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| Pelosi with Trump |
In
her preliminary submission, Mrs. Pelosi has taken great pains to protest
vehemently that contrary to the agenda and narrative which Donald Trump has
been spewing, she is the one remonstrating with her fellow Democrats not to
launch impeachment proceedings midstream of Trump’s tenure. She would rather
bid her time and wait for the 2020 elections when, according to the polls,
whoever is the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party is expected to
trounce Trump.
In any case, for the impeachment to succeed, it would require a two-thirds majority of the Senate which is under the control of the Republicans.
In any case, for the impeachment to succeed, it would require a two-thirds majority of the Senate which is under the control of the Republicans.
Regardless,
the caucus of the Democratic Party is hell-bent on going for Trump’s jugular
now - before Trump inflicts irreparable damage on the United States of America
and its allies.
This
totally unexpected honour and rare privilege, which came entirely out of the
blue has put us in a huge quandary. This stupendous engagement unfortunately
conflicts with our previous commitment to honour a long-standing invitation
from Mr. António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations to
present our case to the General Assembly which unlike previous years will take
all of the rest of this year – due to climate change!!
While
we are wrestling with the problem, other matters have crept up. Here is a
random sample:
Front
page “The Guardian” newspaper May 3, 2019
i.)
“UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE TO REACH 33.5% BY 2020, SAYS FG”
“Nigeria’s
unemployment rate may reach 33.5 per cent by 2020, says the Federal Government.
According to the
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige,
said this yesterday in Abuja while declaring open a two-day workshop on
“Breaking the Resilience of High Unemployment Rate in the Country.”
He said the
incessant increase of unemployment in the country was alarming.
According to him,
the high unemployment rate of 23.1 per cent, and under-employment of 16.6 per
cent by the National Bureau Statistics (NBS) of 2019 report was alarming.
Ngige, who stated
that various government social intervention programmes targeted at reducing
youths’ unemployment and eradicating poverty had been implemented by different
administrations since Nigeria gained independence, said that available records
showed that between 1972 to date, about 14 different programmes had been
implemented.
He said these
programmes included the National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP)
and the current National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which had been
embedded in the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020.
He noted that the
unemployment rate and poverty levels are on steady paths of growth, indicating
high resilience against the intervention efforts.
The minister said
that the workshop was aimed at presenting the outcome of some of government’s
efforts and the commencement of another phase of the processes.
 |
| J.K. Randle |
He, however, called
for a collaborative mechanism that would yield desired results while assuring
that the recommendations from the workshop would receive prompt and sustained
attention.
Also, the Permanent
Secretary of the ministry, Mr. William Alo, said the workshop was aimed at
examining issues around the persistent high unemployment rate in Nigeria.
“This workshop is
very important to the Ministry of Labour and Employment due to the direct
relevance of the theme to the ministry’s mandate.
However, the fact
remains that the consequences of high unemployment rate in Nigeria affect each
and every one of us as individuals and as members of the Nigerian society,” he
said.
Meanwhile, while
Mr. Dennis Zulu, Country Director, International Labour Organisation (ILO) in
Nigeria, said that unemployment was a major concern to the organisation,
especially in Nigeria, Director, Special Duties/Projects of the ministry, Mrs.
Martina Nwordu urged participants to keep to the objectives of the workshop
which aimed at achieving the goals of reducing high unemployment rate in
Nigeria.”
ii.)
“RESIDENTS
RESCUE TEENAGE GIRL FROM RITUALIST’S DEN IN LAGOS”
“Providence
yesterday saved a 17-year-old girl, Rachel, when she was rescued by some
residents from the hands of a three-man gang of suspected ritualists, who
abducted her along Ibasa Road, Alasia, Ijanikin, a Lagos suburb on Wednesday.
The girl, an
apprentice in a make-up studio, was sent on an errand when she was abducted by
the kidnappers, who took her to their shrine in an obscure area on Dan Ajayi
Street, Alasia, Ijanikin at about 7:30a.m.
It was gathered
that the suspects had allegedly perfected the plan to kill the young girl for
ritual, but luck ran against them when she suddenly regained consciousness and
screamed “Blood of Jesus”.
