Sunday, May 31, 2015

Fayose, APC lawmakers bicker over salary payment

The Ekiti State government has described as falsehood and dishonesty, claim by the 19 All Progressives Congress lawmakers that they have not been paid their entitlements.


The APC legislators in a statement by Speaker Adewale Omirin’s Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, said the report was based on rumours and unfounded allegations.


Olujobi while querying the report said it was “motivated by blackmail.”


“Let us even agree without conceding that we were paid our lawful entitlements, what favour does the governor do to us by that after illegally cutting short our tenure by seven months and putting us in harrowing inconveniences in addition to his brazen rape on the Constitution of Nigeria?


“Must payment of our legal entitlements prevent us from defending the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which we swore to protect?


However, the State Government in a statement issued on Sunday by the Commissioner for Finance, Chief Toyin Ojo, claimed that the lawmakers duly acknowledged receipt of cheques for their payments last week Wednesday through his office.


The government said it was necessary to clarify the matter because the lawmakers claimed Fayose had placed an embargo on their bank accounts and did not pay them their entitlements.


The statement read, “We would have remained silent in deference to the agreement reached at the last Monday meeting in Akure that all parties should maintain silence on the outcome of the meeting, especially because the lawmakers said they do not want their leaders to know the outcome of the meeting.


“However, since the lawmakers have chosen not to abide by this agreement by first issuing press statement to deny and reveal what was discussed in the meeting, and now going to the press to say that they have not received any payment, the government does not have any other option than to tell the public the truth and set the records straight.


“The government is by this press statement putting the records straight since the money paid to the lawmakers belong to Ekiti people.”


“We will want to keep our fingers crossed and we wish to caution the lawmakers to adhere strictly to the spirit of the agreements.


“Governor Fayose’s good gesture, aimed at ensuring peace in the state should not be abused.”


But Olujobi maintained that the APC lawmakers had not been paid.


“This face-saving tactic after a hatchet job gone awry in the media has failed. We had earlier said that the governor offered to pay our entitlements in exchange for our resumption of duty but we refused.


“We insist that we have not been paid because we have not received payment alerts. Knowing who Fayose is, we won’t believe in any payment until we see payment alerts.”



Fayose, APC lawmakers bicker over salary payment

Buhari names Adesina, Shehu as spokesmen

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday named the President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Mr. Femi Adesina; and the Director, Media and Publicity of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Mallam Garba Shehu, as spokesmen.


Femi Adesina, Mallam Garba Shehu

Femi Adesina, Mallam Garba Shehu


While Adesina will serve as the Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Shehu will be the new Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity).


According to a statement made available to journalists by Shehu, the President also approved the appointment of Mallam Lawal Kazaure as the State Chief of Protocol (SCOP).


The statement did not indicate the job schedule of Adesina and Shehu as their two offices appear similar.


Apart from being the current President of NGE, Adesina is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun newspapers.


Shehu was the President of the NGE 16 years ago.


Kazaure is a career Foreign Service official and currently serves in Aso Rock Villa as a Special Assistant (Presidential Matters).


 



Buhari names Adesina, Shehu as spokesmen

10 ways Jonathan failed Nigerians

By Nicholas Ibekwe


The administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan administration can at best be described as underperforming, a review of its performance in various sectors show. This can be described as unfortunate for a government which came to power on the back of popular support and one that enjoyed a lot of public goodwill in its early years.


Here are 10 ways the administration failed Nigerians and in many cases, left the country worse than it met it.


1. Power Generation.


President Jonathan

President Jonathan


In 2010, when Mr Jonathan was sworn in as substantive president after the death of his former boss, Umaru Yar’Adua, power generation in Nigeria was 3,000 mega watts. On Friday, when he was handing over to his successor, power generation had dropped to less than 2000 mega watts.


The need to prioritise power generation and availability to Nigerians was acknowledged by Mr Jonathan early in his administration. In 2011, while seeking support to be elected president after leading the country for one year following the death of Mr. Yar’Adua, the ex-president declared to diplomats at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA, and the African Union, AU, in Addis-Ababa that:


“If I’m voted into power, within the next four years, the issue of power will become a thing of the past. Four years is enough for anyone in power to make a significant improvement and if I can’t improve on power within this period, it then means I cannot do anything.”


Power across Nigeria is at an all time low with Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, having just 5 megawatts.


2. Security


This was perhaps Mr Jonathan’s biggest albatross. His administration went to sleep while the insurgent group, Boko Haram, ran amok killing thousands and capturing territory as huge as Belgium from Nigeria in its bid to create an Islamic caliphate. Mr Jonathan only acted decisively when it became clear that the insurgency would cost him votes during the presidential election. In the build up to the elections, within six weeks, most of the territories previously captured by the insurgents were retaken and the insurgents placed on a back foot.


The president also failed to curb the the perennial clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers particularly in the north central region.


In Nasarawa, Ombatse militia were allowed to rain terror on civilians. In 2013 over 100 police officers and other security agents were killed in a swoop by the militia. The Jonathan administration, for political reasons, refused to bring the perpetrators to book and those indicted for the killings still walk free today.


The insecurity was also witnessed in the southern part of the country as kidnappers went on rampage abducting people for ransom. Politicians, their aides, family members and public officials were the major targets as the criminals virtually had their way in various states like Edo, Bayelsa, and Ondo State.


Under the Jonathan administration, Nigeria became one of the most dangerous places in the world to live.


3. Fuel Scarcity


Last week, Nigeria was grounded to a halt after oil marketers embarked on a strike following dispute over subsidy on petrol. Despite several promises by Mr Jonathan to increase the nation’s capacity to refine crude by revamping the existing refineries and building new ones, no new refineries were built in his five years in office while existing ones never worked at optimum capacity.


The continued reliance on imported fuel left the country susceptible to the machinations of oil marketers. Subsidy on petrol and kerosene also turned out to be a black hole on the country’s finances. In five years, the administration spent over N6 trillion on subsidy, money that could have been used for other essential developments


4. Corruption


After the unforgivable lapses in security especially in the north-east, corruption was another factor that Mr. Jonathan couldn’t get a grip on, or deliberately allowed to flourish under his administration. Aides and ministers accused of corruption were either shielded or allowed to stay in their position.


The granting of presidential pardon to former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was convicted of money laundering, sparked outrage among Nigerians. He also did nothing, until too late, when former Aviation Minister, Stella Uduah, bought two armoured BMW cars for  N255 million. When he eventually acted, he only removed the former minister from office without ordering or calling for her prosecution.


Also, instead of investigating the alleged N20 billion the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, said was missing from the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Jonathan hounded him out of office.


5. Crude oil theft


During the Jonathan administration, pirates and crude oil thieves were lords. Pirates surrounded the Nigerian water ways like water hyacinth stealing crude from the country’s pipelines with little or no hindrance. The ill-equipped and poorly trained navy proved to be grossly incapable of arresting the situation.


Instead of training and adequately equipping the navy and other security agencies to protect the country’s source of wealth, the task of pipeline protection was handed to militias in the Niger Delta and elsewhere for several billions of naira annually. Yet, instead of the theft of oil to decrease it remained a major drain of resources. According to the Chief of Naval Staff, Usman Jibrin, the country lost crude valued more than N1.18 billion daily to oil thieves (N433.62 billion annually).


6. Economy


Mr. Jonathan could not sustain the modest economic growth recorded by his government initially. He could not save for the rainy day when the price of crude oil reached very high levels; subsequently depleting Nigeria’s foreign reserves and incurring a huge debt profile as soon as there was a dip in the price of crude in the international market.


Mr Jonathan inherited as much as $60 billion in foreign reserve but plundered it to as low as $40 billion in five years.


As at June 2014, the country’s external debt rose by 40 per cent to $9.377 billion and a domestic debt of $47.653 billion .


Though inflation was kept at a single digit, it was a faux strength as companies struggled to survive and the country continually ranked poorly in the ease of doing business index by the World Bank.


Despite his promises, again he could not revive the manufacturing sector. Companies complained of incurring huge cost due to their reliance on diesel. The textile industry remained moribund. Poverty remained widespread and youth employment was at an all time high.


7. Foreign Relations


Under Mr. Jonathan, Nigeria’s foreign relations was in sixes and sevens. There was no clear foreign relation direction as the country gradually lost its clout in the international community.


Nigeria was left with a bloody nose after the South African government seized its $15 million arms money illegal brought into South Africa in cash. At the twilight of Mr Jonathan’s administration, the South African government also ridiculed Nigeria’s shoddy recall of her ambassador to South Africa following the xenophobic violence there.


Also, the Moroccan government recalled its ambassador to Nigeria after officials of the latter’s foreign ministry lied about a telephone conversation between Mr Jonathan and King Mohammed VI of Morocco.


