Stanbic IBTC in need Tax Officer & Credit Research Analyst in Nigeria Today

Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc is part of the Standard Bank Group. Stanbic Bank Nigeria was merged IBTC Chartered Bank PLC to form Stanbic IBTC Bank.
The merger, by way of the first ever tender offer in Nigeria and a $525 million FDI.

Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC through its wholly owned stock broking and asset management subsidiary, IBTC Asset Management Limited has several excellent mutual funds including the IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund, which is Nigeria’s largest mutual fund with a net asset value in excess of N25 billion (as at December 2007).  It is the only bank that has a direct subsidiary that is a pension fund administrator; through the market leading IBTC Pension Managers Limited (IPML).

The following job vacancies are available:

• Tax Officer  
• Credit Research Analyst

2Face Idibia, Away & Beyond Album Review

When you think the quality and standard of Mr. Idibia’s music will experience decline in his fifth release, the father of six proves you wrong. The ‘Grass 2 Grace’ maestro recruited a handful of ace producers and artistes to create the soul food known as ‘Away and Beyond’.
The cuisine opens with the Huma Lara assisted ‘Higher (Spiritual Healing)’, on the number 2Face shows he has grown artistically and musically incorporating a spine-tingling Indian sample. ‘Higher’ possesses the ability of calming a troubled mind and sets the tone for the what lies ahead. On ‘Bother You’, the afro-pop titan team ups with Terry Tha Rapman to craft a soulful tune addressing the subject of rumours and third parties attempting to scatter the ‘party’ of his relationship. After being ‘Spell Bound, the singer chants ‘Steady, Steady’; a mid-tempo number urging Nigerians to live life by taking one step at a time.

Although ‘Raindrops’ fell on his previous LP, 2Face busts a couple of moves in them this time around. ‘Dance in the Rain’ is arguably the album’s highest point as he sings “I’ll bask in the sun and dance in the rain…” preaching the appreciation of life. After the down pour, 2Face sees his ‘Rainbow’; which is a defining moment in musical journey. The piece clearly speaks to his wife ‘Annie Macaulay’ and in my opinion one of the greatest love songs in these shores. Somewhere in the mix, with a lush piano-led instrumentation Idibia seeks the truth on ‘In The Eyes’.
The 15-track LP also boasts of a number of club friendly numbers like the groovy ‘Dancefloor’ where the vocalist pays tribute to the late King of Pop ‘Michael Jackson’ in his little way; using the phrase “Blood on the Dancefloor”. The show-stopping ‘Ihe Neme’ is another potential smash and there is the so-so ‘Bad Man, Bad Girl’ which features Ghanian belter ‘Becca’ not forgetting the up-tempo ‘O.N.D (Omo No Dulling)’, with guest appearances from Hypertek’s recording artistes ‘Dammy Krane’ and ‘Rocksteady’. Cerious Music and Hypertek collides and results in a disappointing ‘Chemical Reaction’, the Naeto-C assisted track might just be the weakest the link. ‘Omo Tosan’ which is the second track is another cut which should not be undermined.
At his ‘Buckwild & Breathless’ concert which was held at the prestigious Eko Hotel & Suites the ‘African Queen’ conferrer declared ‘Away and Beyond’ an album for matured mind and that sums it all up. Undoubtedly 2Face Idibia sets the trend and does not follow it, this he validates in this rich, matured, soothing, spicy, adventurous and solidly produced album.

Bishop blasts; FG too weak to stop terrorists!

The Government of President Goodluck Jonathan came under attack from Nigeria’s senior bishops yesterday over the spate of bomb attacks in the country as they said the government was too weak to deal with growing threat from terrorists waging a campaign of terror against Christians.
This came as Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, declared that the serial bombings in some parts of the country was all about radical religious ideology.

