“What is Socialism – an opinion from Vermont”

by Gary Flomenhoft

This whole Bernie thing has got people debating about what socialism is. Is it New Deal liberalism? Scandinavian welfare statism? State communism? Or what?

Let me simplify it for you. Socialism is basically anything run by or paid for by government.

Socialism is what free enterprise needs to operate. You might even call it the operating system for business. Business needs stable government, a strong judiciary to protect property rights and contracts, and good public services for delivery of materials and goods to firms and customers.

Special Assistant To Oshiomhole, Curtis Ugbo Nabbed For Illegal Gun Possession

Curtis Ugbo, a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, was on Thursday arraigned before an Oredo Magistrate Court sitting in Benin, for illegal gun possession and an anti-government publication he posted on the internet.

Ugbo, 47, allegedly committed the offence on April 12, at 2B, Ugbor Road, Benin.

The alleged publication which was read in the Court, said: “What is wrong with my boss, the ground breaking of Edo State own cement industry in partnership with private company under government public partnership and stakeholders, no State House member or Speaker and National Assembly member present.”

Zakzaky Has Lost His Left Eye, Left Hand Is Paralysed, Says Shiite Counsel

Institutes N2bn law suit against army, FG
Shiites have no respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty, police, DSS allege
Counsel to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as Shiites, wednesday disclosed that the leader of the movement, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, was being detained at the Headquarters of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Abuja.
At a news conference in Kaduna, the IMN counsel led by Mr. Festus Okoye, said El-Zazzaky has lost his left eye while his left hand is partially paralysed, adding that they could hardly recognise him when they met him in detention.

‪#‎PanamaPapers‬: Documents Counter T.B. Joshua’s Denial Of Own Offshore Company In Tax Haven

Four separate documents retrieved from the massive #PanamaPapers database have countered the claim by the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Temitope Joshua, that he had no link with any offshore company at the British Virgin Island (BVI), a notorious tax haven.
PREMIUM TIMES had, as part of its #PanamaPapers coverage, exposed Mr. Joshua, one of Africa’s most famous televangelists, as having link with Chillion Consultancy Limited, a shell company incorporated in BVI on June 20, 2006.

Aluko Reveals How Ekiti Governorship Poll Was Rigged

The embattled former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr. Tope Aluko, has revealed how the rigging of the June 21, 2014 governorship election was perfected inside a hotel barely a week before the poll.
Aluko said sensitive materials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), like ballot papers and result sheets were delivered to PDP chieftains to allow for the manipulation of the poll long before the first ballot was cast.

Speaking on a special interview programme Wednesday evening on Adaba 88. 9 FM monitored by DAILY POST in Ado Ekiti, Aluko claimed that the electoral materials were delivered through Akure Airport and taken to a hotel owned by Fayose’s Chief of Staff, Dipo Anisulowo, in Are Ekiti where the alleged manipulation was carried out.

As Long As Chibok Girls Are Missing, Nigeria Is In Captivity – BBOG Protests [PHOTOS]

Exactly two years after the abduction of over 200 school girls from Government Secondary School in Chibok town, Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents, the Bring Back Our Girls, BBOG, on Thursday marched to the Aso Villa, lending a voice to the clamor for their release, DAILY POST reports.
The BBOG is a leading group pushing the Nigerian government to rescue the Chibok school girls kidnapped on April 14, 2014.
From the BBOG, civil society and religious groups, eminent Nigerians, including some embattled parents of the abducted girl, the message was the same: ‘Free the Chibok girls,’ Bring Back Our Girls.’

Fuel Scarcity: Stop Blaming Kachikwu, Buhari Is The Minister For Petroleum – CAN

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has frowned at the calls in some quarters for the resignation of Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, over the ongoing nationwide fuel scarcity.
CAN, in a statement by its South-East chapter in Enugu, Thursday, said attacks on Kachikwu were misdirected considering that he was merely the minister of state, whereas Buhari is the Petroleum Minister.

Okonjo-Iweala: Nigeria’s Current Situation Is As A Result Of The Zero Will To Save Under Jonathan.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former minister of finance, on Thursday said the zero political will to save under former President Goodluck Jonathan is responsible for the challenges the country is facing.
Speaking on “inequality, growth and resilience,” at George Washington University, the two-time finance minister said the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) must seek means to embed savings in national constitutions devoid of political manipulations.

