₦airaland Forum

September 28, 2021

By Damian Duruiheoma, Enugu

Apex Igbo sociocultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that its attempts to zone the presidential ticket to the north will lead to its ugly end.

Ohanaeze was reacting to the resolution by the Northern States Governors’ Forum with Northern Emirs and Chiefs on Monday in Kaduna which vehemently rejected the clamour for power shift.

Spokesman of Ohanaeze Alex Ogbonnia, in a statement, said the PDP can as well consider itself dead forever if it proceeds to zone the presidential ticket to the north.

It recalled there was a gentleman’s agreement between the north and south in 1998 to rotate power, an arrangement the body has been kept to the letters until now.

Ohanaeze berated northern leaders to plotting to retain power at a time the region was consumed by banditry, terrorism and insecurity.

It pointed out the north despite producing most of the nation’s leaders has remained underdeveloped and retarded, an issue it said should have been the focus of northern leaders as against seeking political power at all time.

Parts of the statement read: “A gentleman agreement was reached at the NUC Conference Centre, Abuja in 1998 between the North and the South. The Late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo spoke for the entire South and Alh. Abubakar Rimi, also of blessed memory spoke for the North.

“It was agreed that after Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar as the Head of State, that the presidency should shift to the South. That accounted for the emergence of the presidential flag bearers of the mainstream political parties from the South West. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo respected the agreement and handed over to the North in the person of Musa Yar’Adua. Again, Goodluck Jonathan, a Southerner, respected the gentleman agreement and handed over to the North in the person of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Therefore, the least that is expected from the North is a show of profound gratitude to the entire South for their large heart, equanimity and sportsmanship.

“Furthermore, it is in the interest of every Nigerian that there should be a paradigm shift to governance techniques. Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide unequivocally stands with the 17 Southern Governors and any black leg among them will incur the wrath of history.”

Warning against the north’s agenda to remain in power beyond 2023, the body added: “The exponents of this agenda, in their jaundiced calculations, believe that it is a sure way of regaining power from the All Peoples Congress (APC).

“Experience would have taught them that to zone their presidential position to the North is an orchestrated requiem for the party; because more PDP Governors and grassroots will surely desert them.

“May we remind the PDP that the Southeast has made unquantifiable sacrifices for PDP beginning from the time of Dr. Alex Ekwueme.

“If by way of politics without principles the Southerners in PDP place their personal narrow interests over the interest of their people, the verdict of history will surely be harsh on them.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by Ambassador Professor George Obiozor reiterates that the bane of Nigeria is raw injustice especially targeted against the Igbo and until we begin to wean ourselves of the Igbophobia and rather harness individual and group resourcefulness, creativity, ingenuity and initiatives wherever they are found, Nigeria will remain on the downward spiral”.

Ohanaeze warned that the remarks by the northern leaders were indicative of a bleak future for Nigeria.

The body added: “It is most regrettable that the North are undisturbed that Nigeria is fast collapsing under its leadership. The Forum failed to recognize that at the moment, Nigeria is confronted with the most precarious omens full of uncertainty, doubts, insecurity and bloodshed.

“The chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, Governor Simon Lalong can attest that the people of Plateau State had never in history witnessed the number of deaths as has taken place under his watch as governor.

“The banditry in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Jigawa States is terrifying. Benue State has turned into a killing field. The states of Yobe and Borno are worst hit by the menace of Boko Haram; etc. Several schools in the North could not open because of kidnappers and millions of children are on the street as beggars.

“The Nigerian currency has lost its value. Unemployment has skyrocketed; and Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world…..and the Northern Governors, the Sultan and the Emirs instead of seeking solution to Nigerian problems were busy strategizing on how to retain power in 2023. This is most unconscionable, to say the least.

“Let it be made abundantly clear that if Presidency is a panacea to people’s problems, the North would have become the Netherlands of Africa.

“This is because the North had Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Mohammed, Shehu Shagari, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha, Abdulsalam Abubakar, Musa Yaradua, Muhammadu Buhari, yet the problems of the North are on the increase”.

While restating its full solidarity with the position of Southern Governors, Ohanaeze explained that the Governors’ position was simply restating the obvious.

Olalekan Adetayo

27 September 2021

THE Independent National Electoral Commission says it is “deeply concerned” about the situation in the South-East especially as it concerns threats to disrupt the elections in the zone.

INEC also explained that there could be constitutional crisis if it (commission) was unable to conduct general elections in the region.

It said it was clear that election would not be organised under chaotic conditions.

The Chief Press Secretary to the commission’s chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Friday.

The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra had threatened that no election would hold in the entire South-East zone (Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia states) till it achieved its agitation for secession from the Nigerian state.

Simon Ekpa, a self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader, had also said the governorship election in Anambra State slated for November 6, 2021, would not hold.

Ekpa, in a tweet on his Twitter page, said a no-election order would be activated by members of IPOB.

Oyekanmi, however, said INEC had been engaging with security agencies on the platform of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.

He said the commission and the security agencies had been discussing and comparing notes on the security situation across the country generally.

As regards the South-East and particularly Anambra State, he expressed the hope that through collaboration, the security situation in the region would be brought under control.

Oyekanmi said, “The commission is deeply concerned about the security situation in the South-East. It is an established fact that INEC cannot carry out electoral activities under chaotic conditions.

“God forbid that INEC is unable to conduct such elections at the appointed time because this will lead to a constitutional crisis. The constitution did not envisage that such elections will not hold.