From left: Gen. Tony Hananiya; Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, President Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor; The Apostolic Church FCT Area Superintendent, Pastor Fakunle and CAN Acting General Secretary, Elder Albert Uko during a World press conference by the leadership of CAN on Terrorism in Nigeria, yesterday, in Abuja Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, and Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja both denounced government’s response to the growing threat from Islamist groups, saying Christians were increasingly at risk of attack.
Both spoke after at least 21 people were killed and more than 20 others injured last Sunday in coordinated attacks targeting Sunday services at the Bayero University in Kano, and a chapel in Maiduguri, belonging to the Church of Christ in Nigeria.
Speaking in interviews with Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity based in the United Kingdom, which helps suffering and persecuted faithful worldwide, both bishops said they had lost patience with government’s efforts to stem the crisis caused by an Islamic sect and other militant groups.
Archbishop Onaiyekan said: “At first we were ready to be patient with the government when it was saying that this kind of Islamic terrorism is new. They have had adequate time to learn how to deal with this situation, gathering intelligence about those directly involved and bring them to book.
“It has become clear that we have a weak government that has put together a whole lot of compromises; that means that the action that should be taking place is not taking place.”
The Archbishop said the government was too divided “to muster the political will” to deal with the crisis.
Archbishop Kaigama, in his reaction said: “The rampant attacks show that government security is not working. The government is not able to cope with the security situation and we feel quite apprehensive as a result.
“Why the government cannot identify the people involved baffles the imagination. We pay tax and we have a right to know what is being done about the problem.”
Archbishop Kaigama, whose northern diocese of Jos has been among those worst affected by Islamist violence, said: “Those young people killed at the university (BUK) represented the hope of our country. It defies all logic. They were people trying to build a better country.”
It is not about poverty, but religion —CAN
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria yesterday, said it was now convinced that the principal reason behind serial bombings in some parts of the country was not about poverty and youth unemployment, but about radical religious ideology.
The President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor at a press conference in Abuja said focusing on individual businesses, churches and masses is “to instill fear with the subsequent aim of eradicating religious freedom, democratic liberties with the church and Christianity as its primary target”.
The cleric who appealed to Christians to stay calm, however stressed the need for the government to use all the resources at its disposal to neutralize the activities of the Islamic sect, in the country.
Oritsejafor who said international community was made to understand that the problem of the sect is about poverty in the land noted that poverty and almajiri syndrome were babies of past northern leaders who amassed the country’s resources for themselves.
He said: “The question we should ask is that in the 51 years of governing this nation, who are those that have governed this country? They are from the north; what did they do with the opportunities and the resources they have? We need to ask the question, the Almajiris, can they read and write? We need to ask questions to understand what is happening, it is a pure religious ideology.
“Let me interject here that it is not to say we don’t know the beginning or the origin of this sect and all we are witnessing; it is basically a radical religious ideology, help us tell the world that western world is being deceived that the young people became terrorists because they were poor but they became terrorist because of religious ideology. The young Nigerian man who was about to bomb a plane did not do it because he was poor, his father is known in this country, very rich family. So it has nothing to do with poverty, that is not to say that people are not poor.
“We have been witnesses to the step-by-step escalation of violence on citizens with the Christian and the church suffering the greatest loss. We have persistently pleaded with government to take courage and act to stop the surge of terror.
“My first call to all peace loving Nigerians is to remain calm in the face of all the insecurity challenges as I am aware that the greater part of the overall design is to instill fear in the populace. I will now make final call to the Nigerian government to use all resources available to it to clearly define and neutralize the problem as other nations have done.
“The church leadership has hitherto put great restraint on the restive and aggrieved millions of Nigerians but can no longer guarantee such cooperation if this trend of terror is not halted immediately.”                                                       SOURCE:VANGUARD

Why I was held by the SSS in Nigeria –Van Vicker

University of Abuja goes on Strike Again!

Information reaching us is that The Engineering student of the University of Abuja are on Strike again and they were on the Umaru Musa Yar'adua express way.

Boko Haram spies sent to Living faith run mad

Tragedy in Edo State as Man ‘throws step-daughter into well’

Jonathan’s agents behind two bombings – Okah insists

Detained leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah, has insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan’s agents sponsored the March 15, 2010 and October 1, 2010 bombings in Warri and Abuja respectively for political considerations.

Okah made the allegation in a 194-paragraph affidavit deposed to in the South Gauteng High court in Johannesburg, South Africa in Case No: A570/10.

The allegations first came to light in an interview Okah granted Arabic satellite television, Aljazeera, in October 2010, weeks after the blast. In the interview, he blamed the attacks on Jonathan’s aides and claimed he was arrested for refusing to influence MEND, to retract its claim of responsibility.

Since then, Okah has been denied bail at least twice, with one at the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, where he is filing a new application for bail based on “new facts.”

The sworn affidavit was expected to be filed at the court between Tuesday and Wednesday as part of his renewed bid to secure bail, after spending more than one year in a South African jail.

His trial is set to start on October 1, 2012, exactly two years after a devastating blast that occurred less than a kilometre from the Eagle Square in Abuja, where Jonathan was attending Nigeria’s 50th anniversary.

He said the March 2010 car bomb blast (which he said occurred on March 14, 2010) at the Government House Annex, Warri, where South-South governors were attending an amnesty meeting, was intended to pave the way for the removal of Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, and his replacement by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe.

“It is my belief that President Goodluck Jonathan’s government working with a faction of MEND planned and executed the bombings of 14 March 2010 and 1 October 2010.

“The purpose of the 14 March 2010 bombing in my opinion was to create an atmosphere of insecurity in Niger Delta where President Goodluck Jonathan at that time, was fighting to oust the governor Mr. Emmanuel Uduaghan whom President Goodluck Jonathan intended to replace with his Minister for Niger Delta, Mr Godsday Orubebe,” Okah said in the affidavit.