8. Education


The Jonathan government showed some signs that it was interested in turning around the education sector by increased budgetary allocations and other acts; but this did not make much impact.


Nigeria still has the highest number of children out of school in the world; while for close to an academic session, the country’s universities were shut due to the government’s refusal to meet the demands of striking university teachers.


The country’s universities were still as dilapidated as at the time he assumed office while the new ones set up fared no better. Hundred of thousands of polytechnic students stayed at home for about one year due to no fault of theirs, same for those in colleges of education.


Standards in the country’s universities and other colleges virtually fared no better than Mr. Jonathan met them.


9. Health


Many Nigerians still die of preventable diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Infant and maternal mortality may have reduced during the Jonathan administration, but they are still among the highest in the world. At least 65 out of every 1000 Nigerian children die before their fifth birthday. For every 100,000 live births, more than 224 mothers lost their lives.


The National Health Insurance Scheme is yet to be fully operational while hospitals have become so bad that some politicians travel abroad to treat common illnesses.


Health workers are consistently demanding for better welfare and hospitals are sometimes shut for weeks due to industrial action and the agitation by health workers for better equipments and further training.


10. Mining


While the country binged on oil, the less fancied but lucrative mining sector was virtually neglected and left unregulated.


The sector was taken over by illegal miners who cashed in on government’s complete neglect of the sector sometimes with devastating repercussions on host communities. Hundreds of Nigerian children died due to outbreaks of lead poisoning in states like Zamfara and Niger State due to artisan mining.


 


Nicholas Ibekwe is a journalist with Premium Times



10 ways Jonathan failed Nigerians

Why Buhari has not moved to Aso Rock - Aide

The head of President Muhammadu Buhari’s media team, Garba Shehu, on Sunday said Buhari had yet to move to the Presidential Villa, Abuja because his official residence was not ready for habitation.


General Buhari

General Buhari


Shehu, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent said workers were currently cleaning and refurbishing the President’s official residence.


He said Buhari would not move in until that exercise was completed.


Shehu said, “As far as the President is concerned, the place (his official residence) is not ready yet.


“Workers are cleaning and refurbishing the place.


“Once the exercise is completed, the President will move in.”


When asked to be specific on how soon Buhari would move in, Shehu said he believed it would not take time.


Meanwhile, personnel of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, especially security operatives are currently at a crossroads on the direction their work will take this week.


The PUNCH’s investigation on Sunday revealed that their dilemma was based on the failure of President Buhari to relocate to the State House and his failure to appoint key aides, three days after his inauguration.


A Presidency official who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said they were not yet sure of the President’s schedule and itinerary for the week.


This, he said, was because Buhari had yet to appoint a Chief of Staff whose responsibility it is to arrange the President’s day-to-day activities.


He said, “As we are talking now, we do not know his (the President’s) activities for tomorrow (today). We cannot plan for his activities. We do not know which groups he will be meeting or how many people he will be meeting.


“It is when we have an idea of those who he will be meeting that we can schedule them regarding allocation of time and venue.


“These would have been easier for us if a Chief of Staff is in place.”


A security source also said the situation was affecting the security department.


He said because they were not carried along, the inauguration gala night held inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Friday nearly flopped as people kept trooping in.


He however expressed the hope that by the time Buhari’s Chief Security Officer meets with them on Monday (today), there would be a clear direction on their activities.


“For now, we are waiting for the two big men (President and Vice President) to move into the Villa so that we can do our jobs. For now, we are only securing the seat of power without the men of power,” he declared.



Why Buhari has not moved to Aso Rock - Aide

I won’t enter Govt House until September – Wike

The RIVERS State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said on Sunday that he would stay away from the Government House in Port Harcourt for the next three months as a result of the vandalisation of the property in the place by the immediate past administration.


Nyesom Wike

Nyesom Wike


Wike, who spoke at the post-inauguration thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt, disclosed that all the vehicles in the Government House had been taken away.


The governor disclosed that he noticed that the bullet proof doors, furniture, cars, crested carpets, curtains and windows were not left behind by the former administration.


Wike explained that he was able to observe the missing items during an inspection of the Government House after he was sworn in as the state’s chief executive.


He said, “As I speak with you, everything has been vandalised. I will not enter the Government House in the next two or three months. There is no vehicle in Government House, not even one. Yet the former governor (Rotimi Amaechi) talks about corruption.”


The governor assured the people that he would not disappoint them and the Peoples Democratic Party.


In his remark, the Senate President, David Mark, expressed optimism that the PDP would return to power at the federal level in 2019 as Nigerians would yearn for the party after four years of the APC regime.


Mark noted that most of the party’s achievements would be glaring to Nigerians within a short period.


The post inauguration thanksgiving service reception was attended by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Senator Hope Uzodinma, Senators-elect from the South-South and South-East, Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus and members of the National Working Committee of the PDP.


Meanwhile, the former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha, has described Wike’s claim that the facility was vandalised by the Amaechi administration as false.


Okocha maintained that the property in the Government House were intact before the immediate past administration left.



I won’t enter Govt House until September – Wike

I trust Buhari to remedy Jonathan’s mistakes – Ogbemudia

Two- time former governor of  old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, says the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will face several problems but expresses optimism that the new Nigerian leader has all it takes to move the nation forward. In this interview, Ogbemudia blames former President Goodluck Jonathan for his failure to secure second term, saying he allowed a cabal to hold  himself hostage. He admonishes the PDP to which he belongs to  re-strategize, warning that the party  may go  collapse  if  members fail to put their house in order  particularly with a determined APC now ruling at the federal level. He speaks  on other  issues including why Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State must pick his successor. Excerpts:


Sam OgbemudiaThe PDP lost the presidential election. Thereafter there have been  calls for the NWC and the BOT to be dissolved. Where do you stand?


First of all, we have to look at the set  up of the party. Today, the PDP is headed by a Board of Trustees which  advises the National Working Committee or the executive. So if in the process they lost an election, it is straight forward for the people in charge  to take responsibility and, therefore,  give way to a new executive that will rebuild the party. I understand that the former president  set up a team to campaign for him and for the party; so the fault is not that of the executive or the NWC but the person who took the decision that an organisation outside the party structure should be in charge of the campaign should be held responsible, and  not the National Chairman. The National Chairman is a  straight forward man; a man of great intellect and  who understands the issues at stake. My view is that the PDP should now set up a committee to find out what went wrong and how to rebuild the party because they are still the best  organised party in the country; they need to work hard in order to win the next election if they have the appetite.


Do you think there is still hope for the PDP  to take over power in four years’ time as some of the leaders are saying?


First and foremost, you must look at the PDP when it first won presidential election;  it went berserk and, as a result,  mismanaged  victory. And having mismanaged  victory, the outcome is defeat, so if they want to win future elections against a determined party like the APC, they must work twice as hard as they have done in the past.


 Some people are attributing the failure of the PDP to the hate campaigns it indulged in. Do you agree?  


People  will say things, but what individuals find on the ground may be different. No doubt  there was a campaign of hatred, campaign of dislike, religious campaign, but all that put together may not have affected the PDP chances if they had put their house right but they didn’t. Quite a  good number of the people  that make up APC today were in PDP and each time a person left, they said ‘let him go, we can do without him’. Now they have found that they couldn’t do without them; it is part and parcel of a sensible re-organisation. The party should sit down and find out what went wrong. They have to do that, and it  is not a job of  two days; they must sit down; talk to everybody that is worth talking to in order to ascertain and identify what went wrong, a lot of things went wrong.


What are  the things that went wrong, being a leader from the South-South that supported  President Jonathan?


It will be unfair on Jonathan if I say I am disappointed at his activities. PDP is made up of responsible people but these  are people who do not welcome any type of challenge, any type of argument and any type of interference; once they took  a  decision, they didn’t want anyone else to find out what led to that decision; so nobody should challenge them. Because of that, they held  Jonathan hostage. I know there were some advisers, before they met Jonathan, they will first meet and say ‘this is what we are going to tell him, you bring it out, you will uphold it and all the rest of us will support it and majority will carry the vote’, so Jonathan will have no option but to go ahead and they succeeded in a number of cases.


 Nigerians believed that Jonathan lost because of the way he handled the issues of insecurity, the economy and corruption. How do you assess his activities in these areas?  


Nigerian politics has not developed to the stage where people  recognise economy, unemployment and  the like as election issues. We are at the stage  where we look at the individual, where he comes from, what he can do for us and then   support or don’t support him. But a few intellectuals may have looked at the economy and say ‘it is good’, ‘it is not too good’, They might have complained of unemployment but they were like the lone voice  in the wilderness. Majority of the people wanted a South-South President, so they went  for him.


 So will you say Jonathan was weak in handling the issues?


