Five Peoples Democratic Party governors led by the Chairman, PDP Governors Forum, and governor, Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday held a closed-door meeting, which lasted for three hours, with the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Other governors on the trip are the governors of Bauchi, Jigawa, Cross River, and Niger states, Isa Yuguda, Sule Lamido, Liyel Imoke and Babangida Aliyu respectively. The governors arrived Obasanjo’s residence around 12.30pm and emerged from the inner chamber at exactly 3.30pm. Briefing journalists after the meeting, Obasanjo, said the governors’ visit was not unconnected with nagging issues of the Boko Haram insurgents and the economy. But from his utterance, the frosty relationship between President Goodluck Jonathan and Obasanjo was also discussed. He said that his criticism of Jonathan in recent times was not aimed at castigating or bad-mouthing him. He said,” First of all, I thank my colleagues and my brothers who have decided to pay me a special visit. They were concerned about what you may call the situation of the nation, the security, and the economy. What we have discussed, most of them I have raised in my own public pronouncement in recent times, not to castigate anybody, not to bad-mouth anybody, not to run anybody down, but out of genuine concern for the situation of this country and that is the same thing that has brought them and I want to thank them.” The former President noted that the situation in the country currently was bad, but added that it was not totally irretrievable. He added, “When we look at these issues closely, very objectively and we came to the conclusion that yes, we have a bad situation, but not irretrievably bad. Something can still be done and what is now required is the will and the courage to do something when and how it needs to be done.” Obasanjo, who appreciated the governors for their concern for the nation, said the task to save the country was not for one man or group but for all Nigerians. He said, “I appreciate their coming to me because of the respect and honour they have for me. But this task is not for one man and it is not even a task for one group, it is a task that requires all hands to be on deck. And as they have said and as they have assured me that they would have this type of consultation with other leaders so that this country which is ours and for which we have no alternatives, but will move forward.” On the economy, especially the slump in oil price, Obasanjo noted that the leadership had failed to prepare for the rainy day, and that was why the economy was tottering. He said, “When we had surplus, we did not remember the rainy day, now that the rainy day is staring us in the face, we must be honest and courageous enough to do what is right, to let the nation know and then to take the steps that will put it right as quickly as possible. “You do not need to be an oracle or a World Bank expert or an International Monetary Fund expert to know that our economy is not what it should be and this is not the first time we would hear it, we have heard it in the past. “When of course I came in 1999, the price of fuel was about $9 and we realised that we had a problem, we even passed a budget that we could not fund but we realised that we were in a serious situation and we took steps. “Within two to three years, we were able to sail through, the price of fuel started moving up. Do not forget that there was a time during the Iraqi war, that the price of fuel rose to $42 per barrel and then it came down to $9. The one that we have now, we do not know when it would end but we can weather the storm if we take measure that we should take it and when to take it.” Both Akpabio and Aliyu, who spoke for the governors, said they came to consult the former President due to his wealth of experience and his influence both nationally and internationally. Akpabio said, “We decided that it is important for us to come and consult with him, as he said pay our respect, discuss the affairs of the nation and then to tap from his wealth of wisdom. “The intention here is that all Nigerians are determined to reposition the country, we have no other country than Nigeria and so, no matter the challenges we may face today, we must work together as a team to redeem the situation.”

Scott Borchetta to replace Randy Jackson on 'American Idol

Randy Jackson will be replaced by producer Scott Borchetta on "American Idol." UPI/David Silpa LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Producer Scott Borchetta will replace Randy Jackson as judge in the upcoming season of American Idol. Fox made the announcement Wednesday, adding that Borchetta's label, Big Machine Label Group, will produce the winner's debut album. Borchetta is the CEO of Big Machine and is credited with having discovered and signed Taylor Swift when she was 14 years old. He'll be joining seasoned judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. for the show's 14th season. "American Idol has proven again and again that it can launch superstars. I believe that working with these young artists the same way we work with new artists at the Big Machine Label Group will help the next American Idol be as prepared as possible to continue the tradition of creating new superstars," Borchetta said in a statement. "The entire label group will be invested and we look forward to bringing our energy, focus and know-how to help develop this young talent at the highest levels." Borchetta joined the series during Hollywood Week. Jackson, the only original judge remaining in the competition, announced he was leaving American Idol for good in November. American Idol returns to the small screen on January 7

Nigeria in a bad situation – Obasanjo

A meeting between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and five Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) governors at Obasanjo’s residence, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, has ended with the former President saying Nigeria is in a “bad situation.” Obasanjo, who addressed reporters said the situation of the country is bad, but added that it is “not irretrievably bad if there the will and courage to do the right thing at the right time.” The former president said he deliberated with the governors on “issues affecting the country- the security and the economy among others. He added that as Nigerians, “we have no other country except Nigeria.” Obasanjo said one does not have to be World Bank economist or the International Monetary Fund(IMF) expert to discern that the nation’s economy is ailing and require the will and courage by the managers not only to tell the nation the truth, but also the way out. The five governors who met Obasanjo – Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Babangida Aliu (Niger) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom). The governors were led to the meeting by Akpabio, who is the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. They arrived Obasanjo’s Presidential Hill -Top Estate by 12:40pm, and met for over three hours with their host.