“With regard to the Anambra governorship election scheduled for November 6, we are aware of the various efforts by the security agencies on the one hand, and all the men and women of goodwill in the region on the other, to calm things down.”

Fitch Ratings, an Internationally renowned rating agency, has upgraded Lagos State ratings from AA+ (nga) to AAA(nga) for its good standing in terms of its debt sustainability and resilience.

A statement on Monday titled ‘Fitch upgrades Lagos ratings to AAA, attests to its good standing and resilience’, said while communicating the development to the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo, Fitch Ratings said the feat was published in the Y2020/2021 rating report.

It stated that the upgrade of the national long-term rating reflected Lagos State’s strength compared with national peers as well as its resilient operating performance during the pandemic.

The congratulatory message signed by the Senior Director, Head Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Andrew Parkinson, said, “I just wanted to say congratulations on the upgrade to AAA (nga).

“This is a fantastic achievement and an endorsement of all the good work going on in your department."

by Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf August 22, 2021

•Proliferation of foreign artisans in plumbing, construction, welding, others

•Firms pay an average of N30m annually to retain three expats

Indications are that Nigeria’s unemployment rate currently estimated at 33 percent may plunge further no thanks to influx of foreigners working in skilled and unskilled labour sector of the economy.

This is particularly worrisome because even the local content quota which ordinarily should protect the locals is skewed in favour of foreign players, The Nation has learnt.

Investigation by The Nation revealed that majority of the trade skills such as plumbing, vulcanizing, electrical-electronics, welding, building construction, tiling, interior décor, to mention just a few, are been dominated by foreigners from neighbouring African countries and beyond no thanks to the paucity of local artisans.

This is just as many Nigerian firms pay hefty fees to retain expatriates working with them.

Sharing his experience, Victor Adeoye Omole, Chairman/Chief Executive of Archers Group, one of the indigenous players in the nation’s oxygen gas subsector disclosed that he spends an average of N5milion to retain an expatriate in his firm.

According to him, oxygen gas producers require at least two-three expatriate workers to boost their operations because technical knowhow by locals is unavailable.

“It is rather disheartening to note that you don’t find a lot of Nigerians who are willing to learn any of these trade skills anymore because of their rich-quick tendencies, “he said.

Pressed further, Omole said, “Most of our youths are not patient anymore to learn trade, especially technical skills. And for you to be proficient in the technical work, you need years of experience because there are lines you need to count on years of experience from your masters, from those who have trained you. Apprenticeship is very important in that area but we don’t have boys who are willing to do it anymore because of the get-rich quick scheme of the country has entered into their psyche. So that has created a lot of manpower gap for us as a country. We are therefore forced to bring in people, especially expatriates into the country and that cost us a lot.”

Speaking with a cross-section of experts, including Sesan Oresanaya, an artisan who majors in the repairs of generators and other electronics at Iyana-Ipaja, a Lagos suburb, he said, he set up shop some 15 years ago but regretted that he has only been able to get fewer apprentices who stay the entire 18 months period to learn the skills.

Oresanya who is the Chairman of Tricycle, Generator and Motor Cycle Association, Aboru chapter, admitted that the incursion of foreigners, especially from neighbouring countries like Togo, Ghana into areas otherwise dominated by the locals is a thing of concern and deserves to be looked into.

Echoing similar sentiments, Waheed Dosunmu, a motor mechanic, also revealed that most of the few hands with him are also not willing to learn the trade anymore, thus fueling fears that the manpower needs of these trades may face serious gap in the not too distant future.

Also speaking recently, President of the Nigerian Institute of Welding (NIW), Chief Solomon Edebiri said that the influx of foreigners into the welding engineering sub-sector in the country was hindering the growth of the industry.

Edebiri described the welding engineering sub-sector as a veritable goldmine waiting to be tapped by the federal government for its economic growth.

“Welding and its related practices is the heart beat of industrialisation and remains one of the highest employers of labour and a critical corner piece of the construction industry. Seven of every ten jobs in the oil and gas industry is closely welding related,” he said.

He lamented that until recently, interest by Nigerians in the field of welding was extremely low despite huge unemployment statistics, noting that the rate at which the Chinese and Indians were infiltrating the construction industry was worrisome.

by 'Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor/ Bisi Oladele/ Segun Showunmi, Ibadan/ Mike Odiegwu,

Port Harcourt August 15, 2021

•Chairmanship contest set to be all-Southerners affair
•North positioned to produce 2023 presidential candidate
•Party must challenge Ayade, Umahi defections in court – Wike

At least six prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are being tipped to replace the party’s embattled national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, at the October national convention, The Nation gathered yesterday.

Five of the aspirants are southerners like Secondus, the only northerner being the immediate past governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo.

Party sources named the aspirants as former national secretary of the party and ex-governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; a former deputy national chairman of the PDP, Chief Olabode George; a former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Liyel Imoke; the immediate past deputy governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd); and the party’s former governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje.

Observers said yesterday that the preponderance of southerners in the race was an indication that the party was preparing the ground for the emergence of its presidential candidate from the north.

More aspirants may signal their interest before the convention.

Sources told The Nation that the convention would be a make-or -break affair because it will define the future of the party.

Groups and concerned members are holding consultations to ensure that the party comes out stronger after the current National Working Committee (NWC) quits.

Although the convention is statutorily scheduled for December, governors elected on the platform of the party at a recent meeting, which also had in attendance some other stakeholders, recommended that the convention be held in October as part of the peace deal struck to resolve the crisis rocking the PDP.

