Uduaghan suspends CSC chairman, members over recruitment fraud

Asaba – Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta, has suspended the Chairman and members of the board of the state Civil Service Commission (CSC) over alleged impropriety in the recent recruitment into the state service.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Ovuozorie Macaulay and made available on Friday in Asaba.

The statement said the governor also ordered the setting up of an administrative panel of inquiry to review the exercise.

It explained that the suspension of the chairman and members of the CSC was to allow the panel to conduct the inquiry without any hindrance.

It said the suspension became necessary to investigate the alleged fraud in the recruitment process into the civil service.

“The recruitment which was to fill some vacancies in the service and respond to the employment needs of the state was abused and ridiculously mismanaged by the Civil Service Commission.

“More embarrassing is the allegation of gross misconduct, abuse of office and fraud involving the sale of employment,’’ the statement quoted Uduaghan as saying.

The statement said that some members of the commission were presently being interrogated by the security agencies. (NAN)

 

Uduaghan suspends CSC chairman, members over recruitment fraud

Rights Commission indicts Uduaghan, Osunbor, others for electoral “impunity”

The National Human Rights Commission has indicted the outgoing governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, a former governor of Edo State, Oserheimen Osunbor, and the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State, Terhemen Tazoor, for perpetrating electoral impunity.

Also indicted are the deputy governor of Sokoto State, Mukhtar Shehu Shagari, former Senators Adefemi Kila (Ekiti Central), Tanko Ayuba (Kebbi South), Ayo Arise (Ekiti North), Hosea Ehinlawo (Ondo North), former members of the House of Representatives, Temitayo Fawehinmi (Ondo), Tunde Isiaq (Lagos) and a former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly and several others.

The former interim Deputy National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, James Ocholi, and a former National Secretary of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, Shettima Ali, were also listed.

They are among131 individuals, groups and institutions indicted in the Commission’s final report on the investigation of the election petitions filed at various election petition tribunals across the country’s six geo-political zones between 2007 and 2011.

The institutions include the Independent National Electoral Commission, its officials and offices in several states and the Governorship, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in some states.

Political parties indicted for the same offence include the PDP, the defunct ANPP and ACN.

The Commission had in its 146-page interim report released last year similarly indicted the Nigerian Judiciary, the Nigerian Police Force, and INEC for perpetrating impunity in Nigeria’s electoral process.

The report is titled, “An Independent Review of Evidence of Gross Violations of the Rights to Participate in Government to Public Service and to fair trial through the Election Petition Process in Nigeria — 2007 and 2011.”

It was prepared by a seven-member expert Technical Working Group, TWG, constituted by the NHRC and chaired by Nsongurua Udombana, a professor. The other members are Mohammed Akanbi, Oluyemisi Bamgbose, Ifeoma Enemo, Muhammed Ladan and Solomon Ukhuegbe.

In its latest 284-page report, the Commission noted that electoral impunity committed by those indicted manifested in two ways, namely in the theft of the mandate of the people to elect their leaders; and secondly in the inability of the legal process and institutions to ensure effective accountability for such theft.

It said many of the cases revealed corrupt practices before and during elections, including false declaration of age and/or forged certificates by candidates, use of thugs and security agents to disrupt elections and facilitate rigging and manipulation of election results.

It stated, for instance, that during the 2007 election, Mr. Isiaq, a candidate for Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency in the South West was indicted by the election tribunal because he falsified his school certificate in order to meet the constitutional requirements for office, but he was not prosecuted.

The report also said in Kogi, Mr. Olafemi was unseated from the legislature because the petitioners proved beyond reasonable doubt that he led his agents and thugs to commit acts of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

On his part, the report said the Ondo Governorship/Legislative House Election Tribunal found that thugs disrupted the elections during the House of Representatives election in which Mr. Fawehinmi was a candidate.

The Commission cited the case No. CA/B/EPT/38/10 filed by the governorship candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party in Delta State in 2007, Great Ogboru against Mr. Uduaghan of the PDP in which the governor lost.

It quoted the Court of Appeal as saying in its judgement that “the implication of the absence of these constitutive acts that define an election is that the votes which the third respondent returned for the first respondent (Uduaghan) on April 14, 2007 were not obtained through due electoral process….

“The consequence is that since 2007, the aforesaid respondent has been sojourning under the roof of a veritable house of cards, worse still, a house of cards erected on the slippery quicksand of electoral jiggery pockery!

“In the circumstance, we have no choice than to enter an Order dismantling his over three and half years’ illegal occupancy of the very symbol of the peoples’ mandate…”

The Commission described the action of the governor and that of the Delta Governorship/Legislative Houses Election Petition Tribunal, Asaba, as “administrative/judicial misconduct.”