2015: Buhari, Okorocha, Atiku, others sign pact

Nigerians got yesterday a piece of advice from the All Progressives Congress (APC) – they should get set to make a choice. The party is holding a convention to pick its presidential candidate in Lagos between December 10 and 11. All the aspirants have signed an agreement not to leave the party after the primary and to support whoever gots the ticket. The winner is to face President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February election. Presenting clearance certificates to aspirants who were screened on Tuesday, Committee Chair Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu said the time had come when Nigerians must decide whether to continue with the state of affairs in the country or effect a change for the better. He said: “There is a choice before us. Are we going to continue the way we have been going in the past 16 years when our security forces are used to intimidate and harass the very citizens who pay for their maintenance? “Are we going to continue a situation where we are the sixth largest exporters of crude oil and yet we import virtually all the petroleum products that we use and, as we do this, we are exporting jobs and rendering our people unemployed. Is this what Nigerians would want to do? “Are we going to allow a situation where the rule of law is violated and there is no orderliness whatsoever? This is a choice for Nigerians. The ruling party has had 16 years and so, it is not a question of making promises. We are judging them on their records because they told us that within two years, there will be regular and reliable supply of power 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This is the 16th year and that promise has not been fulfilled. “So, Nigerians have a choice to make because when you have two things, you can never know until you try them. So, Nigerians ought to try the APC and give us a chance to show that the problems in the country can be solved.” Onu went on: “Today marks the beginning of the important journey the APC is taking to form government at the centre. The APC came into existence on the 31 of July 2013. On that day, a giant was born and the reason for the formation of the APC was to stop the drift which the nation has been passing through in the last 16 years. “Yesterday (Tuesday), for several hours, the Presidential Screening Committee met with five very distinguished Nigerians and members of the APC seeking the nomination of the party to contest for the position of President of Nigeria. During that exercise, we found that these men are so distinguished that there is not one of them that will not make a great difference to our nation. “The goal of the party is to control, government at the national level so that the problems of our country, those problems that people thought cannot be solved, the APC will show that they can be solved.” He desribed the screening as “rigorous”. “I want to also tell you that the scores were very narrow and very high, with the least scoring 62 per cent. The highest scored 78 per cent. The second person scored 77 per cent and the third scored 75 per cent. So, you can see how close it was. I really thank you and congratulate you our aspirants for the quality that is in you. “We told you before the screening that we want the aspirants to sign a letter of commitment for the party. “I am happy to inform you that all the five aspirants were very happy to sign the letters of commitment and that commitment is principally to assure the party that there is none of them that is running for himself. “They are running to offer service and improve on the well-being of our people and being happiness to Nigerians, foster unity and bring peace and secure our country because we cannot be the pride of Africa and be losing our territory to insurgents. “If the aim is really service, it means that they understand that only one of them will fly our flag. They have all agreed that whoever flies our flag, the other four will support him. They have also agreed to collapse their structures into the party so that the party will move to this election united because this will offer the party the best chance to win the election”. The signed commitment was read out to the hearing of all the aspirants by the Secretary of the Committee, Ambassador Fatima Balla. Responding on behalf of the other aspirants, former Head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari expressed appreciation to the leadership of the party for putting together a quality team to carry out the screening. Gen. Buhari said: “I am honoured to speak on behalf of the aspirants. We are grateful to our great party for Organising such a competent team to come and interview us. We went through the process yesterday, discussing foreign affairs, security, economy and what our personal decisions are to the polity. “It is a very trying time for the five of us, but we are grateful that they have been very generous in their award of marks and that we all made it. The rest of the decision now goes to the public and the delegates. “In a week time, we will come together and whoever gets the ticket to run on behalf of the party will emerge. The secretary has read the letter, which we were made to sign yesterday so that the loyalty to the party will be supreme.” No fewer than 8,000 delegates will next week in Lagos elect the candidate. The National Convention Committee fixed the special event for the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere in the country’s commercial capital between December 10 and 11. Committee Chairman and former Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who announced the programme in Abuja, said though some of the aspirants expressed concern about traveling such a long distance for the convention, the committee convinced them on the choice of Lagos. The Presidential Screening Committee cleared all the five aspirants to bid for the ticket. They are: Gen. Buhari , Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah. The aspirants signed an undertaking not to defect from the party after the convention and to support whoever gets the ticket. Fayemi said:”This is a very unique committee that has representations not just the people chosen by the leadership of the party, but also representations from the five aspirants that are running for the presidential ticket of our party. This is something that is being done transparently, with the input of their advice and their concerns being looked into. “We are not going to a coronation. We are going to an election and that election is going to be done in the full glare of Nigerians. “Those who are not opportune to be there as delegates but are interested in rescuing democracy in this country would have opportunity to watch it live on television, listen live on radio and follow us online and also be part of it internationally for those who are not in Nigeria as well as other Nigerians who are interested in seeing Nigeria get through these challenges through a process that is credible, transparent and acceptable to all. “All our aspirants have also been briefed on the various steps we have taken. Our committee is holding our last meeting here in Abuja today and we are relocating to the venue of our convention from this moment.” In a statement from his media office, Atiku said he was not only delighted that Lagos had been selected to host such an august event, but was confident that the city has all it takes to ensure that the event will be memorable and successful, especially in view of the cosmopolitan nature of the city and the famed easy going nature of its residents. The statement said that the former Vice President considered Lagos as a second home, bearing in mind that he spent several years of his public service career there. “I’m not any less Lagosian than anyone is. I have a house in Lagos and a part of my large family lives in Lagos. I visit Lagos regularly, so I’m not a stranger to the cosmopolitan city and what it represents as the melting pot of Nigeria,” he said. THE AGREEMENT I (name of aspirant) hereby undertake to abide by the rules and regulations contained in the All Progressives Congress APC nomination guideline, APC constitution, the Electoral Act and constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; “I, on behalf of myself and my primary campaign organisation undertake to accept the outcome of the primaries and actively support whoever emerges as the winner and shall not decamp to any other political party or in anyway obstruct the smooth execution of the presidential campaign; “I further affirm that during the campaigns and later in government, I shall be guided strictly by the party manifesto; and in the event of my nomination, my campaign team will immediately be collapsed into the party campaign structure for a properly united and focused presidential campaign”.