Inside Details Of How Saraki’s Trial Is Stalling 2016 Budget

Senators loyal to Senate President Bukola Saraki are using the 2016 Budget row to negotiate a soft-landing for the former Kwara State Governor, who is facing trial for false declarations of assets at the Code for Conduct Tribunal (CCB).
Investigations by Ripples revealed that his loyalists under the aegis of Like Mind Senators met last night at his official residence to take serious positions on the controversy.
President Muhammadu Buhari had refused assent to the Budget after Ministers identified the document had been returned “highly mutilated”.

Angola Overtakes Nigeria In Crude Oil Production

Angola is now the number one oil producing nation in Africa, taking over the position from Nigeria.
In its latest monthly report, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said Nigeria’s oil production fell by 67,000 barrels per day (bpd) in March.

‪#‎Chibokgirls‬: We’ll Rescue All Boko Haram Hostages, Says Military

The Acting Director Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, has said that the military was committed to the rescue of not only the Chibok girls but also all persons held captive by the Boko Haram insurgents.
Abubakar said that the military had rescued over 10,000 captives of the Boko Haram insurgents since the current military leadership was appointed.
He stressed that it was a top priority of the Armed Forces to ensure that the missing girls were rescued.
The Acting Defence Spokesman said that the Armed Forces would remain steadfast in waging the ongoing campaign against the Boko Haram insurgents and would not give in to blackmail.
Speaking on the recent video on the Chibok girls, Abubakar said that while the military had seen the video, it had not authenticated it.

‪#‎ChibokGirls‬: Sani Asks FG To Negotiate With Boko Haram

The senator representing Kaduna Central and former negotiator on the release of 219 Chibok girls abducted by the Boko Haram, Shehu Sani, says the Islamic group had no option but to agree to the negotiation on the release of the schoolgirls.
Sani made this statement while reacting to the new development that the mothers identified their daughters in a new video.
He said the terrorists had lost the ground to the military since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office and advised the insurgents to embrace dialogue.

For the Long Haul: Moscow-Beijing Ties Move to a 'Higher Level'

Military cooperation between Russia and China continues to show signs of developing, according to Lyle J. Goldstein, Associate Professor in the China Maritime Studies Institute at the US Naval War College in Newport.

In his article published by the US magazine National Interest, Lyle J. Goldstein, Associate Professor in the China Maritime Studies Institute at the Newport-based Naval War College, pointed to more efforts by Russia and China to move bilateral military collaboration to a "higher level."
According to him, "the rapidly changing balance of power in the western Pacific, not to mention thirty-plus years of stable relations," clearly counters critics' arguments about what they described as a yet-to-be-developed strategic coordination between Russia and China.

Top US Firms Hiding Trillions of Dollars in Offshore Funds

Leading poverty charity Oxfam revealed on Thursday that the top 50 biggest companies in the United States have hidden trillions of dollars in offshore funds amounting to more than the GDP of Spain, Mexico and Australia.

EDINBURGH (Sputnik), Mark Hirst – In a report, titled "Broken at the Top," Oxfam found that the companies profited by almost $4 trillion globally between 2008 and 2014 and received a "staggering" $11 trillion in US government support over the same period.

Su-24 Pilots Swerved Away From US Ship Observing All Security Measures

 The Russian Defense Ministry stated that all Russian flights were completed in accordance with international standards.

“All flights by planes from Russia’s Aerospace Forces are completed in strict compliance with international laws on airspace over neutral waters,” Konashenkov said in response to statements that Russia completed dangerous actions over the Baltic Sea.

Greek Armed Forces on Combat Alert in Response to Turkish Provocations

The Greek Armed Forces have been placed on combat readiness since dawn on Thursday due to Turkish provocations, a source in the Greek Defense Ministry said Thursday.

ATHENS (Sputnik) – Over the recent days, the Turkish military aircraft have been registered flying above the Greek islands in northeastern part of the Aegean Sea, which was seen as a potential threat by Athens.