The crisis stemmed from the disagreement between Secondus and his erstwhile political godfather, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

There are indications that all parties to the crisis may have accepted the option of Secondus not seeking re-election as a way out of the imbroglio. The Nation gathered that the outcome of last Tuesday’s meeting by the governors will be endorsed by other organs of the party in the days to come.

“The next thing being planned is a meeting of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC). All things being equal, it will take place very soon and the decisions reached at last Tuesday’s meeting are most likely to be endorsed by all the organs of the party during the NEC,” a highly placed source said.

The source added: “As at today, the popular opinion is that Secondus should stay till the convention and leave.”

With Secondus most unlikely to seek re-election, some governors, ex-governors, former presidential hopefuls and other influential leaders of the PDP have started the search for his successor.

Involved in the search are both the anti and pro Secondus forces in the party.

A pro-Secondus source said: “Even if they succeed in stopping Secondus from re-contesting, they are not going to succeed in hijacking the PDP.

“That is their intention all in their blind struggle to illegally corner the presidential ticket in 2023. We are ready for them.

“With or without Secondus, the PDP will remain the free, orderly and law abiding political party that it has become under the current leadership.”

Likely contenders

Although majority of the anti- Secondus forces led by Governor Wike are said to be rooting for a southerner as the next party chairman, some others, including Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, are making a strong case for the position to be zoned to the north to ensure that the party’s zoning arrangement is not distorted in 2023.

A source said Makinde keeps reminding his colleagues and other stakeholders in the group of the need to consider the zoning arrangement in their decision on the position of national chairman.

“He wants to be sure the emergence of a national chairman from the south will not be used as a reason to cede the presidential ticket to the north,” the source said.

“He is not keeping quiet. He is talking. He is asking questions and he is making suggestions.

“But unfortunately, he appears to be the only one showing concern. Many of our people are busy negotiating for one position or the other, not minding the implication of their aspiration on the larger picture of 2023.

“Some of our National Assembly members from the south are with him on this.”

One of the names being touted to replace Secondus by those opposed to his continued stay in office is Chief Bode George, a former military governor of old Ondo State.

He is an unrelenting critic of Secondus and had shown interest in the position of national chairman in 2017 but withdrew along the line.

While he is yet to publicly declare interest in the job ahead of the October convention, sources close to him told The Nation that “chief is ever ready to take up any assignment that will make PDP a better party.

“He is one politician you can rest assured he will remain in the party even if he is the only one remaining there. He is eminently qualified and prepared for the job.”

George is said to have the backing of some prominent BoT members of the party as a middle way option in the event that PDP governors and other stakeholders fail to agree on who the next chairman of the party should be.

It was however gathered that his candidature is not popular within the Southwest zone of the party.

A party chieftain, Dr. Laji Aderopo, said: “In the Southwest, majority of us want the presidential ticket of the PDP to be zoned to the south in 2023. That is why we are not rooting for the chairmanship to be given to us.

“This is politics and we understand the game well. This is why we may not support George or any other southwest candidate at the convention.”

Aderopo was zonal Secretary of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) before he joined the PDP.

Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has already openly declared his intention to run for the office of the national chairman of the party. Currently, he is an ally of Governor Makinde of Oyo State.

Last May, ex-Ekiti State governor Segun Oni said PDP chieftains and members in the Southwest zone were rooting for Oyinlola for the national chairmanship position.

“The person that all of us are setting our eyes on is Prince Oyinlola, and he has not yet told us that he’s not going to do it. That’s the man we all want to support for the position of national chairman,” Oni told reporters.

The Nation however learnt that former governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo, is being considered as a possible replacement for Secondus by those who want the position to go to the north as part of political permutations ahead of the 2023 presidential contest.

He is yet to declare interest in the race, but those promoting his candidature are said to be urging him to run.

With reality dawning on them that Secondus may not be seeking re-election, supporters of the embattled national chairman are not about to be caught unawares in the race to produce his successor.

The Nation learnt that the camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the predominant group supporting Secondus, is already considering some party stalwarts for the job.

“Now that the governors have succeeded in convincing the party leaders that preventing Secondus from returning as chairman is in the interest of the party, presenting him as a candidate at the convention will be ill advised,” a source said.

“Consequently, we will consider supporting another worthy party man for the job at the convention in the interest of the party and because we want to ensure we are not caught napping at the convention.”

It was also gathered that the Atiku camp wants the national chairmanship of the party to remain in the southern part of the country to enhance his (Atiku’s) chances of clinching the PDP presidential ticket.

What remains for the group is to decide who to pick for the chairmanship race and from which of the three geo-political zones in the south.

While some allies of the former vice president prefer Secondus’ replacement to be sought from the South-south to appease the zone for his ouster, others feel the next man for the job should come from the Southwest for certain political reasons.

“The only agreement for now is that there is need to replace Secondus with another candidate from the south,” our source said.

A source said former governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke looks like a credible candidate.

Some PDP elders are of the view that Imoke has what it takes to stabilise the party and unite all warring factions ahead of the 2023 elections.

“While Imoke enjoys the trust and confidence of former Vice President Atiku, he is also a good friend of Governor Wike,” a source said.

“What is more, he is seen as a very capable hand by most PDP elders who are desirous of a national chairman that will use his experience and connections to end the various disagreements bedeviling the party.

“His candidacy is being touted by moderates within the party who want an end to the infightings.”