Mr. Osunbor, was indicted alongside INEC, its Resident Electoral Commissioner in Edo and the police in an appeal filed by Adams Oshiomhole of the ACN, who was eventually declared winner of the election by the court.

The Commission quoted the court as saying among other things that “the quandary here is should the proposition including where the evidence of the witness is that police officers were in fact doing the shooting, the thumb-printing or the ballot stuffing.”

The Commission described the nature of offence committed by the former governor, his party the PDP, REC and the police as “criminal and administrative.”

Mr. Terheimen, who emerged governorship candidate, last December was the first Respondent in the petition on the election into the Makurdi North State Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly.

His party, PDP and INEC were the 2^nd and INEC 3^rd Respondents.

The Commission quoted the Court of Appeal while delivering the judgement as saying: “The law is that oral evidence is inadmissible to vary, add or to take away from content of a document…The 1^stRespondent cannot therefore by oral evidence add to the content of exhibit P.1 or explain it. The failure of the 1^st Respondent to tender certified true copy of Form EC8A (i) with three pages is fatal to his claim that he scored votes against the 1^st Petition’s 8 votes in Tse-Tsav polling station.

“By Section 151 (1) of the Electoral Act, all parties to an election petition have access to documents in the custody of the 3^rd Respondent. In this case we hold and construe the refusal or failure of the Respondent to tender either the original copy or certified true copy of Form EC8A (i) with the three pages as a deliberate concealment of facts and we invoke the provisions of Section 149 (d) of the Evidence Act against the respondents….”

It also said, “The petitioners have made allegations of arbitrary allocation of votes to the parties/candidates in exhibit P.6 in respect of Tse-tsav polling unit. The only way this can be countered is for the Respondents in this case to tender the various result sheets.

“From all we have stated above, we hold and find that votes were arbitrary allocated to the parties/candidates in serial No. 13 in Exhibit P.6. The submissions of Leaned Counsel for the Respondent that the 1^st Respondent was not found or proved to have been responsible is of no moment. The scores/votes allocated to both the petitioners and the 1^st and 2^nd Respondents by the 3^rdRespondent in Exhibit P.6 are unlawful, and we so hold.”

The Commission indicted INEC offices in Plateau, Nasarawa, Kwara, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Edo, Rivers, Kogi, Adamawa, Kano, Delta, Ektiti States for either being involved in criminal or administrative offences.

It also indicted the defunct Governor, National/State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunals in some states, including Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Osun, Anambra, and Kwara for judicial misconducts.

The Commission however explained the report is not a verdict on the guilt or otherwise of persons so indicted; rather, it is information distilled from judicial records aimed at drawing the attention of relevant prosecutorial and other agencies to act.

It stressed, “Persons indicted in the report are presumed innocent until relevant authorities have “commenced further investigations to establish a prima facie case for prosecution or other disciplinary measures.”

It stated that the task of consolidating electoral democracy in Nigeria would require giving urgent attention to the elimination of electoral impunity through ensuring accountability for electoral crimes.

The Commission also made recommendations to all relevant institutions in the electoral process.

It, however, stressed that, “No number of recommendations can replace the need for political will on the part of all concerned branches and agencies of the Nigerian State, as well as the INEC, political leaders, political parties and civic organisations.”

Rights Commission indicts Uduaghan, Osunbor, others for electoral “impunity”

Olejeme mourns as Pa Samuel Uduaghan dies at 72

Tributes have continued to be showered on late Pa Samuel Uduaghan as those who knew him lamented his demise.

Deputy Chairman, Finance Committee of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, Dr. Ngozi Olejeme is not an exception as said she was greatly pained by the news.

According to her, “Delta State has lost a great leader. His personality was a mixture of powerful mind and sensitive conscience, of firmness of character with calmness of soul”.

The death of the 72-year-old political and community leader occurred on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.

Dr. Olejeme in a condolence message to the family, friends and relatives described late Samuel Uduaghan as an extraordinary man who demonstrated a life of service, love, compassion and excellence.

Olejeme extended heartfelt commiserations to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and Director General of the Olejeme Campaign Organization, Mr. Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan

“Late Samuel Uduaghan had a generous spirit. He was dependable in every facet of his life. He was also admired for his wit, his charm, his vision and his steadfast devotion to his friends and family. He will be remembered as a loving and caring leader” Olejeme said.

She prayed that the Almighty God will grant Samuel Uduaghan eternal rest and comfort all who mourn him.

Olejeme mourns as Pa Samuel Uduaghan dies at 72

Delta 2015: Political job men mustn’t succeed Uduaghan — Owo

Mr. Chukwudi Owo, president and chief executive of Resourcefield Inc. and former head, General Services of Shell Petroleum Development Company, in this interview, speaks on Delta politics and why Deltans should elect Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi as governor in 2015. Excerpts:

By Clifford Ndujihe

What is your assessment of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s performance in Delta State?

