Government won"t give free money to lazy Nigerians - Chris Ngige

ABUJA—Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, yesterday, said that the stipend of N5,000 promised by the government of All Progressives Congress, APC, for unemployed youths was not for the indolent people.

Chris Ngige

He said that no country would give free money, stressing that Nigeria would not be an exception.

Speaking to journalists yesterday at the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja, Ngige, however, revealed that the Federal Government would ensure that the youths were trained in various skills and programmes to justify the money.

He added that the project would also involve the state governments.

According to him, there will be categories of people, who would earn higher than the N5,000.

“We also have the programme on the commission cash transfer. Though even you, the press, has said it,  we won’t pay N5,000 for people to be indolent. No country in the world would pay people to go home and sleep and collect cash. So, Nigeria would not be an exception.

“We will pay some people N5,000, we will pay some N10,000, and even for people in teacher conversion scheme, we will pay more than N10,000 and N15,000 as stipend while in training, and then after the training, they are going to be employed by state government and the Federal Government in different institutions.

“It is not a programme we shall run alone, the state governments are going to buy into it. They are going to synchronize with us.We are going to do it in synergy.”

Ngige also stated that some of the programmes will “span through Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Labour.

“Agriculture, because we have some agricultural universities, we will convert some people to teach the relevant agricultural science.”

The minister who stated that Nigeria has various skill acquisition centers also underscored the importance of training the youth.

“The ministry has specialist skills acquisition centres; we have seven like that in the ministry under the commissioner of skills or directorate for skills.

“The NDE have over 120 centres scattered all over the country. We also have those that have been built by state government and we want to capture all of these into that scheme and then get people to the scheme to be bricklayers,  POP designers, builders, welders, electronics repairers and the one they called mecha-tronic, repair of vehicles, automobile carpentry, painting and fabrication of all sorts.”

Government won"t give free money to lazy Nigerians - Chris Ngige

It’s not easy to play opposition politics in Nigeria - Ngige

Awka—Still basking in  the euphoria of the victory of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the March 28, 2015 presidential election, the former governor of Anambra State and the senator representing Anambra Central, Dr. Chris Ngige, observed, weekend, that it had not been easy playing politics of opposition in Nigeria, in view of the domineering attitude by those in government.

Ngige, who received a hero’s welcome organised by members of APC in Anambra State on his return from Abuja, said he played opposition politics for 10 years and, therefore, knew how the shoe pinched.

He said: “I must thank all those who remained steadfast in APC because playing opposition can be frustrating and tempting.

‘’Though I was receiving overtures from the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, I rejected them because the principles on which we formed that party were jettisoned and bastardised.

“At the amalgamation of some political parties to form APC, I decided to run for governor but many notable politicians told me that though I am a good candidate, it was better for me not to run because I must never be allowed to win as the forces against me were numerous

“However, I insisted on running because God had told me that APC would form the next Federal Government. Though I did not win the governorship, I was consistently telling our people that APC was the best bet for Igbo in Nigerian politics.

“But many Igbo people, who are benefiting from Federal Government contracts, decided to sacrifice the future of their children and children’s children. I know many of these Igbo contractors cannot play opposition politics and their next move may be to move into APC.

“Let me assure consistent members of APC that we are going to screen those who may wish to join us in APC. While our doors will remain open to welcome new members, we will only admit those who are good, as we will not make it an all comers’ affair.”

 

It’s not easy to play opposition politics in Nigeria - Ngige

Anambra Tribunal: INEC Opens, Closes Case Without Witnesses

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday opened its defence in the ongoing hearing of petitions at the Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka, the Anambra State capital, and closed same without calling any witness.

The electoral commission opened its defence in petition No: EPT/AN/Gov/02/2013, brought before the Justice Ishaq Bello-led three-man electoral panel by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 16, 2013 governorship election in the state, Senator Chris Ngige.

Lead counsel to the INEC, Adegboyega  Awomolo (SAN) had at the resumption of hearing yesterday tendered three sets of documents comprising state result sheets, declaration of candidates forms (form EC 8C, Form EC8D and form EC8E, as well as local government results in the disputed election and announced the closure of the INEC case.

However, he didn’t call any witness in spite of the fact that some INEC officials listed as part of the 26 witnesses to testify before the court attended yesterday’s session.

They included the Electoral Officer for Anambra East council, Mr. Nwafor, the state INEC Director of Operations, Mr. Okon Ewa, who were all in the court.

Awomolo had in his brief address before closing the commission’s defence, said they were relying on the documents they had already tendered and the “information obtained during cross-examination of the witnesses called by the petitioners for our defence.”

But Emeka Ngige (SAN) who led the APC and Senator Ngige’s team of lawyers yesterday, said afterwards that the implication of INEC’s inability to call any witnesse was that all the witnesses’ depositions the electoral body filed with regards to the petition would be disconteanced.