There is also Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd), the immediate past deputy governor of Bayelsa State.

Jonah too has not announced his interest in the race, promoters of his candidacy are already doing a lot to advance his chances.

A source said: “His choice emanated from a school of thought that believes the core Niger-Delta should not be deprived of the slot in the event that Secondus is dropped.

“They feel a candidate from neighboring Bayelsa State will still be acceptable to the party chieftains and members in Rivers State where the current chairman hails from. Besides, he is said to enjoy the friendship of Atiku even before he joined politics and became deputy governor.”

His emergence is also said to be enjoying the support of allies of former Governor Seriake Dickson, who has stood solidly behind Secondus in his face-off with Wike. “He served as Dickson’s deputy for eight years and their relationship remains cordial even now.

“He is one man many of the leaders of the pro-Secondus camp can trust to remain loyal to the cause of the group while leading the PDP out of muddy waters ahead of the 2023 general elections,” the source added.

Also being touted as a likely contender for the plum job is Jimi Agbaje, PDP’s gubernatorial candidate during the last gubernatorial election in Lagos State.

Agbaje is not a new comer in the contest for the national chairmanship of the party. In 2015, he emerged as the PDP joker, whom some of the governors wanted to succeed the former National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, at the botched May 21, 2015 national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Sources close to him claimed his national chairmanship ambition remains alive and he will definitely jump at any opportunity to contest the position again.

“He is one candidate many of us will not waste time to describe as capable. He is in the good books of most of our leaders across the country except in his native Lagos State where he has been having a running battle with Chief Bode George’s group,” our source said.

Why we want Secondus out, by PDP national vice chairman

The National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alh. Taofeek Arapaja, yesterday explained that he joined others to call for the resignation of the National Chairman Uche Secondus because the party is crumbling under his leadership while he does not feel disturbed.

Arapaja stated this while featuring on Southwest Political Circuit, an interview programme on Ibadan-based radio, Fresh FM.

The PDP leader was among those that were calling for Secondus’ resignation, which led to the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC), governors and members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) last week.

The meeting prevailed on members to stop the move to force out Secondus and fixed the national convention of the party for October during which a new executive members will be elected.

Arapaja, who was recently elected, said he added his voice because the national chairman was not showing signs that he wanted PDP to win future elections, adding that he was also not running the party in a way that it would provide virile opposition to the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

Arapaja, who was the deputy governor of Oyo State from 2007 to 2011, explained that Secondus did not give a damn that three governors defected to the APC within three months.

Rather than agonise over such defections, he said, the PDP boss retorted on occasions that each of them has only one vote to contribute.

He described such attitude as selfish, stressing that he could not be comfortable with a leader who does not seek the progress of the party.

Rather than make genuine moves to resolve the crises rocking the party in states and regions, Arapaja said, Secondus was completely nonchalant, which he said gave him out as a selfish leader who is not interested in protecting the interest of the party he is serving.

He said: “You would not like to change a winning team. But if a team is not winning and your objective is to win, because I’m committed to winning and I don’t understand any other language apart from winning, then I will be spared for calling for his resignation.

“Somebody is in a place and he is not doing well. The party is shrinking, everything is going haywire and he is not mobilizing for the party. The man is not doing well. There is defection everywhere.

“Three governors left within three months and the chairman is coming out to tell everybody that every governor has only one vote. He is not perturbed. He is not worried at all.

“National Assembly members are defecting and he is not harmonising the party. He is not reaching out to anybody. So, the party is not doing well.

“We are not playing the role of a very strategic opposition party. So, for those of us who believe in winning, repositioning the party, we had to stand up before the party collapses.

“If you are committed to the party, if you are not PDP in the morning but APC in the night, you will be worried. That is why I said he is working for the opposition. That is my own observation.

“As a member of the National Working Committee, I know what is going on in Abuja.”

Arapaja said he does not have anything against Secondus as an individual, but he said that what the National Chairman was doing was affecting the fortunes of the party. “That’s why some of us cannot keep quiet,” he said.

He further revealed that the NEC meeting will hold this week, adding that national and zonal convention committees would be established as a way of ensuring that Secondus does not dictate for the party again.

He said the call for his resignation represented the popular belief of party leaders across Nigeria that Secondus’ exit was necessary for PDP to move forward.

Party must challenge Ayade, Umahi defections in court – Wike

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday asked the PDP to drag the governors of Ebonyi and Cross River states, David Umahi and Ben Ayade, to court following their defections to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor also called on the PDP to challenge the defections of former PDP federal and state lawmakers from both states to the APC.

Wike, who spoke in Port Harcourt, stressed that the time had come for the judiciary to make a final pronouncement on the incessant defections of governors and lawmakers from one political party to another to save the country from becoming a one party state.

He said: “The time has come that the judiciary must have to rise to the occasion to make a final pronouncement of this issue of defection and that will go a long way to strengthen our democracy. Because if we do not take action, you will find a situation where you will have a one party State and that will not be good for our democracy.

“And so, I have encouraged the PDP, they must file a suit against the Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi and the Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade for defecting to the All Progressives Congress without any reason provided in the constitution or any other enabling law.

“What PDP is looking for is not just that they want to reclaim the seats, but that a pronouncement must be made by the judiciary on this incessant defection without no reasons at all, in order to enhance and strength our democracy.”

Wike said it was unacceptable for governors and federal and state lawmakers who had been elected on the platform of a particular party without any proof of division in the party that brought them to power.