In spite of huge distractions and challenges like militancy, kidnapping and alarming crime rate that he met when he assumed office, Governor Uduaghan stood strong and eventually delivered to his people. Worthy of note are the Asaba road network, airport projects, the ICT programme and the free healthcare package for pregnant women. He has laid some foundation for others to build on. I am of the belief that history will be fair to him as governor.

How can we sustain Uduaghan’s achievements and take Delta to the next level in 2015?

Delta State is blessed with rich human resources and very competent leaders who have proven themselves equal to the task based on their exposure in the private and public sectors. What Deltans need is to be objective assess and identify the individual who will step into Uduaghan’s shoes and take the state to the next level. Such an individual has to have rare qualities. First, he must be a key stakeholder in the state.

By this I mean that he must be someone who believes in the state and has kept faith with it through thick and thin. An individual who lives and invests in the state will have a better knowledge of the issues in Delta State than an opportunistic politician whose assets are outside the state.

Next, the next governor of Delta State must have a legitimate and visible source of livelihood. We do not want political job men and overnight billionaires whose wealth is driven from their involvement in politics. For sustainable development to take place in Delta State, we must protect our collective resources from being self-appropriated by these corrupt characters.

Importantly, as a result of the precarious security situation in Delta, we definitely need our next governor to be a man with a “big heart”, experienced in security matters within a legal context, who will muster the courage to radically confront and address the security issues in Delta State.

After security, the big one is the issue of jobs. There is a correlation between unemployment and the security challenges in the state. We want the person that will take over from Governor Uduaghan to be someone who understands what it takes to create jobs and who has done so in both private and public sectors.

Who would you consider as the best among the numerous governorship aspirants in Delta ?

There are myriads of aspirants aspiring to succeed Governor Uduaghan as governor in 2015. Among them are  unserious and opportunistic individuals with disgusting pedigrees, questionable characters, association with failed projects in Delta State and inclinations to commit violence against the people. We also have those whose only claim to leadership is that “it is our turn”.

When you subject all these aspirants to a critical and objective assessment, one person stands head and shoulders above the rest. That individual is Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, former Minister of State for Education and the youngest ever Chairman of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria. He is a man with a passion for Delta State, who will champion the transformation of the state. With him, Deltans will be assured that the ship of state is in safe hands.

Do you think Gbagi has the chance of emerging victorious at the polls?

By the grace of God, Gbagi will be sworn in as the Governor of Delta State in May 2015. This is a man who has dedicated his life to the service of Delta State and works assiduously for its growth. Not too long ago, Governor Uduaghan described Gbagi as the “single biggest investor and employer in Delta State” and wished that they were up to five people like him who invest in the industrialization of the state.

Gbagi kept faith and continues to invest in the state. Although, it would have made business sense to divest from Delta State and reinvest elsewhere like many did, Gbagi vowed never to abandon his people. As a lawyer and criminologist, he understands the challenges of insecurity and has a clear plan on how to confront these. As an investor, industrialist and entrepreneur, he has built factories, markets, hotels in Delta State, providing jobs to the people.

As a Minister of State for Education, he fought against the vices of corruption in the education sector. When he saw that the lack of opportunities for university education was denying students from poor families from pursuing their dreams, he courageously took a memo to the Federal Executive Council and fought relentlessly until he got the approval to establish 12 new Universities. He also resisted the move to transfer the Federal University of Petroleum Resources from Effurun to the North; and also ensued that a federal government college was cited in Delta State.

As the first African member of Rotary International’s Arch Klumph Society, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi single handedly donated 250,000 US dollars to the Rotary Club for the advancement of education in Delta State. He believes that education is instrumental to the transformation of Delta State and has committed huge personal resources towards the educational development of Deltans. His vision is one that will secure the state, take Deltans out of poverty and make the state a place of choice for investors and tourist alike.

On the clamour of Delta North to produce the next governor for the sake of equity and justice

The clamour is hypocritical and represents an elitist game plan to corner political power while using the platform of a non-existent zoning arrangement.

Such tendency is deceptive, opportunistic and an act of desperation by a few outspoken individuals to intimidate better qualified aspirants out of the governorship race. The fact is that Delta State has never had a zoning arrangement.

 

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Delta 2015: Political job men mustn’t succeed Uduaghan — Owo

Olejeme praises Uduaghan

By Henry Ovie

The Chairman, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Dr. Ngozi Olejeme has praised the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan for setting high standards in sports, security and management of public finances, promising to continue where the governor will stop in 2015.

