behavior at early stage of your relationship. However, insults, jealous, yelling, dishonesty, disrespect, nagging, physical violence etc are at their root.
Being in a relationship isn’t easy, but healthy couples know how to take the ups and downs just to maintain a healthy relationship. Want to feel loved and connected to your partner? Then learn how to build and maintain a romantic relationship that is healthy, happy and satisfying.

Establish a high level of communication.
When you talk to your partner, tell them about your day, express yourself politely to your partner when you feel bad about something or certain behavior that needs to be corrected, be open with what bothers you and what you enjoy. Talk to your partner about your emotional wants and needs. Ask questions and listen to their answers. Talking through problems builds trust and makes your relationship stronger. Always let your partner to know when something they do makes you happy. You should be able to read your partners body language and expression to be able to tell whether something is wrong and to feel comfortable bringing it up. By opening yourself up, you are expressing openness and trust in your partner; also by being so open with them you invite them to be just as honest with you. Respect one another’s opinion and contributions.

Find out more on how to build and maintain a healthy relationship with your partner in this book.
Order for your copy and drop your review at :

okadabooks.com/book/about/single_life_to_married_life/32977 

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