A neighbour,
Tochukwu, said the suspects allegedly hypnotized the young girl before they
took her away. It was learnt that the ritualists allegedly touched the girl
with a charm, which made her to follow them unconsciously.
It was further
gathered that the suspects took the girl to a house, where they intended to
prepare her for ritual sacrifice before the bubble bust. All three suspects
escaped through the bush.
Narrating what
transpired, Tochukwu said Rachel followed her abductors like a ‘zombie’ without
knowing where she was being taken to. “The suspects were already preparing the
girl to be used when some neighbours heard her scream. The shrine, where they
took her to was behind an isolated house on Dan Ajayi Street. The suspects took
to their heels when they knew that the game was up,” the eyewitness said.
Another witness,
Chika Ugochukwu, alleged that the ritualists only moved into the area last
year, adding that nobody took notice of their activities since where they
reside was isolated from other houses. Chika added that she still could not
believe that those who lived in the house along with others were ritual
killers.
She said ritual
killers are no respecter of age, as both the young and the old fall prey to
their hypnotism and knives, adding that she had often read of innocent adult
and children who constantly fall victims. “Most vulnerable are school children,
young ladies, especially undergraduates, pregnant women and the elderly,” she
said.”
iii.)
“POLICEMEN
RAPED, ASSAULTED US IN ABUJA, CONVICTED SEX WORKERS SAY”
“Some ladies, who
were convicted by a mobile court for alleged prostitution yesterday painted
gory details of how they were harassed, molested and assaulted by some men of
the Nigeria Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The ladies, who
narrated their ordeal to newsmen in Abuja, alleged that policemen attached to
Utako, Life Camp and Gwarimpa police stations in Abuja, the nation’s capital,
raped and physically assaulted them in custody. They also claimed that they
were compelled to plead guilty when they were arraigned before the court on
Monday by the police.
They all spoke
anonymously for fear of being victimised by the police while facing the wall.
The ladies said they were arrested at a nightclub, thrown into a cell and
repeatedly tear-gassed.
A fair complexioned
victim explained that a policeman attached to the Utako police station
identified as ‘Yellow,’ hit her with a baton and horsewhip several times,
injuring her arm and face during the assault. Her experience was corroborated
by her co-convicts who lamented the alleged emotional abuse and physical
torture they suffered while in police cell last week.
Another victim, who
claimed to have been arrested at a shopping plaza, said the policemen attached
to the FCT ministerial task raped her when she could not pay them. The lady
said she was held down by three policemen while one of them raped her without a
condom.
She also said two
other girls were raped by the same policemen. “Three of us were brought out of
the van and raped by the policemen because we had no money to give them. We
were raped behind the National War College. They pushed me to the ground and
held me there while one of them raped me. He didn’t wear a condom. The other
girls were also raped by two others one of who used a pure water sachet as
condom.”
Another victim said
she was picked up by the police at a hotel where she attended a birthday party.
She said: “I was invited to a birthday party at an apartment in a hotel. I came
to the reception to get bottled water, a woman held my hands and pushed me out
of the hotel and I saw a lot of people with cameras and some with mobile phones
taking my pictures and shooting a video of the arrest.”
iv.)
Nelson Mandela
“Lead from the back and let others believe
they are in front.”
v.)
Front page headline: “Vanguard” newspaper
May 3, 2019
·
INSECURITY:
BANDITS KIDNAP SIX AT ZAMFARA GIRLS’ SCHOOL
·
BOKO
HARAM:M ASK FOR SUPPORT, YOU’LL GET IT, UK GOVERNMENT TELLS NIGERIA
·
PASTOR’S
19-YEAR-OLD MARRIAGE CRASHES OVER MICRO-ORGAN
“Pastor Samson
Farounbi has told an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi, in Ibadan, that the
small size of his manhood made his estranged wife to deny him sex for a long
period.
Farounbi disclosed
this on Monday when testifying before the court on a case of divorce he
instituted against Tope Farounbi.
He had requested
the court to end their 19-year union on the grounds of unrest of mind, threat
to life and lack of respect for his family.
Narrating his
ordeals, Farounbi said his wife, who was a fruit seller, used to return home at
late hours every day and refused to have sex with him.
“There was a day I
challenged her why she always returned late and denying me sex.