Before that decision however, senior counsel for Chief Willie Obiano, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) and Ken Mozie, APGA’s Osita Nnadi (SAN) Okechukwu Anaenugwu, and the INEC, Adegboyega, Awomolo (SAN) had consulted informally.

Yet in another petition No: EPT/AN/Gov/01/2013, the petitioner, Dr. Chike Obidigbo re-opened his case which had been closed earlier to lead further evidence on Willie Obiano’s alleged multiple registration. He tendered an INEC Certified True Copy (CTC) of Oluwakemi/Zainab Street Junction registration Centre Voter Register, Ifako/Soluyi Registration Area of Kosofe local government area of Lagos to show that Obiano is still a registered voter in Lagos.

Obidigbo under-cross examination by the INEC counsel, Awomolo (SAN) denied any knowledge of transfer of voter resistration at Obiano from Lagos to Anambra State. (THISDAYLIVE)

Anambra Tribunal: INEC Opens, Closes Case Without Witnesses

Why i didn"t tell police of Obiano forged voter"s card to the police - Ngige

By Ehi Ekhator

Last year All Progressives Congress, APC governorship candidate in Anambra State, Senator Chris Ne told the governorship tribunal in Awka that he decided not to report his political opponent, Governor Willie Obiano’s multiple voter’s registration to the police as his party was already aware and handling the issue.

“I did not go to the police because my party has gone to court asking for an order or mandamus against Obiano”, he said.

He disclosed this while testifying under cross examination by counsel to  Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chief Adegboyega AWomolo, SAN, at the tribunal.

He added that he did not know that Obiano forged the voter’s card he used and added that such responsibility belongs to INEC.

However, he agreed knowing that voter registration enables somebody who registered in Lagos, for example, to transfer his voting right to another state.

The APC candidate returned to the witness box to continue his evidence after the Court of Appeal in Enugu restored some paragraphs in his petition challenging the declaration of Willie Obiano as the winner of last year’s election.

He tendered an extract of the INEC voter register for Lagos State where Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano’s name was written as having voted in Governorship and Presidential elections of April 2011.

The card was certified by Lagos State INC, on 23 April, 2014.

Counsel for INEC had asked Ngige if there is any thing from INEC to confirm that the card tendered as exhibit 424 is the current state of the register.

He responded that  ‘whatever is in this register as at  24th April, 201r when it was certified is the situation of the register now, since ! Agos State has not done any review of thier register since 2011′

Ngige also tendered  the certified true copy of Obiano’ Form EC 4B  , an INEC form that captures the particulars of nomination  of a candidate as submitted by the respondents party, APGA. The document was admitted in evidence and marked Exhibit P.415.

Also admitted  was Obiano’s  INEC Form CF 001, candidates’ personal information data form submitted on oath for the election.

The tribunal however rejected the application  by Ngige’s counsel, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu  to tender  66 files  containing  extracts of alleged missing pages in the election on the ground that they were not certified true copies.

 

Why i didn"t tell police of Obiano forged voter"s card to the police - Ngige

Anambra Poll: Ngige testifies before tribunal

Almost six months after the November 16, 17 and 30, 2013 Governorship election in Anambra State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to release ballot papers to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate Senator Chris Ngige for analysis.

Bona Oraekwe, one of the witnesses, stated this yesterday at the Anambra State elections petitions Tribunal sitting in Awka.

He spoke on the day APC candidate Dr. Chris Ngige testified. He was in the dock alongside Kingsley Ezenwenyi, a collation agent of the APC during the election.

Besides, the tribunal received some evidence from Ngige and his party, which were tendered by Oraekwe in 10 Local government areas including Orumba North, with 13 units which were admitted in evidence, Anaocha, Ekwusigo, Njikoka, Onitsha South, Awka North, Awka South, Idemmili South and Nnewi North.

Four voter’s registers for Ogbaru Council area were also tendered.

The documents supplied to the tribunal by Oraekwe were those he identified as having one fault or the other during the said election which were Certified True Copies (CTCs).

Ngige whose evidence was disrupted by objections from opposition lawyers, told the tribunal how a letter was written to INEC complaining of wrong doings during the said election on November 16, 2013.

When the letters were sought to be tendered by Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), they were opposed by the defendants

After a heated argument, the tribunal rejected the first letter from the petitioners to INEC on the basis that it was not certified true copy.

The ruling on the second letter written by APC on the 17th November, 2013 a day after the election was deferred to today (Friday) for ruling.

Ngige dressed in navy blue traditional dress remained calm all through the proceeding.

The tribunal resumes sitting today for continuation of Ngige’s testimony. (0)

Anambra Poll: Ngige testifies before tribunal