No, it is the responsibility of the leader to have strong following. What makes a leader is the quality of  the followership. There are many followers who will do things without being told if they know what  is in the interest of the party.


Advice to Buhari


You will excuse me if I say anything in favour of Buhari because there is Espirit de corps between us. We want it written by historians many years to come that the coming of the general saved the nation from total collapse. To achieve that, all hands must be on deck, the hands of the old generals, the retired ones and those  in office. But having said that, I know Buhari when he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. I also know that he served under a number of senior officers and, every year, they wrote  confidential report in respect of each officer, including me. The officer  writing the report  about other people also indicate what he looks  like. So every one of the superior officers concluded that Buhari  was a competent hand. But that was many years ago. Can we say that the energy of 1966 is still very much present? It may not but what is absolutely available is the lesson  learnt


from those intervening years. I know that Buhari has been reading what the public wants, has made promises and his advisers are also talking to him. So he is taking notes and what he will come out it will be with a bombshell. I also know that Buhari will not want to fail because the expectation is so high that he will not want people to say they are disappointed.


We talked about fuel scarcity and other things, those are minor things. The most important thing to do with human beings in Nigeria is security. If a man cannot sleep with his two eyes closed, then he is unsafe and, if he is unsafe, then he cannot  do anything. When God created man, he decided that he needed some  important things. First and foremost, food; second, mobility; and  third, shelter; every other thing comes later. Unemployment is something Buhari is going to inherit. The reason for the unemployment is straight forward. The Federal Government, in its wisdom, created over 60 universities, more than a hundred secondary schools, but  no proportionate industry to absorb these people when they finish their training. That is where our problem comes from. When the British were here before 1960, they set  up schools to train clerks and interpreters. Not much has changed in the curriculum, so what do you do? A manufacturer who produces goods without regard  for the requirement  of  the customer will always have his store full of unsold goods and that is where we are. The answer is that we have to go back to the drawing board and review our human resources planning.


How many doctors do we need in 10 years, how many accountants do we need in the next 15 years. And then get the universities, the training institutions to produce these people.


If you want 10 doctors and you take 10  and two fails, then you have not achieved anything, so you take  20. If five fails, you still have 15  to meet your 10. So we need to have people who are best in organizing the economy of the country.


But you must admit one thing now, that the APC, as we know it today, has not run a Federal Government, before this is their first time. Therefore, like all first timers, like all new brooms, they must sweep well. Otherwise the song four years hence  will be different.


Buhari’s certificate saga and the army


When I joined the  army, the army took my certificate. There were two reasons  they did  that. Some people got trained by the army and, when they came back, they could no longer go along with the salaries that the army was paying, they will disappear. Because  of that, the army will keep your certificate. When I was retiring, the army gave me back my certificate and that was what I was looking for to show you. (Searching his cupboard for the certificate). So I was surprised  they said Buhari has no certificate. But even if he has no certificate, there is examination in the army. The time we started the exam, they called it Royal West African Frontier Force entrance examination and you  were not allowed to take it unless you present your certificate or your school wrote that you had taken the exam and they believed you will pass. And if the result comes and you fail, they will send you out. However, there were some military people if, in the process they


send you to school, they call it remedial courses, so if you did not have school certificate by the time you finish the three years course, you are better than the school certificate holder. So I believe Buhari’s case was a situation where people tried  to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it. But that notwithstanding, Buhari has been elected, what Nigerians want is development, what Nigerians want is good governance, what Nigerians want is a man who will give credit to their representation.


Agitation to cut cost of governance


In any society, the first and fore most thing is self. The civil servant at an inquiry on the future of the civil service influences the report of the committee. The parliament, having regards to the future of the parliament, also influences what they will do for themselves in the future. So when they sat down to compute all those heavy duty salaries, they will be doing only one thing, fulfilling the long time belief of self first, then service to the nation second. That is why we should be pleading with Buhari: There should be a  body to look into whether parliament should be full-time or part-time and if it should be part-time, how much they should be paid for every sitting? Same thing for fuel scarcity, we have now found that a few people have milked Nigeria dry, so what do you do? You cannot say that the milk you drank few days ago, give it back to us. All you do is to prevent future ones form doing same. My view is that they should take petroleum supply into an organization that is banned from strike like the military.


The military cannot go on strike;  the  police can’t; immigration can’t. They should put petroleum  in a sector  whereby the law forbids any one there from going on strike and, that is the job of  government working closely with the parliament because if we were fighting a war and the opponents got our marketers together, they will cripple the army, they will cripple the  air force and the navy, so we have nothing to fight with.


Reforming the electoral laws


What is the purpose of electoral laws? To have a good election that is acceptable internationally? If you produce  a law that did not meet it;  amend it. That is why the parliament is there. But the problem here in Nigeria is not with the law; it  is with the execution. If a government, in its effort to remain in power perpetually, decides to use extra method to remain in office, then you cannot blame the law. The law is not our problem, it is those who implement it that is our problem..


Anenih’s resignation and PDP’s future in Edo


Anything that will be done by the PDP must be  central to the reactivation of the party. But if you don’t say anything and you go begging people to come back, come back for what? We have not heard yet how PDP intends to reorganize itself; it is normal that any party that loses election is usually in disarray but with good leaders, effective leadership, we will soon be back on track because PDP offers the best and most effective alternative government today. We in Edo want to help to see that the state is developed and, because of that, I am going to proclaim Edo Mass Movement  to look at the future irrespective of  party and we will support the party that gives us indication that it wants Edo  to succeed.


You have been blamed that you left the management of the party in Edo to Chief Anenih alone.


Those  saying that have my sympathy, arising from ignorance. In 1999, the PDP won the election to Edo  Government House, the leaders, we were three:  Myself, Chief Anenih and Chief Igbinedion. Two of us, myself and Igbinedion, decided to stay at home and help the governor to ensure he succeeded.  Anenih, a very brilliant and unassuming politician, was sent to Abuja to represent the state. And he did. But as time went on, things fell apart and the center could not hold and that was it.


Anenih is not the cause of our problem, anybody who says he can fight election in Edo  without Anenih may not be telling you the truth. Everyone has his own job, my job was to stay at home and support the governor which I did to the best of my ability. Anenih was to stay in Abuja to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the activities of the governor of the state so that they can help him and he excelled.


 If both of you worked together, how come the party was factionalized then? You led a faction while Anenih led the other.


I don’t know that but what I know is that Prof.Osunbor lost the election in the court of law. He is a professor of law; so he cannot complain that he did not get justice because he knew what to do.


The factionalization of the party was based on a different criteria. The party at the headquarters in Abuja was expected to intervene before things went out of hand, but, for reasons known best to them, they decided to leave things as they were.


But I now know that the reason was that they were not much interested  in Edo because when we lost the election, the National Chairman of the PDP then was asked how he felt, he said they were  not supposed to control every state in Nigeria; so losing Edo  was  not a serious matter. Before the court judgment, I telephoned Osunbor from London  to say I heard that the Federal Government had traded out Edo and Ondo,  and I asked him to  go and see the president; and from his table phone me so that I could  speak to him (president). He came back and  told me that the president asked him what will he benefit if he traded Edo out. So he believed that the president was not doing what they accused him of. But later what I told him came to pass.


All these are now history and they are essential development in the scene of democracy. So what we should be looking forward to is not the man feeding the horse, it  is the man sitting on top of it. So we look at the future, where are we going to? If the PDP wants to pack up, then they must tell us. People have asked me if I am still in PDP. I said yes and I will remain. Many months back, PDP people accused me of belonging to APC, and that in the day time at Abuja I was in PDP and in the night in Benin I was APC. Now, yesterday, I heard that the APC people are saying ‘Ogbemudia is a PDP man, leave him alone’. At least I have been vindicated.


 Some  accused you of showing no concern when federal appointments meant for Edo were  given to people from Edo Central. Did it not bother you?


The people who are complaining are themselves accomplices. It is not a matter of one man sitting down and deciding on a situation, it is a matter of a group of people saying how do we punish this man and they work out a programme, that programme is executed and the result is known. What we should be talking about is the future. The future now is straight forward because the Federal Government is APC and the state government is APC, therefore the state government will be the one to decide who gets what having regard to their knowledge of the various people and their contributions to development. If they don’t get it, people will shout, but the major issue is that they should be allowed to execute their programmes. I believe the APC will perform because we have tremendous confidence in Buhari’s ability to lead Nigeria.


 Oshiomhole’s successor


Governor Oshiomhole is the finest thing that this state has had the pleasure to have in recent years; therefore before he leaves, we will ensure, or fight or recommend somebody who will carry on where he stops so that development will be a continuous process. No matter what you think about Oshiomhole, he has performed more than his predecessors.


