A MUST READ: OBASANJO'S FIRST LETTER TO BUHARI

PATIENCE JONATHAN CONGRATULATES AISHA BUHARI

Patience Jonathan,has congratulated Hajia Aisha Buhari, wife of the President-elect on her husband’s victory during the Saturday’s presidential election.

In a three-paragraph statement read by her media aide, Ayo Adewuyi, went thus:
“The First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan (Mama Peace) has congratulated the wife of the President elect, Hajia Aisha Buhari on the election of her husband, General Muhammadu Buhari.

“The First Lady appeals to the Nigerian women to work with Hajia Aisha Buhari and give her the maximum support to make her succeed in her new assignment.

“The First Lady (Mama Peace) wishes her well in her new task.”

PHOTO: CHECK-OUT BUHARI'S CERT.OF RETURN

PHOTO:MEET A FRAUDSTER 'RILWAN OSHODI' WHO SPENT £1 MILLION IN 3-DAY SHOPPING SPREE

Rilwan Oshodi, 31,(left) was jailed for 8 years and has been ordered to repay money he stole from his victim. According to the story, he bought Karen Budow's bank details from a hacker in Egypt and spent her entire £1 million life savings on a luxury lifestyle.

His girlfriend Annette Jabeth (pictured below) then posed as the victim and withdrew her £1million life savings, which the gang spent in a three-day shopping splurge in the New Year sales in January 2012.

During a raid of Oshodi's home last year, detectives discovered computers with details of more than 11,000 credit cards, including those of almost 8,500 UK customers - worth an estimated £2.5million loss to the banking industry. 

Police worked closely with the banking industry to identify many of those involved and subsequently arrested them in March, April and September 2012, following a series of co-ordinated raids across London and the West Midlands.

Abdelhamid and Jabeth admitted their part in the scam but Oshodi denied two counts of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime. 

He was convicted by a jury following a trial.

Brothers Shumail Butt, 21, and Shaharyar, 25, both formerly of Hounslow, Middlesex, were both jailed for 12 months in August last year for their part as 'mules' in the con. 

They have both since been deported to Pakistan after admitting to being concerned in the acquisition of criminal property.

Fellow mules included Chika Okala, 28, who admitted conspiracy to defraud, while Sharna Eve, 20, and a youth who cannot be named, admitted being concerned in the acquisition of criminal property.

Jabeth, of Thamesmead, southeast London; Oshodi, of Thamesmead, Okala, of Hackney, east London; Eve, of Tilbury, Essex, together with the youth and Abdelhamid, are all facing sentence at Southwark Crown Court.

Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie said: 'This is an excellent example of what can be achieved when police work together with industry to tackle the top tier of cyber crime. 

'In this case the internet was used to allow disparate criminals to collude regardless of global location, time zone or legal framework. The victim of the crime was in South Africa while the suspects were in Egypt and the UK.

'While the internet can be a fantastic resource, it can also be used to commit old crimes in new ways. It is important that internet users are alert to the risks posed by the ingenuity of online criminals who seek to steal our money.'

Read more: Dailymail

Annette Jabeth

Rilwan Oshodi

Photos: 2Face,Annie, Lawani, Vonne, Fade Ogunro etc @ “The League of Leading Ladies” ...hope this does not lead to #husbandsnatchinggate in future?

 Vapors Nightclub VI, Lagos, in celebration of International Women’s Day which was on the 8th of March 2015, presented “The League of Leading Ladies” Edition in order to celebrate influential woman in social circle in Nigeria..

 It was gathered that Vapors niteclub hosted  the like of  Fade Ogunro, Moet Abebe , Toolz, Annie , Toyin Lawani, Vonne Vixen, many others, and a surprising turn up of some of Nigeria’s leading men such as; 2face, JJ Okocha, Timaya, Peter (Psquare), Olu Maintain.

NB: I hope this does not lead to #husbandsnatchinggate in future?

PHOTO OF THE DAY: TINUBU & BUHARI B4 THE FORMATION OF APC PARTY

,

.........yea, few months back before the formation of APC

WE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT BUT WE'VE LOST...FANI-KAYODE

Text of a press conference addressed by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Director Media and Publicity Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Organisation on April 1, 2015. Read below...

Ladies and gentlemen of the media,

We have come here today to express our gratitude to the Nigerian people for the overwhelming support that we received over the last few weeks when it comes to the issue of the Presidential election.

We fought a virile, strong, aggressive and very effective campaign on behalf of our candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan and we put the case to the Nigerian people as to why we believe that he ought to have been elected as President for a second term.

We are very proud of the efforts of our President and of our party and we are also very proud of the efforts of every single one of those who participated in the Presidential Campaign Organisation. As a Directorate we could not have asked for anything more in terms of support and encouragement from our colleagues and comrades within the party and the Campaign Organisation. I am personally very proud of my team, every single one of them; my Assistant Directors, my officers, my advisory team and every single one of those that joined hands to help us to state our case and to sell our candidate to the Nigerian people.