He said: “Let it be on record that the party (PDP) has been able to challenge it and let us await the outcome of the decision of the court, because the court has a role to strengthen our democracy. And part of the role the court must play is to make a final pronouncement on this issue of defection from one party to the other.”

Wike described the Court of Appeal reconfirmation of Jarigbe Agom as the Senator-elect of Cross River North Senatorial District as a victory for democracy and the PDP.

The Rivers state governor, who congratulated Agom for his perseverance, also commended the judiciary for standing up to the antics of desperate politicians and some lawyers who would want to ridicule the judiciary.

He said: “People must understand there is an end to litigation. This is a matter from my knowledge was a pre-election matter and went up to the tribunal. And I do know that the Court of Appeal tribunal sitting in Calabar sometime in July gave judgment declaring Hon Agom as the senator elect and therefore directed INEC to issue a certificate of return to him and that was carried out by the INEC.

“Surprisingly to us, the candidate of APC and the purported candidate of the PDP, Dr. Stephen Odey, had to apply again to the Court of Appeal to review the judgment that the Court of Appeal had already given at the appeal tribunal.”

The governor advised lawyers to desist from filing matters that could ridicule the judiciary in on behalf of their clients saying every lawyer had the obligation to protect the integrity of the court.

By Saliu Gbadamosi - Abuja

On Aug 4, 2021

A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led national caretaker/extraordinary national convention planning committee of the party before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), seeking the nullification of last Saturday’s congresses held across the country, as well as the dissolution of the caretaker committee. The suit, filed by the aggrieved party member, Okosisi Emeka Ngwu, FCT/HC/ CV/1824/2021 and dated August 2, 2021, has all members of the committee as defendants.

The defendants in the suit are Governor Buni; Isiaka Oyebola; Ken Nnamani; Stella Okorete; Governor Sani Bello; Dr James Lalu; Senator Abubakar Yusuf; Honourable Akinyemi Olaide; David Leon; Abba Ali; Professor Tahir Mamman; Ismail Ahmed and Senator Akpan Udoedehe. In his originating summon, filed by his counsel, Chief Oba Maduabuchi, Ngwu is seeking the dissolution of the Buni-led caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee, claiming that there is no organ of the party or any such organisation in the party’s constitution.

The claimant further seeks a declaration that pursuant to Section 87(4) (b)(1) of the Electoral Act (as amended), only the National Executive Committee (NEC) of a political party can validly appoint a date for the holding of primaries for the nomination of the gubernatorial or other candidates of the political party.

He further sought a declaration that unless an election is conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act and by an organ known to and created by the constitution of the APC, no valid candidate can emerge from such a primary. He, therefore, urged the court to grant an order setting aside all actions and decisions taken by members of the caretaker committee of the party.

Ngwu, who supported his originating summons with a 10-paragraph affidavit, asked the court to determine, among others, “Whether there is any organ of the APC known as caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee created in or by the constitution of the party.”

The claimant claimed in his originating summons that he had, in 2018, wanted to contest as national chairman of APC after the tenure of the then national chairman of the party expired but was prevailed upon to allow Adams Oshiomhole to be returned unopposed.

According to him, “After just two years, I was surprised to hear that the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee had been dissolved and a contraption known as Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee had been created by an unknown person and Mai Mala Buni asked unilaterally to head the committee. “That I was surprised as by the constitution of the party, the National Executive Committee would be in office for four years until June 22, 2022.

“That my supporters and I also knew that only a duly elected National Executive Committee could validly hold any primaries to nominate candidates for the party for the various elections to be held between the day of the dissolution of both the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee.

“That the CECPC is unknown to our party’s constitution and it is operating without reference to the party’s constitution.”

August 1, 2021

. Pa Adebanjo is being economical with the truth ― BOSF

By Chris Onuoha

Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, has explained why he is a fan of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State despite not being in the same political party with Sanwo-Olu.

The nonagenarian said Sanwo-Olu deserved commendation for what he described as the governor’s prudent management of Lagos resources as well as the visible transformation of the state in a little over two years.

Despite their differences in political affiliation, Adebanjo and Sanwo-Olu had been seen together at Vanguard Personality of the Year 2019/2020 Awards held in Lagos penultimate Sunday.

Sanwo-Olu had emerged as Personality of the Year 2020 at the occasion alongside Governor Zulum of Borno State while the Afenifere leader was among the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

According to Adebanjo, the performance signature of the governor can be seen in all sectors of Lagos.

The elder statesman told Sunday Vanguard that Lagos under the leadership of Sanwo-Olu has continued to witness steady growth and development, especially in the areas of economy and infrastructural development.

The leader of the Yoruba influential group emphasized that the remarkable transformation of Lagos was impressively achieved by Sanwo-Olu despite the drastic reduction in the allocation to the state from the Federation Account.

He took time to applaud the revenue generation drive and leadership ingenuity of Sanwo-Olu in the last two years.

Adebanjo nonetheless charged the governor not to rest on his oars in his quest for a greater Lagos.

Similarly, the Coordinator of the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness, Dr Gabriel Nwambu, rated the performance of Sanwo-Olu very high in the last two years.

Nwambu, the resident in Lagos, lauded the governor’s aggressive and systematic approach to road infrastructures that had been delivered in quite a number of urban and rural communities.

“But I want him to improve the on-water project. Almost every city in Nigeria does not have potable water and we need to see properly planned efforts to overcome this problem in Lagos”, he said.

“But he has done so well on roads and building community road infrastructures.

