02/19/18

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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.
President Cyril Ramaphosa

South Africa’s finance ministry said on Monday it was set to spell out “tough decisions’’ in its 2018 budget to be presented before the Parliament on Wednesday.
The ministry’s spokesman, Mayihlome Tshwete, said in Johannesburg that the tough decisions were meant to plug the revenue gap and narrow the deficit to repair the ailing economy.
“The (October budget) built up a very clear honest picture of the economic environment we are in.
“What people should expect is some repairing type of interventions taken to restore the books of National Treasury,’’ Tshwete, said when asked what was expected of Wednesday’s budget.
“That means tough decisions have to be taken by government … there is no question we need to address the 50 billion (rand) elephant in the room.’’
South Africa’s economy faces a 50.8 billion rand ($4.36 billion) revenue gap in the 2017/18 fiscal year.
Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, whose position is uncertain now amid talk of an imminent reshuffle by President Cyril Ramaphosa, announced the weak growth estimates and rising government debt in October last year.
Though it remained to be seen whether Gigaba would be the one tabling the budget in parliament on Wednesday, his spokesman indicated there was no stepping back from tough measures which have also been emphasised by Ramaphosa.
Tax hikes, including higher value added tax (VAT), could help plug the shortfall, analysts say.
In his maiden state of the nation address on Friday, a day after his election as president by parliament, Ramaphosa also warned of tough decisions to reduce the fiscal deficit and stabilise debt after years of weak growth.
Ramaphosa took over after Zuma stepped down on orders of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) ending nine years of office plagued by corruption allegations and economic mismanagement.
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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

Mr Wale Oloko, the Consul-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Guangzhou, China, on Monday admonished
young Nigerians aspiring to travel to China for employment purposes to look elsewhere.
Oloko told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that it had been and would continue to be difficult for unskilled Nigerians to secure even menial jobs in China.
The consul-general, however, said that it was only “exceptionally skilled’’ Nigerians in artificial intelligence, Information Technology and other areas that could be considered for employment in China.
China too populated for Nigerians to get job opportunities 
“Nigerians wanting to travel to China for employment must appreciate the fact that China currently has a population of about 1.4 billion people.
“And the Chinese government has to first be able to provide employment for the Chinese.
“And besides that, there is the language barrier for Nigerians wanting to get employment in China to contend with.
“Let me, therefore, say that there are not many employment opportunities for Nigerians or other foreigners who want to travel to any part of China to do menial jobs,’’ he said.
The consul-general said that it was only those Nigerians who were ‘’exceptionally good’’ in some areas yet to be explored by the Chinese that were likely to be offered employment in China.
Oloko, who was visiting Nigeria so as to strengthen China and Nigeria relations, said that China was currently favourable to Nigerians who would be visiting for studies, tourism and business purposes.
He said that the over 70, 000 Nigerians that travelled to the Guangdong Province in 2016, had visited the Chinese province for business, tourism, education and healthcare issues.
The bilateral relations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China have expanded on growing bilateral trade and strategic cooperation.
China is considered one of Nigeria’s closest allies and partners.
China is also one of Nigeria’s important trading and export partners, with trade relations hitting the 2.7 billion dollar mark in 2017.
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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

The Federal Government has queried the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Festus Keyamo, over the corruption charges they filed against the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Justice Danladi Umar.

This was revealed in letters signed by the Solicitor General of the Federation, Mr Dayo Apata.

In one of the letters dated February 16, 2018, Mr Magu was ordered to provide his response to the query to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, on or before Tuesday, February 20, 2018.

He is to explain what informed the filing of corruption charges against the tribunal chairman, having been cleared of corruption allegation two times by the same anti-graft agency.

The query titled “FRN vs Danladi Umar request for briefing,” read in part: “I am directed by the honourable Attorney General of the Federation to seek clarification from you as to whether the charges were filed on your instruction or directive and if in the affirmative, what is the compelling basis for doing so?

“This clarification becomes imperative in view of the following background facts. The commission’s investigation report dated March 5, 2015, addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation stated as follows: the facts as they are now against Justice Umar raised a mere suspicion and will, therefore, not be sufficient to successfully prosecute for the defence.

“In view of the foregoing, the honourable Attorney General of the Federation requests for your prompt briefing as to the existence of new facts which are contrary to the position in your attached investigation report, sufficient evidence, or other developments upon which the prosecution of honourable Justice Danladi can be successfully based.”


In a separate letter, Mr Keyamo, who was reportedly engaged as a private lawyer by the EFCC to prosecute the CCT boss, was also requested by the AGF to confirm who authorised him to file the corruption charge against Justice Umar.

The EFCC had earlier filed two counts against Justice Umar for allegedly receiving a bribe of N10million from one Rasheed Taiwo, in the charge signed by Mr Keyamo as a private prosecuting counsel for the anti-graft agency.

The CCT boss was also accused of receiving N1.8million through his personal assistant, Gambo Abdullahi, for a favour to be afterwards shown to the petitioner who was standing trial for a criminal offence before the tribunal.

A date of March 15 was fixed for the arraignment of Justice Umar at the High Court of FCT in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

Meanwhile, the EFCC had in two separate letters (in 2015 and 2016) to the Federal Government, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, cleared Umar of any wrongdoing in the alleged N10million bribery allegation made against.

The defendant, Rasheed Owolabi, was standing trial before the CCT chairman on false asset declaration.

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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

The Nigeria Police Force on Monday said three suspects had been arrested in connection with the killings in Zamfara State.

A statement from the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Jimoh Moshood, indicated that the suspects were assisting the police in the investigation into the crime.

According to him, the suspects are: Halilu Garba (Alias Mabushi) ‘M’ 45 yrs, Zubairu Marafa (Alias Wakili) ‘M’ 45yrs, Nafi’u Badamasi (Alias Zakiru) ‘M’ 40yrs.
This development comes three days after the Zamfara State Police Command confirmed the death of at least 18 persons in a fresh attack by gunmen in Birane village in Zurmi Local Government Area of the state.

Following this recent attack, Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, on Sunday deployed additional three units of Police Mobile Force to the affected area.

The three mobile units of the police deployed in the state were to ensure effective cover of forest areas and bushes in the state and prevent further attacks.

With the arrests of the three suspects, it confirms the fulfilment of the police boss who promised to thoroughly investigate the deadly attack in order to bring the killers to justice.


He, however, described the killings as a worrisome development. The police also assured that upon conclusion of its investigation, the suspects would be arraigned in court.
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