Winning bidder offers $252m for NITEL, M-Tel

A Special Purpose Vehicle, NATCOM Consortium, on Wednesday offered to pay $252.25m for the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited and its mobile subsidiary, the Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Limited. With no competitor, and with the offer meeting the reserve price set for the telecommunication companies, NATCOM stands as the potential core investor in the beleaguered public telecommunications companies. Two more hurdles, however, are ahead to be cleared. First, the bid has to be approved by the National Council on Privatisation chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo; and the second is the consortium should be able to pay within the specified time. The other firm that had been prequalified for the exercise, NETTAG Consortium, was disqualified for failure to enclose a bid bond stipulated by the Request for Proposal prepared by the Bureau of Public Enterprises. At the first bid, NATCOM offered a bid of $221m which was said to be lower than the reserve price. It was therefore asked to reverse the bid and in the second round, it offered the winning bid of $252.25m. NATCOM is an SPV formed for the purpose of acquisition of NITEL and M-Tel. The consortium is made up of shareholders – NATSPACE Telecommunication Investment Limited, PCCW Global Limited and Prime Union Investment Limited. Other members of the consortium are Prime Union Investment Limited, Olutoyl Estate Development & Services Limited, Sahara Energy Resources Limited, Legal Resources Alliance & Co and LM Ericsson Nigeria Limited. With the exception of LM Ericsson Nigeria Limited, all the other members of the consortium are equity holders with Prime Union and Olutoyl Estate holding 30 per cent equity each. LM Ericsson is a technical partner to the group. Four of the equity holders, Prime Union Investment Limited, Olutoyl Estate Development & Services, Legal Resources Alliance & Co and Natspace Telecommunication Investment Limited with a combined equity of 80 per cent of the consortium are linked to businessman, Dr. Olatunde Ayeni. Apart from being the Chairman of Skye Bank Plc, Ayeni is also a director of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, one of the electricity distribution companies that were recently sold by the BPE. Speaking at the bid opening ceremony, the Minister of Communications Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson, said the Federal Government would continue to fine-tune policies to provide enabling environment for the growth and development of a private sector-driven telecommunications industry. She said, “The privatisation of government-owned telecoms companies, NITEL and M-Tel, is the last segment in the well-thought-out reform of the Nigerian telecommunications sector which commenced in 2000. “The liberalisation of the sector in the last 13 years has attracted new investments of over $32bn entirely from the private sector, resulting in an explosive impact on the sector with over 130 million subscribers compared to just 750,000. “It is our fervent hope that today’s event will lead to the final emergence of a qualified bidder with the requisite technical expertise and financial resources to transform the two companies in line with the vision of government.” The Executive Commissioner, Nigerian Communications Commission, Mr. Okechukwu Itanyi, said with the privatisation, the hope of Nigerians for diversified telecommunications industry had been rekindled. He said NITEL had the resources and pedigree to bring back landlines and champion broadband revolution in the country. Past attempts to sell the First National Operator in the last 13 years had reportedly been marred by insincerity and manipulation of the process by government officials and private sector operators.