She confessed that
the small size of my penis was responsible for keeping late outside and for
refusing to have sex with me.
She suggested to
buy local herb for the treatment of my micro penis, which cost N5,000, but I
priced it down to N4,000.
I got myself
treated with the Agbo (local herb), but she still felt reluctant to allow me
have access to her body,” he narrated.
The pastor further
alleged that the defendant maltreated his mother when she was living with him
and that the ill treatment forced his aged mother to relocate to Ilesha, where
she died a few months later.
He told the court
that Tope used to curse every member of his family and always cursed his blood
brothers whenever they visited him.
“My lord, she is a
devil, always fighting people, especially females that come to my church for
prayer, accusing me of flirting with them.
We have never
stayed beyond two years in every house I rented since we married 19 years ago
due to her stubbornness and troublesome character.
The five children
of our union lack home training and she always cursed me whenever I tried to
correct any of the kids for doing wrong things.
In fact, our first
child has run away from home now and I cannot even locate his whereabouts.
I urge the court to
separate us so that I can have peace of mind to do my pastoral work,” he
pleaded.
In her defence,
Tope denied all the allegations but urged the court to dissolve the marriage as
requested by the plaintiff.
She accused her
husband of womanising, saying he never cared for her welfare but was in the
habit of drinking alcohol.
President of the
court, Mr. Mukaila Balogun and the two court assessors — Messrs Wahab Popoola
and Alao Ganiyu — in their unanimous decision dissolved the marriage.”
vi.)
“16 DEAD
AS CULT WAR RESUMES IN RIVERS STATE”
“No fewer than 16 people are feared dead
following cult crises that broke out in two different local government areas of
Rivers State, last Sunday.
It was alleged that 14 people were killed
by the said cultists at Kono Boue and Gbam Boue communities of Khana council,
while two people were killed in Ishiodu village, Emohua community, Emohua
council. It was also gathered that seven people were abducted when the bandits
struck at Khana council, while many properties were also destroyed.
However, there are conflicting reports on
the number of deaths in the Khana incident. Whereas some reported 20, others
said 14, while the Police claimed five people lost their lives.
The clash in Khana is believed to be a
reprisal attack from the Iceland cult over the killing of a notable member of
their gang earlier.
The Paramount Ruler of Kono Boue community
in Khana council, HRH, Mene Taalor Tornwe, described the incident as shocking,
adding that the cult boys were incited against him and other members of the
community.
Tornwe, while condemning the killings and
burning of his palace and other buildings by the cultists, noted that he had
carried out the instruction of the governor of the state to restore peace in
the area, but regretted that some persons incited the cultists against him.
Also, the Community Development Committee
Chairman, Prince Christian Borlo-One, alleged that over 40 persons were feared
killed, adding that some persons were beheaded and five abducted. He also
called on the government and security agencies to urgently intervene so the
community will not be totally deserted.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police
Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, said the Police are aware
of the incidents, noting that two people died in Ishiodu village and five in
the Khana incident.”
vii.)
Abraham Lincoln
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if
you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
viii.)
Front page headline, “The Punch” newspaper
May 21, 2019
“DOCTORS, NURSES LAMENT POOR PAY, OVERWORK
IN STATE HOSPITALS”
ix.)
Front page headline “The Nation” newspaper
May 21 2019
“FLOODS: LAGOS URGES CALM AS HEAVY RAINS
POUND CITY.”
x.)
Ayn Rand
“The ladder of success is best climbed by
stepping on the rungs of opportunity.”
xi.)
Front page headline, “The Sun” newspaper
May 11, 2019
“INSIDE IBADAN DRUG WORLD”
·
Disturbing details of an epidemic ravaging
a mega city
·
Rise in number of patients with
drug-related mental disorders worries experts.
“Although there has been pervasive advocacy
and onslaught by security agents to check hard drug peddling and abuse in
Ibadan the capital of Oyo State, the menace rather than go away, appears to
worsen, bulging into an ogre and digging a cesspool that daily claims and sucks
more victims into its vortex of death, evil, bankruptcy, depression, despair
and destruction.”
xii.)
KILLED
BY HUNGER: Son of Kogi State judiciary worker who slumped and died after being
owed salaries for months tells heart-rending story of her last moments.
xiii.)
