Nigeria News..Assemblyonline

The 2009 Lagos State Appropriation Bill was assented and signed to law by Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, today.

The Bill earlier passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly, December 31^st, 2008, provides for a budget of N405 billion for year 2009, out of which the sum of N159.464 billion will be for total recurrent expenditure, while Capital expenditure is N245.536 billion.

Second Republic President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari is to honoured by the National Open University, Abuja for his “immense contribution to the educational development of Nigeria”.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor O. Jegede announced this today in Abuja, Nigeria.

Babatunde Fshola, Governor, Lagos State, Nigeria

Public Health services came to a near paralysis today in Lagos, Nigeria, as Medical Doctors in the State’s Health institutions commenced an indefinite strike action to press home demands for better conditions of service.

The Lagos State Medical Doctors Association had earlier issued a 21 day ultimatum to the Lagos State Government to accede to its demands or face a strike action.

 It is uncertain, when the strike will be called off.  Speaking today, the Publicity Secretary of the Lagos Medical Doctors Association, Dr. D. Majolagbe vowed that the strike will be indefinite until its members demands are addressed, saying its union is  determined to ensure “total compliance with the strike action” by its members while it lasts.

Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, World Bank

In this article, Dr Okonjo Iweala, World Bank’s Managing Director, who was Nigeria’s Finance Minister between 2003-2006 discusses how Nigeria’s Oil revenues can translate into development fortunes for the nation.

Nigeria squandered its oil windfall of the 1970s, which led to three decades of economic stagnation and the degradation of public institutions. The reason was a mix of bad fiscal and macroeconomic policy, corruption, and poor governance. Besides, not many countries (or even economists) at that time fully understood how difficult it is to manage oil windfalls.

 The latest oil boom gives Nigeria a chance to turn the “oil resource curse” into a blessing. It must learn from its past mistakes and can no longer plead inexperience. The country has made a good start by making fundamental changes in its response to the current oil boom, but sustaining these reforms is vital, both for Nigerians and for the entire African continent. Read the rest of this entry »

Adams Oshiomole, Edo State Governor

Edo state House of Assembly in South South Nigeria, has created a web site http://www.edostatehouseofassembly.org to increase its interaction with members of the public.

 The web site features information on Bills being considered by the lawmakers, resolutions and acts passed by the Assembly, and an forum for discussing topical issues

Obasanjo foresees economic recession in Nigeria

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigerians to prepare for worse times economically, predicting that the global economic recession will take its toil on Nigeria during the new year

Speaking when Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel visited him yesterday in Abeokuta, South West Nigeria, Obasanjo who ruled Nigeria between 1999-2007 said:

“It does not matter which part of the world we are… it does not matter what we produce or the level of our development… this recession will touch everyone of us. If we base the budget on $45 per barrel in the year 2009 and the prices of crude oil fall below $40, we don’t need an oracle to tell us that we need to tighten our belts. That is the outlook for the world economically and it is not too bright because whatever affects the rest of the world will affect Africa and Nigeria.”

By Babatope Babalobi

Two leading Nigeria media publications have named US President elect; Barrack Obama as the Man of the Year.

Obama

Announcing its nomination, the Guardian, http://www.ngrguardiannews.com, which prides itself as the flagship of Nigerian Press, described Obama as

“a symbol of the capacity of the United States to learn from its own history, to confront its fears and renew itself. He is a symbol of hope for every minority person in the world who is trapped in situations of doubt and anxiety. He is a living symbol of the belief that obstacles are at best challenges and that every man has within him, the capacity to slaughter the dragon of doubt”.

“He is a symbol of hope for the younger generation who are constantly reminded that they are too young and inexperienced to dream big. He is a living symbol of the wrongness of all myths of racial superiority based on intelligence quotient.