So what do you do with such a man? Put him in the hall of fame so that he can continuously guide the new man to act properly. Oshiomhole is expected to be the one to decide who he will support and if he does not want his legacy to be destroyed, he will make sure he gets somebody who will carry on from where he stopped.


Nobody can say he does not trust Oshiomhole, he has been there for six years and the difference is clear.


There are Nigerians who are not happy with change but the change has come, we cannot continue to fight, we have to support the incoming government of Buhari to perform.


 



I trust Buhari to remedy Jonathan’s mistakes – Ogbemudia

Probe TAN, CAN, rich Nigerians - Anglican Bishop urges Buhari

Bishop of the Kaduna Diocese of Anglican Diocese, Most Revd Josiah Idowu Fearon, has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to go after super-rich Nigerians who, during the Jonathan administration, were accused of receiving money for political campaigns.


Ayo oritsejafor

Ayo oritsejafor


Fearon mentioned Transformational Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in particular, and some public and private office holders, saying Buhari should use the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate them even as he advised the president  to sanitize the armed forces, get them well equipped, and flush out Boko Haram insurgents within his first six months in office.


The bishop said Buhari cannot afford to fail Nigerians as the situation he has inherited is so bad that he should not expect any period of honeymoon. He spoke in Kaduna during the diocese’s  20th synod.


He advised the president to be careful on the composition of his cabinet, adding that he should guard against powerful individuals who would shield him from what is going on in the country, and  those  in politics to enrich themselves at the expense of the nation.


“We want to give the President some ideas for his consideration and action. It is obvious, the stakes are high; Nigerians have a high expectation. You cannot afford to fail by disappointing,”the bishop said. “The situation you are inheriting is so bad that you should not expect any period of honey moon: security is not there, power supply is at its lowest level, queues at our filling stations, hardly ever disappear in spite of the payment of subsidy to those importing fuel, we hear that in some states and some Federal Government departments, salaries have not been paid for months”.


 



Probe TAN, CAN, rich Nigerians - Anglican Bishop urges Buhari

Many injured in Imo Police, MASSOB clash

OWERRI—A detachment of armed security personnel from Imo State police command, Sunday, clashed with loyalists of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, leaving many injured.


MASSOB plate number

MASSOB plate number


This came on a day the group said it had no regret supporting former President Goodluck Jonathan in his failed re-election bid.


The MASSOB loyalists came to Owerri in more than 500 commercial vehicles of varying sizes to celebrate Biafran Day and remember their fallen heroes.


Vanguard gathered that members, clad in their uniforms, sang songs as they marched towards the city centre of Owerri.


It was further gathered that as the MASSOB loyalists marched into the ever busy Owerri-Port Harvourt federal highway, the police personnel allegedly ordered them to disperse but the order was disobeyed.


An eyewitness claimed that as the processing MASSOB loyalists made to continue their march, the police fired some teargas canisters.


“As soon as MASSOB loyalists marched into Owerri-Port Harcourt highway, the police ordered them to disperse, but the order was largely ignored by the people. The police then fired teargas canisters,” the witness recounted.


He said that the firing of teargas canisters generated instant stampede, which occasioned injuries.

It was not clear at press time if anybody died in the process or how many people were arrested by the police, but many sustained varying degrees of injuries.


Several calls put across to the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, a deputy superintendent of police, were neither picked nor returned.


Meanwhile, MASSOB has said it had no regret backing former President Goodluck Jonathan in his failed re-election bid.


The MASSOB Leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, who made the declaration made in an address delivered during the ceremony to mark this year’s Biafra Day in Owerri, yesterday, said: “The Goodluck Jonathan presidential election followed the pattern of the Biafra-Nigeria civil war.


‘’It highlighted the war has not ended. It was a war between the former Eastern Region and Nigeria.”


While insisting that the outcome of the election had justified their resolve for self-determination, Chief Uwazuruike also explained why Ndigbo voted massively for their brothers from the South-South.


“This singular gesture has made the struggle for Biafra stronger again. We remain proud of our support for Dr. Jonathan and we promise to continue to support our brothers in their future endeavour.


“The Biafra project has formed the outlook of our people over the years,” the MASSOB leader said.


He noted that because of the said project, his people had suffered many deprivations in Nigeria.


He said: “Because of the project, our people have been massacred in their millions. Our  detractors brought enmity between Ndigbo and their brothers in the South-South.


‘’The seed of discord cost us our first attempt at independence, as well as brought distrust between us and our brothers.’’


 



Many injured in Imo Police, MASSOB clash

Declare Your Assets Publicly - Serap Tells Buhari, Osinbajo

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have been urged  to declare their assets publicly in line with their promises for transparency and accountability.


Buhari and Osinbajo

Buhari and Osinbajo


In a statement issued by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and signed by its executive director, Tokunbo Mumuni, it stated that this will indicate their desire and commitment to end corruption in the country.


Already the President and Vice President have declared their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau as required by the Constitution but not doing so publicly in line with their promises.


Mumuni said, “We welcome the official declaration of assets by the President and Vice President. This clearly complies with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution as contained in Chapter VI Section 140. However, the declaration before the Code of Conduct alone falls far short of the commitment to publicly declare their assets.”


“SERAP recalls that the President had said before the election that he would publicly declare his assets and liabilities, and encourage all his appointees to publicly declare their assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment. We now expect the President to fulfil this promise to the Nigerian people,” the organisation said.


It added,  “SERAP trusts that the President and Vice President will move swiftly to publicly declare their assets and to publish widely the information on a dedicated website.”


“Public disclosure of assets will give the general public a true picture of the assets of the President and Vice President and will send a powerful message that it is not going to be business as usual with this government. This will also follow the best practice by former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, boost this government’s fight against corruption and impunity of perpetrators, and fully comply with the provisions of chapter two of the dealing with Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, which among others require the government to take steps to eradicate corrupt practices and the abuse of power.”


It also called on the President to urgently take measures to seek amendment of the law relating to declaration of assets to include the requirement of public disclosure so as to bring it in line with international standards and best practices such as the UN Convention against Corruption.


 



Declare Your Assets Publicly - Serap Tells Buhari, Osinbajo

Don"t subject Jonathan, ministers to undue harassment - Buhari warns

President Muhammadu Buhari says officials of past administrations including ministers and those who served under the Jonathan regime are entitled to their full rights and privileges under the constitution and must not be subjected to any undue harassment and intimidation at the airports or at other points of entry and exit.


“We have not banned anyone from travelling,” Buhari was quoted as saying yesterday in a statement by the Head of the president’s media team, Garba Shehu.


“Responding to some cases of  ‘V.I.P stoppages’ at the airports as reported to him, yesterday, Buhari directed all agencies under the government to run their affairs in full compliance with extant rules, regulations and the constitution of the country”, the statement said.


“Unless otherwise directed by the courts, no law-abiding citizens should be barred from travelling abroad. We must treat fellow citizens with courtesy and respect. Officials at the borders and other points of entry and exit should conduct their affairs in strict compliance with due process. No one has my permission to bar anyone from travelling abroad.”


 



Don"t subject Jonathan, ministers to undue harassment - Buhari warns

Boko Haram: 26 worshippers dead, 28 injured in Maiduguri mosque attack

•Another blast claims 15 lives


By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri


A suicide bomber, yesterday, sneaked into a mosque along Ali Kotoko Road, near Monday Market in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, leaving 26 dead  and  28 critically injured, security sources assisting in the  evacuation of victims said.


The incident took place at about 3:45pm when Muslim faithful gathered  to perform their afternoon  prayer.


Unconfirmed sources, however,  revealed that apart from the mosque explosion, another  blast  rocked some area of the Monday Market with  fewer casualty figure.


The incidents came barely 12 hours after Boko Haram gunmen were repelled by the military in Maiduguri, which also claimed many lives.


The mosque explosion, according to Modu Fugu of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), occurred when the prayer session was about to commence  with over five dozens of people in attendance.


“We were  terrified by the loud explosion that rocked the  mosque near bicycle sellers market and other shops when the prayer session was cut  and worshippers fled to  safety. But many were killed and scores injured”, Fugu stated.


Borno State Police Command  confirmed the mosque blast, but said  it was  yet to get the casualty figure. The Red Cross and volunteers were reportedly involved in the rescue operation.


In another incident, yesterday,  15 residents were reportedly dead when suspected members of Boko Haram, in a convoy of vehicles and motorcycles laden with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), rocket grenades and anti-aircraft guns attacked Malari village in Borno State. 19 others in Bulunkutu Saleke, Gomari and Ajilari areas of the state were said to have been wounded.


The killings, according to Ibrahim Yakubu of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), were caused by the  insurgents’ sporadic gunshots, explosions and shelling on the  four villages that commenced from 12.35 – 2.45 a.m.


Confirming the incident in Maiduguri, a source at Borno Police Command said many residents of Gomari, Bulunkutu Saleke and  Ajilari were killed during the attacks.