“I must thank His Excellency, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan for a job well. I will bring my wealth of experience to bear in the administration and development of Delta State. I will also take Delta State to the next level” she promised.

Olejeme, who spoke in Asaba during a courtesy visit on a member of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Pat Ajudua, described herself as a sellable candidate that will give the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) victory in the 2015 governorship election in the State.

Olejeme who also spoke on the moribund nature of the National Social Insurance Trust Fund in 2009, the number of workers then and social security issues in Nigeria, said NSITF would employ 6000 Nigerians before the end of 2014.

Praising God and the management team for the progress so far made, Olejeme said the organization under her leadership transited from its moribund nature to a desired state.

“Today, NSITF is having almost 6500 staff with offices in different parts of Nigeria”.

She said the agency would continue to provide social security protection and safety nets for all Nigerians against deprivations and income insecurity.

Continuing on the achievements of NSITF, Olejeme said “The Fund has commenced the process of putting in place the necessary infrastructure to implement Social Security Benefit to the aged, unemployed, child welfare and the physically challenged. NSITF has also commenced putting in place the necessary infrastructure to ensure the collection of data of all the categories of those entitled to Social Security Benefit”.

“A bill for an amendment to the provisions of the NSITF Act to provide basic social security services to all Nigerians is before the National Assembly for passage into law” she disclosed .

She commended Princess Ajudia for her courage.

Earlier, Princess Ajudua praised Olejeme for joining the governorship race

“I really appreciate your effort. May the will of God be done” she said.

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Olejeme praises Uduaghan

Report Nigeria positively - Jonathan, Oshiomhole, Uduaghan tell media

President Goodluck Jonathan wants the media to report the country positively.

Oshiomhole

A similar challenge came from Governors Adams Oshiomhole of Edo and Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta, both of whom asked the media to help fix the problems in the country.

Jonathan spoke through the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, during the dinner to raise funds for the building of the Editors’ House by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Abuja on Thursday.

He hailed the leadership of the guild for its decision to build a befitting edifice that would serve as its secretariat.

Describing the Nigerian press as one of the best and freest in the world,he said :”I will say that our profession is making progress. The Nigerian media represent the best and the freest on the continent today and everywhere around the continent, we are looked upon as the leaders of this profession.

“This freedom did not just come overnight. It is something we have fought for and it is something Nigerians have recognized and in deepening this freedom, let us act with serious sense of responsibility and let us uphold the unity of this country.

“Nigeria represents the basis of the freedom of Africa. Our country, no matter what challenges we have faced, had done tremendous things for this continent.

“We must realize that the work of the Federal Government is huge. What President Jonathan has done in the last four yes has been very significant. The problem is that the rot has been there for a long time.”

Mr.Maku said that the Jonathan administration has built 10 power plants, revitalized the railways and established 13 universities in the last four years.

He said that the Federal Government now has the funding requirements to complete the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, saying: “But because Jonathan inherited a lot of problems, it is difficult to notice what he had done so far.”

He added: “I want to call on my colleagues, because today when people read some of the things you write, the impression is that this country is so bad, they should not even come here.

“The reality of it is that this country is the number one destination for investment in Africa for the last four years because of our policies and the nation is developing. We need patience.

“This country has suffered from impatience. Each time we are having a breakthrough, something will happen.

“My appeal to us is to also ensure we report our country positively. We are leading in several ways.”

On his part, Governor Oshiomhole appealed to delegates at the ongoing National Dialogue to work towards the peace and development of the country.

He noted that countries which are considered safe havens today have had to work for their development.

Oshiomhole said: “My appeal is that anyone who has been nominated and is part of the confab would have been nominated on the assumption that he has no other country but Nigeria.

“Therefore, since he does not have any other country but Nigeria, he will stay in that conference and work towards the progress and development of Nigeria.”

He hoped that those who are privileged to lead the country cannot afford to become ethnic champions.

“Let us leave ethnicity to those who are detained by their domains, so that those who have responsibility beyond domains, who are defined and identified by our green passports should speak for the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because we have no other country we can call our own,” he said.

Also speaking,Governor Uduaghan noted that those agitating for war in the country are doing so because they have not witnessed any in their lives.

He called on the media not to incite the younger ones to violence through their publications.

He said: “I say to those who today are saying they are Biafrans that if they had seen war before they would be very careful in their agitations.

“What I want to plead with the guild is that we should not incite, especially our young ones, to cause crisis because it does not pay. Nigeria is one.

“We should not incite with our microphone; we should not incite with our pen because this country has a lot of potential.”

President Jonathan announced a donation of N50million towards the building of the House, the Governors of Rivers and Kwara states donated N10million and N5million respectively.

Most of the other dignitaries did not announce their donations.

Report Nigeria positively - Jonathan, Oshiomhole, Uduaghan tell media