"We are holding large exercises in order to be ready. Turkey has historically always tried to export problems when it has domestic ones. We must be ready for that," the source told RIA Novosti.

More Than 6,000 Black Men Beaten, Abused at Chicago Police Torture Site

A shocking new report exposes the Chicago Police Department’s ‘black site’ many are likening to Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, where suspects were tortured and abused.

New documents, revealed by the Guardian, show widespread abuse at a black site operated by the Chicago police. Some 7,351 people have been detained at the notorious facility, their voices silenced by fears of reprisal, over 6,000 of whom were African-American men.


Police at the secretive facility at Homan Square on the west side of the city used punches, knee strikes, elbow strikes, slaps, wrist twists, baton blows and repeated electrocution by taser on detained suspects.

BPE Seeks EFCC’s Support

Acting Director of Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, Vincent Akpotaire, has sought the support of the Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC, in his bid to remove the clog in the discharge of the Bureau’s statutory duties.

 Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Office of the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, at the EFCC Headquarters, on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, he further expressed the need to re-establish and deepen the existing relationship between the BPE and the Commission.

According to him, ‘‘EFCC can continue to partner with the Bureau by seconding its staff to witness and participate in the financial bid openings to limit and reduce human interference in the process. We would like you to provide us a desk officer who will be readily available to observe the transactions run by teams set up by the Bureau.’’

EFCC Arraigns Former Acting DG of NIMASA for Alleged N156m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  today April 12, 2016  arraigned former Acting  Director General of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency,  NIMASA, Haruna Baba Jauro, his brother in-law, Dr Dauda Bistrus Bawa and his company Thlumbau Enterprises Limited before Justice C.M.A Olantoregun of the Federal High Court Lagos on 19 count charge of stealing and money laundering.

 Jauro was arrested by the EFCC based on its findings during the investigation of his predecessor, Patrick Akpobolokemi. In the course of investigation,  it was discovered that the former Acting DG while being the Executive Director, Finance of the agency received the sum of N156,477,500 as gratification from Akpobolokemi to allow the former DG and his cohorts to embezzled large sums of monies from the agency. The said monies were traced to Jauro's company account, Thlumbau Enterprises Limited, which his brother in-law, the second accused person oversees.

If the past government had acted immediately, our Chibok girls would have been found- Dogara

According to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, if the past government had acted immediately the Chibok girls were kidnapped, its most likely they would have returned home by now. Dogara said this in a series of tweets this morning...

EFCC Tasks NURTW On Anti-Graft War

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has called upon members of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, to fully support the agency’s anti-corruption crusade as the EFCC cannot do it alone.

Magu, who received the delegation of the NURTW led by its president, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, at the EFCC Headquarters, Abuja, on April 12, 2016 emphasized the importance of a collective effort in executing the war against corruption.

Corruption: Lamido’s Trial Stalled Over Son’s Illness in Court

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 presented to Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, more documents to back up its claim on how the former Jigawa governor, Sule Lamido and his cohorts defrauded the State.



Lamido is being prosecuted alongside his two sons: Aminu and Mustapha and two others on a 27-count charge bordering on abuse of office and money laundering.

AGF Lauds EFCC on Anti Corruption War

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been commended for its pivotal role in the present administration’s efforts to curb corruption in Nigeria.



The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF) Abubakar Malami, SAN, made the commendation on Wednesday, April 13, 2016 during a visit to the Commission’s Head Office, Abuja.

Malami who was on his first visit to the EFCC since his assumption of office as AGF expressed delight with the way the agency is taking the bulls by the horn in the war against corruption.

EFCC Arraigns Ex-UMTH Staff For N185m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on April 7, 2016 arraigned five former staff of the Finance and Accounts department, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, UMTH, before Justice M. T. Salihu of the Federal High Court, Maiduguri, Borno State, on charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence.

Corruption: Oronsaye Fixed Govt Fund in Personal Account - Witness

The trial of the former Head of Service and Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force, PCFATF, Steven Oronsaye, continued on Wednesday April 13, 2016 before Justice O. O. Goodluck of the FCT High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja.


Oronsaye is being prosecuted on a 2-count charge of abuse of office and obtaining by false pretence preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.