 



Boko Haram: 26 worshippers dead, 28 injured in Maiduguri mosque attack

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated the governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on his emergence as the Chairman of the South South Governors Forum.


Chairman of the south south zone of the APC, Prince Hilliard Eta congratulated Oshiomhole on behalf of the party through a press statement issued on Sunday.


In the statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Bassey Ita, and made available to journalist in Calabar, the zonal vice chairman said Oshiomhole has the capability of bringing his wealth of experience in public life and as an architect of grassroots development to bear in the improvement of the socio-economic and environmental status of the south south region.


He expressed the hope that Oshiomhole will strategically apply the stately carriage attribute for which he is known in canvassing massive support for regional integration of the south south states.


Eta said by integrating the south south states, Oshiomhole would achieve the objective for which the BRACED (Bayelsa,Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo  and Delta states)  Commission was established.


Eta said though the new position imposes additional responsibility on Oshiomhole, he was confident the governor has the ability to rise up to the challenge and define a new sense of direction for the BRACED states.


He said over the years, the BRACED Commission under the leadership of the immediate past chairman and former governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, failed to chart a way out of the multifarious cases of environmental degradation, economic losses and insecurity within the south south region.


In line with tradition, Oshiomhole would also assume the position of chairman of the BRACED states.


Oshiomhole succeeds Imoke who formally handed over to him on May 27 at the Calabar International Conference Centre (CICC).



EFCC to Arraign 6 CBN Big Wigs,16 Others for Alleged N8bn Currency Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has concluded its arrangement to arraign  five top executives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, implicated in a mega scam involving the theft and re-circulation of defaced and mutilated currencies.


The suspects drawn from various business units of the apex bank are to be docked by the anti-graft agency before a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, from Tuesday June 2, 2015 to Thursday June 4, 2015.


They are Patience Okoro Eye (Abuja), Afolabi Olufemi (Lagos), Kolawole Babalola( Ibadan), Olaniran  Muniru Adeola (Ibadan), Fatai  Yusuf, Adekunle (Head, Security, CBN, (Ibadan) and Ilori Adekunle Sunday,(Akure).


According to EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren said: “The remaining sixteen suspects are drawn from various commercial banks who were found to have conspired with the CBN executives to swing the heist.


All the suspects who are currently in the custody of the EFCC are now ruing the day they literally allowed greed and craze for materialism to be loud their sense of judgment and responsibility, when they elected to help themselves to tones of defaced Naira notes. Instead of carrying out the statutory instruction to destroy the currency, they substituted it with newspapers neatly cut to Naira sizes and proceeded to recycle the defaced and mutilated currency.


Uwujaren explained that “the fraud is partly to blame for the failure of government monetary policy over the years as currency mop up exercises by the apex bank failed to check the inflationary pressure on the economy.


He said: “The lid on the scam which is widely suspected to have gone on unchecked for years, was blown on November 3, 2014  via a petition to the EFCC alleging that over N6, 575, 549, 370.00( Six Billion, Five Hundred and Seventy-Five Million, Five-Hundred and Forty-Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy Naira) was cornered and discreetly recycled by light fingered top executives of the CBN at the Ibadan branch.



EFCC to Arraign 6 CBN Big Wigs,16 Others for Alleged N8bn Currency Fraud

APC Salutes Oshiomhole as South South Governors’ Chairman

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated the governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on his emergence as the Chairman of the South South Governors Forum.


Chairman of the south south zone of the APC, Prince Hilliard Eta congratulated Oshiomhole on behalf of the party through a press statement issued on Sunday.


In the statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Bassey Ita, and made available to journalist in Calabar, the zonal vice chairman said Oshiomhole has the capability of bringing his wealth of experience in public life and as an architect of grassroots development to bear in the improvement of the socio-economic and environmental status of the south south region.


He expressed the hope that Oshiomhole will strategically apply the stately carriage attribute for which he is known in canvassing massive support for regional integration of the south south states.


Eta said by integrating the south south states, Oshiomhole would achieve the objective for which the BRACED (Bayelsa,Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo  and Delta states)  Commission was established.


Eta said though the new position imposes additional responsibility on Oshiomhole, he was confident the governor has the ability to rise up to the challenge and define a new sense of direction for the BRACED states.


He said over the years, the BRACED Commission under the leadership of the immediate past chairman and former governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, failed to chart a way out of the multifarious cases of environmental degradation, economic losses and insecurity within the south south region.


In line with tradition, Oshiomhole would also assume the position of chairman of the BRACED states.


Oshiomhole succeeds Imoke who formally handed over to him on May 27 at the Calabar International Conference Centre (CICC).



APC Salutes Oshiomhole as South South Governors’ Chairman

Buhari"s Inaugural Speech Still Campaign Rhetorics - Ajulo

The National Secretary of Labour Party, Mr. Olukayode Ajulo, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s inaugural speech as vague and not far- reaching enough based on the expectations of Nigerians.


The Labour Party has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be more focused on a programme of action instead of making dictatorial and anti-democratic pronouncements, while pretending to be democratic.

National Secretary of Labour Party, Kayode Ajulo


Ajulo, who was making a critique of the President’s policy highlights as contained in his speech said for failing to speak on such burning issues like unpaid salaries of Nigerian workers and how to improve the socio-economic conditions of the ordinary man, Buhari seemed far from reality.


Buhari had said in his speech said that apart from insecurity, another key issue that will attract priority of his administration is dealing with corruption. He assured that though the Federal Government can not interfere in the operations of other tiers of government, he will ensure that the gross corruption at the local level is checked.


“As far as the constitution allows me I will try to ensure that there is responsible and accountable governance at all levels of government in the country. For I will not have kept my own trust with the Nigerian people if I allow others abuse theirs under my watch,” he said.


However, in a statement issued Sunday, Ajulo said President Buhari needs to be reminded that election campaigns are over and that he should stop sounding as if he is still wooing the electorate for votes.


“Agreed, the President’s speech could not have covered every conceivable issue; however, the commander-in-chief cannot brush these issues aside because all key stakeholders want to hear from him, it is from him that they take their cue respectively.


“Having read and listened to the inaugural speech of General Mohammadu Buhari even with high expectations, one can deduce that  Mr President  conspicuously refused to dwell on burning issues like unpaid salaries of Nigerian workers who are groaning in pains with no respite on sight,” he said.



Buhari"s Inaugural Speech Still Campaign Rhetorics - Ajulo

John Kerry Breaks Leg While Riding Bicycle

The U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, was on Sunday in Geneva flown to a hospital with a broken leg following a bicycle accident in the French Alps.


The spokesperson at the U.S. mission in Geneva disclosed that the secretary had broken his leg.


Kerry’s Spokesperson, John Kirby, also confirmed that 71-year-old Mr. Kerry was taken by helicopter to Geneva University Hospital, where he was conscious and in stable condition with a leg injury.


He said the accident occurred in Scionzier, a town near the border with Switzerland, around 9.40 a.m.

Mr. Kirby said the secretary was attended to by a physician and paramedics travelling in his motorcade.


Mr. Kerry had conducted talks on Saturday in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif, as part of ongoing efforts to forge a comprehensive agreement about Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme ahead of a June 30 deadline.


He had been due to fly to Madrid later on Sunday to meet with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and King Felipe VI. on Tuesday.


Mr. Kerry was also scheduled to travel to Paris to hold talks with counterparts from the countries participating in the military coalition targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.


(dpa/NAN)



John Kerry Breaks Leg While Riding Bicycle

Breaking news : Another bomb blast hits Maiduguri

An Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by suspected members of dreaded Boko Haram insurgents on Sunday exploded at the popular Gamboru Market in Maiduguri metropolis living four people critically injured.


The incident which took place at about 1:30pm has caused pandemonium as people hurriedly closed their shops and flee to safety.


Gamboru market is one of the markets in the city that has witnessed series of deadly attacks by insurgents mostly suicide attacks, shootings and bombings in recent past.


This incident is coming barely 24 hours after a suicide bomber sneaked into a mosque around Maiduguri Monday Market, Ali Kotoko road during La’asar prayers and killed 26 worshippers with 28 others seriously injured.


Details later



Breaking news : Another bomb blast hits Maiduguri

Boko Haram invades Yobe town, destroy public buildings

Damaturu – Dreaded Boko Haram sect in a convoy of three Hilux vehicles and several motorcycles invaded the town of Ngalda in Fika Local Government Area of Yobe state, where they wreak havoc on mostly public buildings, after looting food items and shops.


This is coming barely four hours after a suicide bomber sneaked into a mosque in Maiduguri metropolis killing 26 worshippers.


The incident which took place at about 7pm on Saturday did not claim any life, as the insurgents were out for destruction of government facilities and as well to loot and add to their stocks in the Sambisa Forest.