Front page headline: “Vanguard” newspaper
May 11, 2019
“WE CUT VICTIMS WRISTS, FINGERS, DURING
OPERATIONS” – Robbery suspects
xiv.)
Front page headline: “The Nation” newspaper
May 9, 2019
“WHY LAGOS, ONDO, NIGER, BENUE, IMO,
CROSS-RIVER, OTHERS MUST PREPARE FOR FLOODING.” – Alhaji Suleiman Adamu –
Minister of Water Resources
“All the thirty-six states of the
Federation including the Federal Capital Territory are expected to experience
different levels of flooding. I can say we have almost six hundred local
government areas in Nigeria that could be under the threat of floods in 2019,
going by our predictions. No person should build structures within the flood
plains. People should clean their drainages.”
xv.)
Front page headline: “Nigerian Tribune”
newspaper May 9, 2019
“BANDITS BEHEAD DISTRICT HEAD IN SOKOTO,
SET POLICE STATION ABLAZE”
xvi.)
Front page headline, “The Punch” newspaper
May 9, 2019
“THE EVIL I FEARED IN PDP HAS BEFALLEN ME
TEN TIMES IN APC – Rochas Okorocha, outgoing Governor of Imo State
xvii.)
Napoleon Hill
“If you cannot do great things, do small
things in a great way.”
xviii.)
Front page headline, “The Guardian”
newspaper May 23, 2019
“MANY PEOPLE DON’T BELIEVE BUHARI CRACKS
JOKES LAUGHS – Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment
“He gave Babatunde Fashola three ministries
– Power, Housing and Works and gave Dr. Chris Ngige two ministries – Labour and
Employment.”
xix.)
Harvey Mackay
“One mistake will never kill you. The same
mistake over and over will.”
xx.)
Professor Pat Utomi
“I was glad I said “why not” because I
could not have found out how rotten the apple was and how close Nigeria is to a
criminal hijack of the political parties by the three gangs of actors. They
are, those in the enterprise of transacting around public office for material
gain; the cultists who have bullying as their way and hope to intimidate
others; and the new fascists whose high comes from total domination of others.”
xxi.)
Joe Biden (former Vice-President and
Democratic Presidential candidate for 2020 elections)
“I am running in order to offer our country
a different path. Not back to a path that never was but to a future that
fulfils our true potential as a country.”
xxii.)
Bill Keane
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a
mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”
xxiii.)
Front page headline “Saturday Punch”
newspaper May 25, 2019
“I went back to kidnapping to pay my
lawyer’s balance.” – Suspect
xxiv.)
Front page headline, “Daily Trust” newspaper
of May 29, 2019
“SHETTIMA’S [GOVERNOR OF BORNO STATE]
STEWARD COMMITS SUICIDE AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE”
xxv.)
Front page headline, “Daily Independent”
newspaper of May 29, 2019
“ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION
ARRESTS PROPRIETOR, STUDENTS OF YAHOO YAHOO [FRAUD] SCHOOL IN LAGOS.
xxvi.)
Ayn Rand
(Philosopher)
“Every man is an end in himself, not the
means to the end of others.”
xxvii.)
Aristotle
(Philosopher)
“In vain do you build the city if you do
not first build the man.”
xxviii.)
Front
page headline, “Daily Sun” newspaper of May 24, 2019
“SUICIDE ON THE INCREASE; WHY NIGERIANS KILL
THEMSELVES”
xxix.)
David O.
Mckay
“The most important of life’s battles is the
one we fight daily in the silent chambers of the soul.”
It turns
out that the reason the secretary-general of the United Nations, Antonio
Guterres is eager to table the issue of retired partners of KPMG who are still
awaiting their gratuity and pension, before the United Nations General Assembly
is on account of the front-page report of the “Financial Times” of 18 April
2019
Headline: “CALL FOR LAW CHANGE TO END BIG FOUR DOMINANCE OF SCANDAL-HIT AUDITING”
· Competition and Markets Authority seeks
operational split
· Demand falls short of break up
· Firms open to rethink
“The UK’s
competition watchdog called on Thursday for rapid legislation to end the
dominance of the Big Four accounting firms and address problems of poor working
practices and conflicts of interest in the scandal-hit audit sector.