It has however come to a point that we must tell the world and the Nigerian people about how we feel about the outcome of the election. What we will say here  today is basically to reiterate and to reflect the words of our leader and President, President Goodluck Jonathan. We start by saying that we commend and we congratulate General Muammadu Buhari for winning this election. We also wish to commend our President, President Goodluck Jonathan, for having the courage to concede that he has lost the election at the earliest moment and also for being able to stand up and rise above party politics and being able to speak like a statesman.

We therefore urge the Nigerian people and our teeming supporters to stand firm and continue to support the democratic process and continue to agitate for a better Nigeria. We urge them to continue to support our party the PDP as best as they can even though we lost this election. We ask them to co-operate with the incoming government and to remember that we are first and foremost Nigerians before anything else.

On the day of the election when I went to vote at Ile-Ife, I held a press conference in which I told the people that more than anything else that we should try our very best to keep the peace in this country and to keep the country moving forward. I also reminded them that in every election there will always be a winner and a loser. It is a mark of our humanity and it is also symptomatic of the type of people that we are and who we are that when the time comes we can say we fought a good fight but we lost.

And having lost, it does not mean that it is the end to the world, it just means that we need to re-group, re-organise ourselves and begin the process all over again because another elections will come in a few years time.  And that is where we are today. We have conceded that we have lost. We acknowledge the fact that we fought a good fight. We do not have any fears about the future. We did the right thing during the campaign. We have no regrets about our candidate or the way in which we conducted our campaign and we will live to fight another day

Finally let me commend all our colleagues on the other side for also standing up for what they believed in. There was absolutely nothing personal as regards this Directorate or myself. I had nothing personal against anybody. I was simply doing my job for which I have no regrets and I wish them well and I sincerely hope that they will take Nigeria to a level that we can all be proud of.

May God grant each and everyone of us peace. May He watch over our nation. May He guide our President for the next two months whilst he is still in power and thereafter and may He guide and lead the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, in the herculean task that lies ahead for him. My prayer is that he brings our nation together, heals the wounds and that he builds the bridges in terms of religion, ethnicity and region that he needs to build in order for us to make Nigeria a better place and to ensure that Nigeria becomes a great country that she is destined to be.

I want to end this message by thanking our colleagues in the press for always responding to us so quickly and for always  being ready to hear our message and for putting it out there. Also those on the social media, both friend and foe, we thank you for your efforts. We thank our foes because they kept us on our toes and we thank our friends because they encouraged us and gave us hope.

May God grant you all peace and joy and  may you live long and prosper. 

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

GENERAL BUHARI'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Gen. Buhari's acceptance speech below...

I am immensely grateful to God for this day and for this hour. I feel truly honoured and humbled that the Nigerian people have so clearly chosen me to lead them. The official announcement from INEC was the moment the vast majority of Nigerians had hoped and been waiting for. Today, history has been made, and change has finally come. Your votes have changed our national destiny for the good of all Nigerians.

INEC has announced that I, Muhammadu Buhari, shall be your next president. My team and I shall faithfully serve you. There shall no longer be a ruling party again: APC will be your governing party. We shall faithfully serve you. We shall never rule over the people as if they were subservient to government. 

Our long night has passed and the daylight of new democratic governance has broken across theland. This therefore is not a victory for one man or even one party. It is a victory for Nigeria and forall Nigerians. Millions of you have worked for this day. So many have risked life and livelihood;and others have died that we may witness this moment.

And it is with a very heavy heart that I report many deaths and injuries amidst the jubilations yesterday.We send our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives; and wish speedy recovery to those who suffered injuries. I appeal to all our supporters to celebrate this victory with prayers and reflection instead of wild jubilation.

May the souls of those who died rest in peace. Let us take a moment of silence to honour all of those whose sacrifices have brought us to this fine and historic hour. As the results of the election have shown, their labor has not been and will never be in vain. Democracy and the rule of law will be re-established in the land.

Let us put the past, especially the recent past, behind us. We must forget our old battles and past grievances—and learn to forge ahead. I assure you that our government is one that will listen to and embrace all.

I pledge myself and our in-coming administration to just and principled governance. There shall be no bias against or favouritism for any Nigerian based on ethnicity, religion, region, gender or social status. I pledge myself and the government to the rule of law, in which none shall be so above the law that they are not subject to its dictates, and none shall be so below it that they are not availed of its protection.

You shall be able to go to bed knowing that you are safe and that your constitutional rights remain in safe hands. You shall be able to voice your opinion without fear of reprisal or victimisation. My love and concern for this nation and what I desire for it extends to all, even to those who do not like us orour politics. You are all my people and I shall treat everyone of you as my own. I shall work for those who voted for me as well as those who voted against me and even for those who did not vote at all. We all live under one name as one nation: we are all Nigerians.