The insurgents according to sources invaded the town chanting “Allahu Akbar (God is Great), we are here to destroy all public buildings, houses and shops of those who believes in democracy, we will continue to fight whosoever identified himself/herself with Nigerian Government which we consider as anti-Islam, we will not relent or surrender, until we impose strict Sharia Law for people to adhere to”.


 



Boko Haram invades Yobe town, destroy public buildings

Yar’adua bribed ex-Niger Delta with amnesty to allow oil flow to North - Asari Dokubo

Leader of the Ijaw Youth Council, Mr. Asari Dokubo, has condemned the amnesty granted to the ex-Niger Delta militants by the late president, Umaru Yar’adua.


Asari Dokubo

Asari Dokubo


According to him, this was a bribe to allow oil flow from the Niger Delta region to the North. He said that was the reason he rejected the offer.


Dokubo, who gave the clarification during the 2015 MASSOB day celebration, held in Owerri, Imo State, also faulted the national conference organised by the Federal Government, insisting that the exercise did not represent the views of the Niger Delta region that is yearning for a referendum.


“It only represented the views of the rest of the country. Let us be allowed to have a referendum. We have the right to hold a referendum on where we want to go,” he argued.


He described MASSOB and his group as partners in progress who are moving in the same direction to arrive at a common destination as one people and nation.


Dokubo, who faulted the last general elections in the country, decried the pace of growth and development of the nation over the years, noting that there should be massive infrastructural provision to stimulate the economy with conscious and unpolluted efforts to bring about industrial growth and job creation.


Meanwhile, members of MASSOB had a confrontation with the police at the Assumpta Roundabout while riding in convoy to the state capital for the celebration.


An eyewitness account had it that the police who had stationed their vehicles at the popular Control Post, Owerri, asked the MASSOB members to retreat but they refused and were teargassed by the police.


It was said that MASSOB members, who were numbered over 500, had hauled stones at the police, who shot in the air to scare them away.


Meanwhile, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Austin Evbakvbokun, while confirming the incident, said that the police halted the movement of the MASSOB members to the state capital because they do not have a permit for such gathering.


He added that the group conducted itself in a disorderly manner, carrying insignias, which were not of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, thus necessitating the prompt action of his men to stop them.



Yar’adua bribed ex-Niger Delta with amnesty to allow oil flow to North - Asari Dokubo

Appointments: Buhari keeps Nigerians guessing 48 hours after

In what appears to be a clear departure from the past, President Muhammadu Buhari has kept Nigerians guessing with respect to the appointment of key positions like the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the media and his publicity team.


Unlike his predecessors and most state governors, Buhari had yet to announce the names and designations of those he has picked to perform these and other functions on Saturday.


The various statements issued from the Office of the President at the Presidential Villa on Saturday were signed by Mr. Garba Shehu, the erstwhile Director of Media and Publicity of the now defunct All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council.


Shehu told one of our correspondents on Saturday that the presidential campaign media team had continued to work for Buhari pending the official appointment of his spokespersons. “It is the same campaign team,” he said.


When probed on whether Buhari would be addressing the country soon to declare his next course of action, he said the President had said all he had to say in his inaugural ceremony and gala speeches.


Buhari, who succeeded Goodluck Jonathan, was sworn in as President on Friday.


Buhari had in a recent interview with a national daily revealed that he would depart from the norm in his approach to putting together his team.


Specifically, he said, “I am going to quote myself because I heard in one of the interviews that I said the type of people I am supposed to appoint like the cabinet and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Service Chiefs, will be different.


“Definitely my approach is going to be different from what we had under the PDP where governors nominated ministers.


“I have been around long enough to know the people that I can approach for things like that. Deliberately, we will look for competent people, dedicated and experienced to head ministries.”


While reacting to a list of ministers and advisers being circulated on the Internet, Buhari said at the time he had not written anything on paper for anybody to see.


However, there were news reports that governors submitted lists of their nominees for appointment into Buhari’s cabinet.


Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha who is also the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum was reported to have confirmed to journalists that he submitted a list of three persons.


There have also been reports listing former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, his former Ekiti State counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi as some of those to be appointed as ministers.


Another report had named the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Femi Adesina as the possible choice as Special Adviser on Media.


Leaders of the party, the All Progressives Congress, were also not willing to comment on the President’s actions, noting that Buhari had transited from being the President-elect to President.


An APC leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “You will agree with me that things have changed. Buhari is now the President and what you are asking me to comment on is not a party matter any longer. It is his prerogative as President to make an announcement when he chooses.”


A member of the Buhari campaign team, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, also said, “Muhammadu Buhari is not a man you can push. I am sure he will make an announcement soon. He is a man who is prepared to hit the ground running, just exercise a little bit of patience.”


Also speaking on the issue, another member of the team, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin said, “What I think we need to do is to allow the new President – it is not that his mind is not made up on who he wants.


“It is a big decision to pick a person out of the whole pack to speak for him and present him for who he is and what he is.


“To be able to make an announcement of who is going to be Chief of Staff, National Security Adviser and so on, I think it will not be long. Allow him a few hours, may be a day or two, we will all have a clearer idea.”


In his inaugural speech, the President warned political forces or anyone who thought he would be answerable to him in the next four years, saying he belonged to nobody. “Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians. I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody,” he said.


He allayed the fears by some suspected past corrupt leaders who might view Buhari’s presidency as coming to victimise them.


The President reassured such persons that their fears were unfounded, adding that he had opted to put the past behind him.


He said, “A few people have privately voiced their fears that on coming back to office, I shall go after them. These fears are groundless. There will be no paying off old scores. The past is prologue.”


Meanwhile, most of the newly elected and re-elected state governors who were sworn in on Friday have yet to begin work, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.


While some of them have appointed few aides to work with, others have yet to do so. It was also learnt that lobbyists have begun moves for cabinet appointments.


In Kwara State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who is now in his second term, had shortly after his inauguration, appointed three new officials and reappointed three former government appointees.


The new appointees are Head of Service, Zarah Umar; Chief of Staff, Babatunde Abdulwahab; Senior Special Assistant, Government House, Ibrahim Adeyemi; and Special Assistant Domestic, Segun Abifari.


The reappointed officials are Isiaka Gold, who was reappointed as Secretary to the State Government; Dr. Muyideen Akorede as Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity; and Abdulwahab Oba, Chief Press Secretary.


The governor, who listed several capital projects to be executed during his second term, urged residents of the state to tighten their belts as the government would embark on more Internally Generated Revenue-driven and cost-saving measures.


The new governor of Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade, who succeeded Liyel Imoke, was still ruling the state from his private residence within the State Housing Estate in Calabar as of Saturday.


It was, however, observed that there was a flurry of activities at the official residence of the governor.


Imoke did not return to the lodge after the 2012 rerun of the governorship election in the state.


But Ayade is expected to move into his official residence on Monday, a Government House source told one of our correspondents.


Although there was no change or renewal of government in Osun State on Friday, SUNDAY PUNCH observed that most of the commissioners and special advisers of the dissolved Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s former cabinet were still found around the Government House.


The ministries in the state are being managed by permanent secretaries since the governor’s second inauguration on November 27, 2014. Our correspondents observed that contractors working on several projects in the state are no longer on site.


Moreover, expectations have heightened in Plateau State, barely 48 hours after Governor Simon Lalong assumed office. As of Saturday, the new governor had yet to make appointments into key offices, especially his principal aides.


A leader of the APC in Plateau, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, disclosed to SUNDAY PUNCH that some party members were unsettled due to disagreement over key appointments.


Former Director of Press and Publicity, Lalong/Tyoden Campaign Organisation, Mr. Festus Fuanter, however, said there was no cause for worry as the governor wanted to consult widely and ensure that all interests were taken care of.


He noted that things would begin to take shape, “in the next few days.”


In Oyo State, where Governor Abiola Ajimobi was re-elected to become the first two-term governor in the state, intense lobbying has started since the governor announced that his new cabinet would be smaller and based on performance.


Ajimobi had dissolved his cabinet on the eve of his inauguration.


A source said some of the commissioners and aides, who failed to canvass enough votes for Ajimobi in their wards and Local Government Areas, had been calling the Chairman of the APC in Oyo State, Mr. Akin Oke, to speak to the governor on their behalf.


Ajimobi had vacated the State House for his Oluyole home in Ibadan before the election and he is expected to move back to his official residence soon.


Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has moved to the Government House, it was learnt. The official residence is now wearing a now look, while offices within the premises now have the official portrait of the governor.


It was also observed that the governor’s lodge, presidential lodge, as well as the offices of the governor and his deputy where the flags of the Peoples Democratic Party were hoisted had been replaced with that of the APC.