The Competition and
Markets Authority [CMA] stopped short of demanding a full break-up of Deloitte,
EY, KPMG and PwC following strong criticisms of the firms after a series of
auditing failures, including audits of BHS and Carillion. However, it
recommended that the firms split their operations by separating their audit
businesses from their consultancy arms.
And, in an effort
to increase competition in the audit sector, the CMA also said that UK-listed
companies should be required to use two audit firms to check their accounts,
with one being from outside the big four.
Andrew Tyrie, chair
of the CMA, said he had lost patience with repeated reviews of the accounting
sector. “Just carrying on doing more reviews is not going to take us very far,”
he told the Financial Times. “We now have to make a start and that’s going to
require legislation.”
The CMA recommended
that the government bolster impending legislation to create a new accounting
regulator by giving it powers to oversee the splitting of accounting firms’
audit businesses from their consulting arms, and to supervise the joint
auditing of listed companies.
“Millions of people
are relying on high-quality audits to help allocate their savings, their
pensions, their livelihoods and their jobs, so it matters to all of us a huge
amount that this job be done well,” said Lord Tyrie.
The CMA review of
the audit sector was instigated by Greg Clark, business secretary, in
September, with the aim of rapid action to address the problems.
The Financial
Reporting Council, the existing accounting regulator accused by critics of being
too weak, found last year that more than a quarter of audits fell short of
quality thresholds.
Mr Clark said in a
statement that the CMA had provided a “strong evidence base” and promised to
“bring forward reforms to ensure the UK remains a place offering the highest
standards in audit”.
The business
department said it would respond to the CMA’s proposals in due course.
The CMA’s main
proposal for accounting firms to deliver an “operational split” would require
them to have separate boards, management, accounts and bonus pools for their
audit and consulting businesses. But the functions would remain within single
entities.
The competition
watchdog also called for “an end to profit-sharing between audits and
consultancy, and promotions and bonuses paid on the quality of audits”.
Lord Tyrie said if
conflicts of interest persisted within the accounting firms, a full break-up
might be needed in the future.
The CMA’s main
proposal to improve the resilience of the accounting sector is to require that
most of the UK’s listed companies use two audit firms, including at least one
outside the Big Four.
Lord Tyrie said
mandatory joint audits were likely to apply to FTSE 350 companies, although the
most complex groups, probably the 30 largest, would be exempt because their
businesses were too complicated for the smaller firms.
He added that as
the challenger firms grew in size, the requirement for joint audits was likely
to be extended to all listed companies, including the largest groups.
The CMA chair
accepted that the plans would put an additional financial burden on companies,
but said the cost of audit was currently only 0.05 per cent of revenue on
average and the benefits of trustworthy accounts were worth it. “The fact is
more needs to be spent on audit,” he added.
The competition
watchdog made clear that if its plans did not improve competition and
performance in the audit sector, more draconian action would be needed.
If little had
changed after five years, it suggested the new accounting regulator should also
have powers to select auditors for companies rather than allowing groups’ audit
committees to decide.
PwC cautiously
welcomed the CMA’s proposals, saying it recognised “the importance of
increasing trust in audit”.
However, the
potential impact of the CMA’s recommendations needed to be “well thought
through to ensure they deliver the desired outcomes and avoid any unintended
consequences”, it added.
John Allan,
president of the CBI, said the CMA review risked damaging Britain’s reputation
for effective corporate governance. “Operational splits could restrict access
to the skills required to carry out complex audits,” he added.
Rachel Reeves,
Labour chair of the Commons business committee, which this month called for the
break-up of the big four firms, welcomed the CMA’s proposals to “end the
stranglehold of the big four”.
“There is a clear
consensus on how to restore confidence in the market,” she said. “It’s now up
to the government to deliver, by coming forward with legislation to ensure that
audits provide what businesses, investors, employees, pension-holders and the
public expect.”
Bashorun J.K. Randle is a former
President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of
Nigeria (ICAN) and former Chairman of KPMG Nigeria and Africa
Region. He is currently the Chairman, J.K. Randle Professional Services.
Email: jkrandleintuk@gmail.com
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