On the Independence Day bombing, which claimed 10 lives, Okah said it was meant to sway public opinion against the North and some of its leaders who were planning to run against Jonathan in the April 2011 presidential election.

Okah has been held at the Johannesburg Prison since October 2, 2010, and is currently standing trial for alleged involvement in the October 1 bomb attack.

He alleged that Jonathan was upset when MEND claimed responsibility for the October 1 attack, against a plan to blame it on Northern elements.

He stated, “The bombings of 1 October 2010 were also intended by President Goodluck Jonathan government to create anti-North sentiments nationwide in order to galvanize support from other sections of Nigeria against other Northern candidates in the Presidential election.

“Under the arrangement, MEND, I believe, was not to claim responsibility for the bombings which the Nigerian government hoped to pin on General Babangida and other Northern elements. The claim of responsibility by the central group for a bombing, possibly carried out by a faction of MEND, punctured the plans of President Goodluck Jonathan to round up his opposition and hold them in custody until after the elections.”

He claimed to have come under pressure from some of Jonathan’s aides to get MEND to retract its claim of responsibility for the bombing, recalling that his “refusal to cooperate in this scheme resulted in President Goodluck Jonathan placing a call to President Jacob Zuma during the evening of 1 October 2010, requesting President Zuma’s personal assistance in securing my arrest. My noncooperation was interpreted by President Goodluck Jonathan as support for the Northern politicians.

“The South African Government’s direct interference was responsible for securing search and arrest warrants against me.”

Okah also claimed to have influenced Jonathan’s appointment of Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke as minister of petroleum resources, at the prompting of a Jonathan aide. He alleged that between April 4 and 5, 2010, he received approximately 20 calls from Alison-Madueke, asking him to “put in a good word for her” with Jonathan to consider her for the position.

He also countered evidence and public statements by the SSS detailing his alleged involvement in the October 1 blast. Okah provided telephone numbers used by Jonathan’s aides and Alison-Madueke in reaching him.

The Presidency has, however, described Okah’s allegations as “false.”

In a statement by presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, the Presidency said the allegations were without any factual foundation and promised that government would full representation in court once the trial commenced fully.

The statement reads, “The attention of the Presidency has been drawn to reports in the media of allegations made against President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in an affidavit said to have been sworn to by Mr. Henry Okah, who is facing trial in South Africa for his involvement in terrorist acts against the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The Presidency categorically affirms that these allegations are false in their entirety and without any factual foundation.

“As the case of Mr. Okah’s involvement in the plotting and execution of terrorist attacks in Nigeria is already before a court of competent jurisdiction in South Africa, the Presidency does not intend to say anymore on the matter for now and will, in accordance with due process and international law, make a full representation on the matter to the court when the trial opens.

“The Presidency also advises the Nigerian media to respect the sanctity of the legal and judicial processes in this matter and avoid becoming willing tools in the hands of Mr. Okah and his agents in an entirely diversionary trial by the media aimed only at falsely impugning the character and integrity of the President and officials of his administration.”

Madonna University 2012/ 2013 Post- Utme/ Admission Process begins

Before Proceeding for Madonna University, A minimum Jamb Cut-off of 180




 

Jonathan’s 2015 ambition cause of insecurity – Speaker

Ekiti State House of Assembly Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, has blamed the rising security in the country on President Goodluck Jonathan’s alleged plan to seek a second term in 2015.

Omirin said this in an interview with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday.

The speaker, who lamented the violence in some parts of the country, particularly the wave of bombings in the North, alleged that tensions had grown increasingly since Jonathan said his first term would end in 2015.

Omiri said, “African leaders are not honest. If somebody who begged for a term is now seeking a second term, there is no honesty in that. It is not that the Peoples Democratic Party is popular.

“Nigerians are tired of the PDP, they are still in power because they are the one who organised elections in the country but I hope by next election we are going to have a more credible election that would automatically reduce the number of PDP governors in the states. The PDP cannot win more than 10 states if a credible election is conducted.”

On the claim by the National Security Adviser, Gen. Owoye Azazi (retd), that the zoning formula of the PDP was the cause of the crisis in the country, the lawmaker said the NSA being an insider could not be wrong.

The speaker feared Nigeria might disintegrate if a solution was not found to the problem of terrorism ravaging the country.

He said the security challenges facing the country had reached an alarming rate, urging Jonathan to find a permanent solution.

According to him, Nigerians have yet to see any improvement in the security situation in the country, despite the assurances given by the President in his numerous condolence messages.

Omirin said, “Security should be the first in any society. The security situation in the country is cause for concern because bombs are being thrown everyday and lives and property are being destroyed.

“Whatever the problem of those throwing the bombs is, dialogue is the solution. They should consider dialogue, the Federal Government should also be ready to dialogue with them. If they continue this way, it may be the end of Nigeria.”

Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Post-Utme 2012/2013 Exercise