In Imo State, re-elected Governor Rochas Okorocha has launched a new pattern to reap in IGR for the state.


The governor, who had abolished any form of levy in his first term in office, had instructed the Environment Transformation Committee to enforce collection of levies.


Okorocha, in his maiden press briefing on the second lap of his administration, urged the people of Imo to prepare for sacrifices, noting that it was not going to be business as usual.


As of the time of filing this report on Saturday evening, the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has yet to announce any appointment into his new government.


Our correspondent gathered that the new governor is still consulting, and will name his appointees soon.


Feelers in the state chapter of the PDP indicated that former Governor Sullivan Chime and the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, are likely to make key inputs in the composition of the incoming state executive council, as well as other appointments.


A source in the PDP said a picture of the new administration would emerge within the week.


The new Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, upon his assumption of office, has said he would streamline government operations in the state to reduce the cost of governance.


The governor, who met with the body of permanent secretaries in the state public service on Saturday, said although new offices would be created, efforts would also be made to attract more investments to the state.


The governor said he would be residing at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, adding that he would be available at his desk from 8am daily.


Ambode said he expected all public servants to also be at their desks by 8am.


“The state civil service will drive the change and the continuity which we intend to put in place in the next four years,” he said.



Appointments: Buhari keeps Nigerians guessing 48 hours after

Buhari, Osinbajo refuse to declare asset publicly

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have declared their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau as required by the Constitution but failed to make the contents public.


General Buhari

General Buhari


The head of Buhari’s media team, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Saturday, said the President and the Vice President submitted their assets declaration forms separately on Thursday.


Shehu added that the CCB, through its Chairman, Sam Saba, on Friday acknowledged the receipt of the forms.


He gave Buhari’s declaration identity number as “President: 000001/2015.”


Shehu, however, did not disclose the contents of the assets declaration forms.


“By declaring their assets, President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo may have not only fulfilled the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution, but also fulfilled the first of their many campaign promises.


“While seeking election into the highest office in the land, the President had promised Nigerians that he would publicly declare his assets as soon as he took over government,” he wrote.


The Nigerian Constitution states in Chapter VI Section 140 that a person elected to the Office of the President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in the Constitution.


Though the president’s aide believes the declaration was in fulfillment of Buhari’s campaign promises, analysts claim the President has not done anything spectacular because the contents were not made public.


In February this year, while campaigning Buhari had said that he would publicly declare his assets and liabilities, if voted into power.


Buhari stated this in a document. The document highlighted what Buhari would do in his first 100 days if he assumed power on May 29.


He said he would encourage political appointees in his administration to also declare their assets publicly.


Had the new president kept to his words he will be the country’s second president to publicly declare his assets.


Reacting to the news of the asset declaration by Buhari and Osinbajo to the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the PDP was not ready to engage the All Progressives Congress-led government on asset declaration by the two most important persons in the country or any other issue.


Metuh said, “No comment for now. These are early days. At the moment, we wish them well.”


The late President, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, also from Katsina State as Buhari, was the first and the only Nigeria’s President to have publicly declared his assets when he assumed office.


This action forced his then deputy, Jonathan, to also make his assets declaration forms available to the public.


However, since he assumed office as the substantive President, Jonathan had refused to make the forms available to the public, saying that he did that when he was serving as deputy to Yar’Adua.


But Buhari, in the document titled, ‘I pledge to Nigeria’ had also said that all his political appointees would only earn salaries and allowances as prescribed by the Revenue and Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.


He said, “I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liabilities, encourage all my appointees publicly declare their assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment. All political appointees will only earn the salaries and allowances determined by the RMFAC. I pledge, as Commander-in-Chief, to lead from the front and not behind in the comfort and security of Aso Rock, to boost the morale of fighting forces and the generality of all Nigerians.”


Meanwhile, about 48hours after they took their oaths of office, President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have yet to move into the Presidential Villa, Abuja, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.


Investigation by our correspondent on Saturday showed that the duo only attended the events held in the Villa on Friday and returned to town.


While Buhari was suspected to have returned to the Defence House, the official residence of the President-elect, which he started using shortly after he won the March 28 presidential election, Osinbajo might have returned to his private residence.


Immediately after they were inaugurated as President and Vice President at the Eagle Square on Friday, Buhari and Osinbajo moved to the Presidential Villa for a state luncheon organised in honour of world leaders who attended the inauguration.


They left and later returned in the evening for the inauguration gala night held inside the villa’s old Banquet Hall.


“The President and the Vice President have yet to move into the State House. I learnt that the President returned to Defence House on Friday,” a source said.



Buhari, Osinbajo refuse to declare asset publicly

I Didn"t Think Bayelsa People Will Welcome Me - Jonathan

The immediate past President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, Friday, said he had been worried about the kind of reception he would receive in his home state, Bayelsa.


President Jonathan

President Jonathan


Speaking at a civic reception in his honour, in Yenagoa, Mr. Jonathan said he would dedicate the remaining part of his life to peace building across the country.


“I thank all of you here and my brothers and sisters outside who cannot come in because of the size of the hall,” Mr. Jonathan told a capacity crowd at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre.


“Sometimes when you are exposed to some high offices and you finish serving, you are even afraid of going back home. Because in one way or the other you will feel that you did not satisfy the people.


“Sometimes at the late hour it dawns on you that you could have done that, you could have done that, you failed to do this you, failed to do that.


“Sometimes you begin to fear whether the people that came to receive you, will they curse you, will they hoot at you?”


Mr. Jonathan said he had wanted to come back to a private visit but the state governor insisted it must be a celebration.


“I really don’t have anything to say. The only thing I can do is to thank all Bayelsans, all Ijaw people, all people from the South South, and indeed all Nigerians for giving me the privilege,” he said.


“Sometimes when I step back, I used to say that probably if I had stayed back in Bayelsa I’d have been more useful to the people. But vacating the seat here gave the opportunity for others and they have done wonderfully well.


“So this period from 1999 till date, my people Bayelsans and Nigerians have given me rare opportunity to serve. First as governor of the state, vice president and president of the country.”


Mr. Jonathan recalled how his political journey started when the former Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, invited him to join his campaign team.


“I joined the campaign not because I was interested in any elective office,” he said.


“What drove me into joining Alamieyeseigha team was that those of us from very small communities, we always have problems and sometimes we have to go to government. I said that probably if I work with him, and probably he wins election, I will know some of the people who will be in government.”


He further spoke of his belief that the new administration will work with all Nigerians to make better the lives of the people.


“I’m indeed happy that one of the statements the president made was that he does not belong to any clique, that he belongs to Nigerians. I congratulate him for that bold statement.”



I Didn"t Think Bayelsa People Will Welcome Me - Jonathan

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Self Exiled Nyako Returns To Nigeria After Buhari Sworn-In

A former governor of Adamawa state, Murtala Nyako, who was impeached by the state Assembly for gross financial fraud, has returned to Nigeria from a self-imposed exile.


Nyako

Governor Nyako


Mr. Nyako and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, were impeached by the Assembly under Speaker Ahmadu Fintiri.


Shortly after his removal, Mr. Nyako fled Nigeria amid speculation​s​ he was to be arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.


Mr. Nyako’s supporters believed the impeachment was orchestrated by the Presidency as it came shortly after the governor wrote a scathing letter accusing former President Goodluck Jonathan of carrying out genocide against the people of the north east.


The former governor left Nigeria for Germany, then England, where he had been since July 2014.


Although his deputy, Mr. Ngilari, succeeded ​in upturnimg his impeachment in court, Mr. Nyako was not so lucky as a Federal High Court sitting in Yola last week dismissed his suit challenging his ouster.


Mr. Nyako returned to Nigeria Saturday afternoon and was received by friends and associates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja. Some of those who received the former governor were​ Senators Binta Garba, Abdullahi Adamu and Danjuma Goje.


Mr. Nyako played a prominent role in the emergence of the new governor of Adamawa ​S​tate, Umaru Jibrilla.


He directed his supporters who formed the majority of the membership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Adamawa State to vote for Mr. Jibrilla in the two primary elections held in the state; first during the bye election (before it was cancelled by the court), and in the run-up to the 2015 election.


After his victory in the April 11 election, Governor Jibrilla said he remained loyal to Mr. Nyako. To prove his loyalty, he appointed three core loyalists of Mr. Nyako as part of the five appointments he made shortly after he was sworn in Friday.


Mr. Jibrilla announced the appointment of Umar Bindir as the Secretary to the government, SSG, Abdulrahman Jimeta, as Chief of Staff, Abdullahi Bakari as Principal Private Secretary, and Ahmed Mahmood as the Director of Protocol, while Yohanna Mathias was appointed as the Chief press Secretary.