“He has done very well. I will give him a high pass mark. He has done things that I am proud of. He has done very well.

“He should improve on the issue of security and water provision. I think those are the challenges he needs to focus on the more”.

Like Adebanjo, however, Nwambu commended the revenue generation ingenuity of Sanwo-Olu in view of the global economic meltdown occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

He emphasized that the pandemic had ruined the global economy.

“Global economy has gone down and Nigeria is not an exception. Lagos State is also not an exception because it is an integral part of Nigeria. Most of the revenues in Nigeria are generated from Lagos State.

“You know, when you talk about FIRS and others, Lagos is one major state with the chunk of the revenues; but I know that the impact of Covid-19 has affected the state.

“So, Sanwo-Olu, as governor, has scored a pass mark. He has performed credibly well given the circumstances he found himself in governance”.

July 30, 2021

By Emmanuel Oladesu and Gbade Ogunwale

A crisis is brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the ambition of its National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, to get a second term in office.

His current tenure will end in December.

Two blocs are fighting over the main opposition party’s soul ahead of its national convention due to the chairman’s ambition.

Secondus, who is from Rivers State, rode to the position on the back of Governor Nyesom Wike, one of the party’s financiers.

But there is no love lost between the governor and the chairman.

While the Rivers governor is not willing to endorse Secondus for a second term, the PDP Governors’ Forum appears to be comfortable with his ambition.

A source said the contrasting positions may have led to friction between Wike and his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal.

Although it was being speculated that both Tambuwal and Wike harboured a 2023 presidential agenda, the source said the duo now have contrary opinions about the prospects of a joint ticket.

A source said Wike wants Secondus out because the next chairman and vice-presidential candidate cannot come from one state.

“Wike wants to be on joint PDP presidential ticket in 2023. With Secondus as chairman up to 2023, that chance will be lost. Secondus and Wike are from the same Southsouth, the same Rivers State.

“It is obvious that the PDP cannot field a Southsouth/Rivers man on its joint presidential ticket when the party chairman is also from Southsouth/Rivers. So, Secondus’ chairmanship will be an obstacle to Wike’s ambition,” added the source.

But Tambuwal is said to be supporting Secondus to retain the chair so that his bid for the PDP presidential ticket will sail smoothly.

He is reportedly banking on a running mate from the Southwest/Southeast.

So, he does not want the chairman to come from the Southwest or any part of the North.

According to party insiders, Wike and Tambuwal may fall apart, as former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar increases partisan rapport with the Rivers State governor ahead of the 2023 presidential nominations.

The source added: “If the Atiku-Wike romance sticks, it may jeopardise the prospects of Tambuwal/Wike ticket. On the other hand, the two serving governors may decide to agree to ditch Secondus for a Southwest man as PDP chair to enable them run together. The two have come a long way as strong political allies.”

"Abba is one of the bravest cops in Nigeria and I will not believe these crazy allegations levelled against him - FFK defends Abba Kyari after his indictment in the Hushpuppi fraud case

Former Minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has thrown his weight behind DCP Abba Kyari, who has been indicted in the Hushpuppi fraud case by the U.S government.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Abba Kyari, a high-ranking Nigerian police officer who has received multiple honours, was one of six people indicted over an elaborate scheme to defraud a Qatari businessperson of more than $1 million, masterminded by celebrity fraudster, Ramon 'Hushpuppi' Abbas.

Femi Fani-Kayode, however, says Kyari is a super cop that has risked his life protecting Nigerians from murderers and terrorist, and that he won't condemn him, unless he sees any evidence to the contrary.

Sharing photos of the DCP, FFK wrote;

A super cop that has risked his life protecting us from kidnappers, murderers & terrorists all these years& that has arrested more criminals than any other is accused of taking bribes from a yahoo boy & scammer all the way from America & we are expected to believe it? Not me!

Abba is one of the bravest, brightest and best cops in Nigeria and I will not believe these crazy allegations levelled against him or condemn him unless I see any evidence to the contrary.

He has proved himself over and over again when it comes to catching criminals and I do not believe that he is one himself. If he were he would not have such an excellent record in combating crime.

Nigerians seem to take delight in believing and assuming the worse about their best. That is part of our problem: we love and celebrate the evil but we despise, hate and seek to pull down the righteous and good.

As far as I am concerned there are as many crooked, bent & killer cops all over the world as there are good ones & America has its fair share of both.The only people that ought to take pleasure in reading this crap about Abba are the kidnappers and terrorists in our country.

Allegations are a dime a dozen and an indictment does not amount to a conviction: show me the evidence or keep your mouth shut forever. I urge Abba to continue the good work he has been doing and not allow himself to be distracted by his numerous detractors. This is a deep conspiracy to destroy his career and it will not work.

July 25, 2021

By Dennis Agbo

Ohanaeze Ndigbo has cautioned members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to be careful on how they go about creating enemies for Ndigbo and jeopardizing the Igbo relationships with their good neighbours.

Ohanaeze particularly flayed the unsavoury remarks IPOB made against the leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, and apologized to Chief Clark for IPOB’s youthful exuberance displayed against Clark.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo made it abundantly clear that the Igbo extol old age with courtesy and reverence, noting that old age is so treasured in Igbo land that the eldest man in a village or community, in most cases, enjoys community burial and funeral rites at death.

“The old are deemed to represent the Igbo ancestors here on earth and thus are often celebrated,” Ohanaeze said.

National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Alex Ogbonnia said that it is a public knowledge that youths, all over the world, have some common characteristics which include impetuosity and exuberance.