His victory sends a strong message that we are who we are not necessarily because of colour or creed, but the humanity within and the quality of our persons”

On its part, the Newswatch, http://www.newswatchngr.com  a Nigerian weekly magazine voted Barack Obama as the “Newswatch Man of the Year for his remarkable political achievement as the first African-American that will occupy the White House”

The Newswatch said it voted “Obama as Newswatch Man of the Year because of the way he earned his phenomenal success, shattered the myth as to whether a black man can ever make it to the White House and his uncommon courage that has led to the actualisation of the age-long dream of Martin Luther King Jnr and Rosa Parks. With the feat achieved by Obama, change has come to America and it is a great leap for mankind.”     

Former US President, Bill Clinton

 Former President of the United States, Bill Clinton will deliver a lecture on Good Governance in Nigeria and the Africa continent, in Abuja, Nigeria, January 14.  

 Thisday, www.thisdayonline.com  a Nigerian Newspaper, is organising the event “to further good governance in Nigeria and throughout Africa by addressing current challenges. These include deepening democracy and democratic, strengthening leadership; and addressing poverty.”

Dr Daniel Olukoya, General Overseer, MFM

The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, (MFM)  one of the largest Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria plans to build the largest stadium the world with a seating capacity of 500,000 people, an official of the church announced yesterday, during a New Year’s eve programmed tagged: ‘Pray your Way into 2009’ and ‘Prosperity Night’.

The facility which is to known as ‘The Prayer City Stadium and International Coference Centre’, will be constructed in the Camp ground of the Church,  known as ‘Prayer City’, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, in Lagos, South West Nigeria.

Speaking during last night’s New Year’s eve programme tagged: ‘Pray your Way into 2009’ and ‘Prosperity Night’; the undentifield Church official told thousands of worshippers who thronged the ‘Prayer city’ for the New Year’s eve service  that funds for the construction of the edifice will be raised internallly and externally.

One of World's largest stadia

Our members have been contributing towards this project for the past one year, and the project will last three years. The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries,  has about 2m members world wide and if each of us contribute N17,500, this will add up to the N35 billion required to construct this Stadium, said the official, who spoke over the Church’s Public Address System

The official also announced the formation of a ‘Prayer city Patners and Friends’ group whose members are expected to donate a minimun of N5,000 towards the construction of the Christian stadium

An information posted on the Church’s web site

http://www.mountainoffire.org/mfmstart.htm  describes the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, as a full gospel ministry devoted to the revival of apostolic signs, Holy Ghost fireworks and the unlimited power of God to deliver to the uttermost. The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries’ also claims its services in its Headquarters located in Lagos, is the largest single Christian congregation in Africa with attendance of over 200,000 in single meetings.

A political group based in Abuja, Nigeria- the African Renaiassance Party (ARP) has advocated for the amendment of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ensure  equal representation of both genders in  elective offices in the exective arm of Government at the Federal, State and Local Government levels

The group in a statement by his National Chairman, Mr. Yahaya Udu said that: “ all elective executive positions requiring a principal and deputy, should be so construed by law that where a member of a particular gender is running for such elective executive position, the deputy must be of the opposite sex”

There are presently three elective executive positions that have a joint ticket of the Principal and a Deputy, under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They are the President- at the Federal level, the Governor at the state level,and the Chairman - at the Local Government level.  If the positon of the group is adopted by the State and National Assemblies, statutorily charged with the responsibility to review Nigeria’s constitution, a woman must be on a Joint Presidency, Governorship, or Local Chairmanship ticket.

The Group also canvassed for the provision of a bicameral  legislatures based on unisexual assemblies.

” This means that at all levels of Government legislatures, there should be separate legislative houses for females and separate legislative bodies for males”

Yahaya Ndu said these recommendations are to ensure  gender harmony and also in line with African civilisations, ‘that have worked perfectly for the societies in the past”.

Nigeria’s 1999 constitution bequeathed by the Military is presently up for review, after two previous failed attempts to review it since the transition to democratic governance in May 29, 1999.