Self Exiled Nyako Returns To Nigeria After Buhari Sworn-In

Wike kick-starts looting master plan – APC Alleges

The All Progressives Congress, APC says it is shocked that “accidental caretaker” governor of Rivers State, Barr. Nyesom Wike has confirmed the fears of many a Rivers person by jump-starting his well-planned looting spree of the funds of Rivers State by verbally awarding a multi-billion Naira pot-hole contract to Julius Berger Ltd. without due process.


Nyesom Wike

Nyesom Wike


‘Indeed the days of the locust are here’, Rivers APC said in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone


“After being controversially sworn-in yesterday, Nyesom Wike made series of questionable pronouncements and appointments without any pretensions to following due process. One of the pronouncements was the curious award and flag-off of a No Pot-hole project which he awarded a few minutes after being sworn in on the same podium.


“The questions now being asked are already many. “When was the process of award of that contract conducted? Was Nyesom Wike in a position to process the award of such a contract as a governor-elect? When and how was the tendering process carried out? Indeed, there are more questions than answers.


“The truth is that Wike’s cavalier antecedents when it comes to harvesting and cornering public money for himself is legendary and he is ever so ready to excel in the act this time around especially knowing full well that his delusionary claim to being governor of Rivers State is for a short period. He very well knows that he is an accidental governor whose illegal stay in Government House, Port Harcourt is only but for a few months. That is perhaps why he has earnestly embarked on his familiar behaviour for which he is so notorious.


“It is important to remind Barr. Nyesom Wike that the immunity he thinks he will enjoy as governor will be swept aside along with the position of governor he acquired with the priceless and invaluable blood of innocent Rivers people and Nigerians by the time the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal winds up. In his case, justice will be quick, unwinding and decisive as he will be made to account for whatever he did as a protem governor and the humongous corruption he perpetrated at Federal Ministry of Education as Minister of State and later Minister under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan”.



Wike kick-starts looting master plan – APC Alleges

Akwa Ibom State Has No Legitimate Governor, What Buhari Needs To Do Urgently, By Inibehe Effiong

On Friday May 29, 2015, Nigeria recorded another historic milestone in her march towards democratic consolidation and political maturity following the successful and momentous transition from a democratically elected dispensation to another democratically elected dispensation both at the Federal and State levels’, except in the few States that elections did not take place.


Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio


As the entire country is currently engulfed in flames of joy and rejuvenation of hope for a better nation birthed by the inauguration of General Muhammadu Buhari as the President and Commander- in -Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and new State Governors, Akwa Ibom State stands out as a State without a legitimate transition of government.


Mr. Udom Emmanuel, a stooge of former governor Godswill Akpabio that was mischievously and violently foisted on the people of the State in what was clearly a state sponsored terror against innocent and powerless electorates of Akwa Ibom State during the massively rigged, internationally and locally condemned and bloody April 11, 2015 gubernatorial election in the State has subscribed to the oath of office of governor which he was never elected into by the people of the State.


Admittedly, rigging was not limited to Akwa Ibom State during the last general elections. However, the point has to be made that in the case of Akwa Ibom State, what took place was not an ordinary rigging but state sponsored terror perpetuated by former governor Godswill Akpabio in connivance with the highly compromised Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Mr. Austin Okojie and the overtly partisan State Police Commissioner, Mr. Gabriel Achong.


Determined to exercise my franchise and to have a first hand experience of the elections, I travelled all the way from Lagos State to Akwa Ibom State during the April 11 gubernatorial elections in the hope that our people will be allowed to freely vote for whoever they choose to govern them. Therefore, the opinion expressed here should be viewed as a testimony of someone who was actively involved in the electioneering process.


Like never before, thugs, touts and criminals armed to the teeth with sophisticated weapons in military and police uniforms went about from one polling booth to the other shooting, molesting, intimidating and killing voters and carting away election materials without any modicum of resistance. This terror was not isolated but replicated in most parts of the State.


How does one explain the fact that as at 10pm on the day of the election when collation of results should have been ongoing as expected, the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom State situated along Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo was locked, inaccessible and deserted? The video evidencing this is available on YouTube for all to see.


How does one explain the fact that Austin Okojie, the REC for Akwa Ibom State could not declare results for the House of Assembly elections in the State several days after the election? What excuse can be offered for the non issuance of certificates of return to the supposed winners of the House of Assembly elections until 25 days after the polls when Section 75 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) states that certificates of return shall be issued within 7 days of polls?


Apparently, after declaring shambolic figures to please his benefactor; Godswill Akpabio, the REC was unable to reconcile and allocate figures for the House of Assembly elections which were held the same day with the governorship election. This resulted in a stalemate.


Is there any morally sensible or legally tenable explanation for the very huge disparity between the total number of persons accredited and the so called votes declared by the INEC for the gubernatorial election in Akwa Ibom State?


Official documents obtained from the INEC headquarters in Abuja shows that only 437, 128 persons were accredited by Card Readers to vote during the April 11 governorship elections in Akwa Ibom State and Guideline issued by INEC in Abuja and signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Augusta C. Ogakwu on 2nd April, 2015 stated that only Cards Readers would be used for 2015 governorship elections in the country and that elections should be rescheduled in places where the Card Readers failed. There was no single case of rescheduled election in Akwa Ibom State, which implies that the Card Readers worked perfectly.


Is there any morally sensible or legally tenable explanation for the very huge disparity between the total number of persons accredited and the so called votes declared by the INEC for the gubernatorial election in Akwa Ibom State and where on earth did the corrupt REC get the voodoo 996, 128 votes that he arbitrarily allocated to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Udom Emmanuel who is now parading himself as the new governor of Akwa Ibom State?


Why should the REC, who ordinarily should be an unbiased umpire, refuse to comply with the valid orders of the Governorship Election Tribunal in Akwa Ibom State directing INEC to give the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Obong Umana Okon Umana who had filed petition challenging the outcome of the election, access to all materials used the election for inspection and forensic analysis? Is Austin Okojie above the laws of this country?


How come that the State Police Command led by Gabriel Achong and the REC, Austin Okojie have been allowing the duo of Mr. Uwemedimoh Nwoko, immediate past Attorney General and Mr. Emmanuel Enoidem Esq., the immediate past Commissioner for Special Duties in the State to continually enter the INEC headquarters with retinue of thugs to disrupt the inspection of election materials as ordered by the Tribunal?


Nigerians deserve to know why the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega has maintained stoic silence on Akwa Ibom State election debacle. How come that despite these serial and documented infractions by the REC there has been no acknowledgement or disciplinary actions by the INEC Chairman?


Given this state of affairs, is it right to accept and address Udom Emmanuel as the “elected governor” of Akwa Ibom State? Are we to accord respect to an office that is being occupied illegitimately by a product of impunity, criminality and gross electoral malfeasance? Even if we are to address Udom Emmanuel as a “governor” for the sake of officialdom and legalism, will it be wrong to equally refer to him as an impostor?


No nation has ever prospered through impunity, lawlessness and corruption. Nigeria has been through the precipice of leadership failure, bad governance and political shenanigans as exemplified by the Jonathan’s regime which has now come to an inglorious end.


The only way those of us, especially from the so-called minority regions, who risked our lives and rejected ethnically and religiously contrived idiosyncrasies which were skewed towards undermining the electoral credentials of President Buhari will be vindicated is if our new president actually does things differently. The whole idea of change presupposes that things will be done differently.


Therefore, it is my humble, strong and considered view that Akwa Ibom State offers President Buhari an opportunity to make a decisive statement; that the days of lawlessness and impunity are over. President Buhari needs to muster the political will to order the immediate arrest and prosecution of Austin Okojie, the Akwa Ibom REC who believes that he is above the laws of this country. Also, characters like Gabriel Achong should be shown the way out of the Police Force if the current administration’s reform agenda must succeed.


The fact that someone like Achong, who I have had a personal and terrifying encounter with, rose through the ranks to become a Police Commissioner is a testament to the level of decay in the Police Force.


Apart from holding Akpabio accountable for the hundreds of billions of naira that accrued to Akwa Ibom State from May 29, 2007 to May 29, 2015 which he dissipated thoughtlessly, we also expect Buhari to use Akpabio to set an example that it is a crime to use violence to rig elections. The blood of innocent Nigerians wasted under Akpabio through politically motivated assassinations must be probed into and we deserve to know who murdered those persons.


As at today, there is no legitimate governor in Akwa Ibom State, the impostor that is presently occupying the governor’s office will not stay long. We rest our hope for justice on the Judiciary. Sooner than later, a fresh election that will truly reflect the wishes of Akwa Ibom people will be held under the leadership of President Buhari.


Inibehe Effiong is the Convener of the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (COHRD).


Email: inibehe.effiong@gmail.com



Akwa Ibom State Has No Legitimate Governor, What Buhari Needs To Do Urgently, By Inibehe Effiong