The Apex Igbo body said that as much as the effervescence and exuberance of the youths are the essential hallmarks of a growing society, it is still the duty of the elders to moderate the excesses and idiosyncrasies of the youth.

It told the young Igbo that it was on record that Chief Edwin Clark is one of the few detribalized Nigerians with an unassailable love for the Igbos who has in more than several ways demonstrated an intense passion for the Igbo.

Ohanaeze recalled that ”It was Chief Clark who facilitated the renovation and equipment of the Queens School, Enugu with state of the arts facilities shortly after the Nigerian civil war. Eminent Igbo women that passed through the school, such as Justice Rose Ukeje (rtd), Justice Victoria Nebo, Prof. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Prof. Ifeoma Enemuo, Prof. Ifeoma Egbuonu, Mrs. Justina Offia (SAN), Prof. Gloria Chukwukere, etc, are some of the testaments of Clark magnanimity.

“Since then Clark has remained one of the Patrons of the School to the present day. It was Clark, who has spoken vehemently against the Igbo marginalization and has propelled the concept of a president of Nigeria from the South East. It was Clark who had stated that the agitations by the Igbo are justified, among several others.

“It is important to urge our youths to refrain from remarks capable of putting the Igbo relationships with our highly valued neighbours in avoidable distress. The Igbo agitation, no doubt, is genuine but restraints, persuasions and cordial inter-ethnic relations are required to sustain the supports of other ethnic groups in Nigeria,” Ohanaeze cautioned.

It reminded IPOB that the Leaders of the South East, South South, South West and Middle Belt converged and chose Chief Clark as the indefatigable leader of Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt Forum, SMBLF, because of his sterling qualities.

“I must also add that one of the most cherished of his enviable leadership qualities is the exceptional courage of his innermost convictions and the ability to speak truth to power.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Ambassador Professor George Obiozor holds Chief E K Clark in a very high esteem. Our profound admiration for him is beyond measures and will always condemn any form of attack on his person.

“We therefore hope that the unsavoury remarks by our youths will not weaken his passion and commitment for the Igbo.”

Over 300 Nigerians languishing in Italian jail for Mafia-related offences, says ex- Edo commissioner

July 24, 2021

Osaze Osemwingie

By Bisi Olaniyi

Former Edo State Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, Osaze Osemwingie-Ero, has raised the alarm over the illegal detention of over 300 Nigerian youths in Italian prisons for trumped-up charges on mafia-related offences.

Osemwingie said he learnt about the plight of the innocent young Nigerians during his wrongful detention in Italy as a result of a “very corrupt and complex system.”

The former commissioner, who spoke during an interview on Arise TV, on Friday, said the youths are held and committed to maximum prisons in Italy because they do not have the resources to access an independent lawyer.

“They don’t have money to take lawyers; the prosecutor gives them government lawyers that he uses to manipulate them,” the ex-commissioner noted.

He further called for the collaboration of all stakeholders including the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and the media, among others to ensure the release of the youths.

According to him, “We have over 300 Nigerian youths who are unjustly being held in prison because of these mafia-related crimes; they didn’t commit the crime.

“I made a promise that I am going to create awareness for the release of those innocent Nigerians. We must fight as Nigerians to ensure that they regain their freedom.”

He continued: “As a senior government official, there was no support from the Nigerian government during my ordeal in Italy. I have spoken to the chairperson of Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, who is very proactive and vocal, and she’s ready to work with us to ensure that those people are released.

“These over 300 Nigerians have families, wives, children and parents who are suffering as well. We must not sit down and allow them to languish in prison because of a very corrupt and complex system. The prosecutors are very corrupt and are using us for modern-day slavery because the European Union is paying them huge sums of money to fight mafia activities.”

“It is worthy of note that we don’t have mafia in Nigeria. I also believe that anyone who commits a crime should be prosecuted and, if found guilty, made to face the consequences. But these Nigerians, who are innocent, are suffering in prison in Europe. We must stand up for them and speak out for their release. It’s because these Nigerians don’t have a voice or the resources that they are jailed unjustly,” Osemwingie noted.

The ex-commissioner explained that he was on official trip to Germany, in 2019, to have a meeting with the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, on the Benin artefact restitution campaign when he was arrested in Amsterdam and illegally detained for over a year in Italy, adding, “I was a victim of racial discrimination and manipulation of a very corrupt prosecutor of the Italian Justice system.”

Governors in the South-West geopolitical zone have proposed conversion of the present six geopolitical zones into federating units, as part of the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly.

The South West Governors’ Forum, in a document presented to members of the National Assembly from the geopolitical zone, also made other proposals to weaken central government, while allocating more powers to the federating units and states.

Our correspondent obtained the document containing the proposals by the governors, which was presented to the South-West caucus of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

The governors had met with the lawmakers in Abuja behind closed doors last week.

The governors at the meeting were Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo State), who is also the Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum; Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti State), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun).

After the meeting, Akeredolu had said the South-West would be approaching the constitution amendment with a common front.

He added that the meeting had set a committee made of up senators led by the caucus chairman (Opeyemi Bamidele) and House of Representatives caucus chairman (Femi Fakeye) and attorneys-generals of the South-West states.

“The committee is to harmonise our position so that we can present it when necessary before the two Houses and at the end of the day, have a constitutional amendment and have our serious input. Thank you all,” he had said.

The PUNCH reliably learnt on Friday that the joint Senate and House committee would fine tune the proposals and ensured that they were captured in the constitution review exercise.