Some unfortunate issues about my eligibility have been raised during the campaign. I wish to state that through devotion to this nation, everything I have learned and done has been to enable me to make the best possible contribution to public life. If I had judged myself incapable of governing I would never have sought to impose myself on it. I have served in various capacities and have always put in my best.

But despite the rancour of the elections, I extend a hand of friendship and conciliation to President Jonathan and his team. I hereby wish to state that I harbour no ill will against anyone.

Let me state clearly that President Jonathan has nothing to fear from me. Although we may not agree on the methods of governing the nation, he is a great Nigerian and still our president. He Deserves our support and permanent respect by virtue of the office 

he has held. This is how an honourable nation treats its servants and conducts its affairs; and this is how Nigeria should be.

I look forward to meeting with President Jonathan in the days to come to discuss how our teams can make the transition of administrations as efficient as possible.

Here,I want to thank my party for selecting me as its candidate.

I thank our party leaders and members for the steadfast contributions they made to bring our dream to fruition. I thank INEC, the police and all other government agencies for performing their tasks in a proper manner and for refusing to be induced to undermine the election and the democratic process.

I also wish to thank religious Leaders, traditional leaders, the media, labor unions, Civil Society Organisations, organised private sector, youths and students for their roles in this election.

I give special thanks to President Obama and his timely intervention and 

support for peaceful and credible elections in Nigeria and for sending Secretary John Kerry and other United States officials.

TheEuropean Union especially the United Kingdom, France, Germany and other nations that were actively involved in ensuring the success of this elections are equally appreciated. My sincere

 thanks to the United Nations Secretary General Mr Ban-Ki Moon. 

The Commonwealth, China, India and other Asian and Gulf states are also hereby appreciated. 

Finally our brothers in the African Union and ECOWAS have truly and clearly shown and demonstrate their commitment to our democratisation process.

 Former Presidents John Kuffour, AmosSawyer, Bakili Muluzi and histeam are well appreciated. I must also add my appreciation for the role played by civil societies,national and International observers, other world leaders in ensuring that Nigeria holds free and fair elections.

I assure all foreign governments that Nigeria will become a more forceful and constructive player in the global fight against terrorism and in other matters of collective concern, such as thefight against drugs, climate change, financial fraud, communicable diseases and other issues requiring global response. I want to assure our fellow African nations that Nigeria will nowstand as a more constructive partner in advancing the matters of concern to our continent, particularly with regard to economic development and eradication of poverty.

Former head of state and president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, General Yakubu Gowon, Alh. Shehu Shagari, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan and General Abdulsalami deserve commendations for their statesmanship and words of caution and counsel for peace during the tense moments of this electoral period.

Most of all, I thank the people of Nigeria for reposing their confidence in me at this trying moment. Our nation wrestles many challenges including insecurity, corruption, economic decline. I pledge to give you my best in tackling these problems.

The good people of Nigeria, your obligation does not end with casting your ballot. I seek your voice and input as we tackle these problems. This will not be a government democratic only in form. It Will be a government democratic in substance and in how it interacts with its own people.

No doubt, this nation has suffered greatly in the recent past, and its staying power has been tested to its limits by crises, chief among which is insurgency of the Boko Haram. There is no doubt that in tackling the insurgency we have a tough and urgent job to do. But I assure you that Boko Haram will soon know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas. We shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism.

Furthermore, we shall strongly battle another form of evil that is even worse than terrorism the evil of corruption.Corruption attacks and seeks to destroy our national institutions and character.By misdirecting into selfish hands funds intended for the public purpose, corruption distorts the economy and worsens income inequality. It creates a class of unjustly-enriched people.

Such an illegal yet powerful force soon comes to undermine democracy because its conspirators have amassed so much money that they believe they can buy government. We shall end this threat to our economic development and democratic survival. I repeat that corruption will not be tolerated by this administration; and it shall no longer be allowed to stand as if it is a respected monument in this nation.

I ask you to join me in resolving these and the other challenges we face. Along the way, there will be victories but there may also be setbacks. Mistakes will be made. But we shall never take you for granted; so, be rest assured that our errors will be those of compassion andcommitment not of wilful neglect and indifference.

We shall correct that which does not work and improve that which does. We shall not stop,stand or idle. We shall, if necessary crawl, walk and run to do the job you have elected us to do.

I realise that the expectation of our people today is as high as their commitment to change has been strong and their belief in us unshaken. While we pledge to begin doing our best without delay,we would like to appeal to them to appreciate the gravity of our situation, so that we become more realistic in our expectations.

We will govern for you and in your interests. Your vote was not wasted. This is not the first time Nigerians have cast their votes for us, and this is not the first time they have been counted; but this is the first time that the votes have been allowed to count. With the help of God, we pledge to do our utmost to bring forth the Nigeria you seek.

Thank you for your patience and attention.

General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR

President-Elect,

Federal Republic of Nigeria