In the document titled, ‘Proposals for the Review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended): Presentation by South-West Governors’ Forum’ and dated July 5, 2021, the governors sought amendment to Section 3(1) and (3) of the constitution.

The present Section 3(1) reads, “There shall be 36 states in Nigeria, that is to say, Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna,Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.”

The governors added, “We propose that Section 3(1) be amended as a federation consisting of six geopolitical zones constituted from the states. The federating units or regions are divided into the following geopolitical zones: North-West Zone, North-Eastern Zone, Middle – Belt Zone, South-East Zone, South-South Zone, South-West Zone and the Federal Capital Territory.

The forum added that “the geopolitical zones have been recognised and accepted by Nigeria’s political class.”

It also said, “Section 3(6) be amended to provide for a number of local governments or such autonomous administrative units to be created by the respective federating units or states, the criteria of which shall include population, taxable capacity, ethno-religious or other cultural and social affinities.”

Another major proposal in the presentation is an amendment to Section 7 of the constitution which is about local government.

The governors asked that the section “include an additional (sub)section prohibiting the dissolution of elected local government councils.”

“This will be in compliance with the Supreme Court decisions in ALGON v. Oyo State Government; AG Plateau State & Others v. Goyol & Others; Governor, Ekiti State v. Olubunmo & Others,” the forum added.

Also, the South-West governors proposed that Section 8 be amended by deleting Subsections 5 and 6, thereby removing the powers to create state from the Federal Government.

The proposal reads, “Section 8(5) and (6) should be expunged. Section 8 (1) and (2) provides for the procedures for creation of state while Section 8(3), (4), (5) and (6) provides for the procedure for creation of local governments.

“However, Section 8(5) and (6) should be expunged to make local government creation the exclusive duty of the state government.”

The governors also wanted the wordings of Section 14(4) changed.

The present version reads, “The composition of the government of a state, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the federation.”

The proposed version reads, “The composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, fair representation of individuals and groups and also command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of a particular gender and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.”

If the proposed amendment to Section 15 eventually becomes law, Nigeria’s motto would be changed to ‘Unity and Faith, Equality, Peace and Progress.’

The forum also called for deletion of Section 29(4)(b), which confers adulthood status on a married under-18 woman.

Explaining the proposal, the governors say, “Section 29(4)(a) and (b) contradicts each other. While (a) says ‘full age means the age of 18 years and above’, (b) says ‘any woman who is married shall be deemed to be full of age.’ This reinforces child marriage which negates the Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 and the Child’s Rights Act 2003, which outlaws child marriage.”

The governors also want the states to be in charge of mineral resources within their respective territories.

Consequently, they have proposed an amendment to Section 44(3) that vests exploitation of mineral oils and natural gas in the Federal Government.

Violence

While the North may not be opposed to the democratic and credible transfer of power to any competent person from any section of the country, the North will, for the avoidance of doubt, not support such power moving to the zones of those that are using threats, violence and falsehood as a means for political ascendancy. Our demands are further justifiable on the grounds that if there was any rotation agreement in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in particular, that agreement had been invalidated when Chief Rochas Okorocha contested against Buhari at the 2015 APC presidential primary.

The North is represented by 250 ethnic groups whose right to aspire to the presidency would be circumvented by a delusional rotational principle and these include people of Yoruba ancestry who belong to the geopolitical North.

The North Central Zone has not had any representation in top executive positions of President/Vice president since return to democracy in 1999 and so has even legitimate basis to aspire for the presidency in 2023.

If the North is strongly opposed to power shift, what do you make of the fact that at least six northern governors want power shift to the South?

We have warned several times of a conspiracy actively perpetrated with the connivance of some northerners and accommodated by the personal ambition of a few of those that present themselves as northern political leaders.

This North has seen through the scheme by southern governors and their northern collaborators riding on the back of the most gratuitous insults to democratic fair play and crass political opportunism, to hoist incompetent leadership on the nation in the name of rotation and is being resisted. And the few governors and other northern collaborators, must note the futility of pursuing their exploits for the vice presidency through this impossible battle to hand over our future and the entire North to interests that see a united and numerically superior North as a major political obstacle.

Do you agree with those who said insurgents and bandits in the North-East and North-West pose a more threatening challenge to Nigeria’s existence?

Certainly not. We at the CNG have taken stock of events unfolding in Nigeria, and can with every degree of certainty prove that the unrelenting disturbances created by certain interest groups in the South-East and South-West, in the form of the agitation for separate states of Biafra and Oduduwa Republic. As the representatives of various interests groups from Northern Nigeria, the CNG has watched and studied events in Nigeria carefully and with considerable restraint and maturity, to the point of condoning and accommodating several unreasonable and unacceptable actions that have been perpetrated against Nigerians collectively, and northerners in particular. Everyone can by now see that matters that involve unprovoked evictions, attacks and killings of northerners in various parts of the South resulting from the hate campaigns and propaganda being conducted by regional and ethnic agitators, aimed mainly at instigating reprisals by northerners have intensified.

The perpetrators of this violence that have relentlessly pursued this agenda of destruction and collective mayhem, fervently hoping it will engulf the entire country and bring about another civil war and mass killings and suffering of innocent people are certainly more of a threat to national cohesion than all other forms of crimes and criminalities going on in other places. We can see how, after failing to achieve this nefarious objective through the #EndSARS agitations and the violence and destruction that followed in its wake, long-practiced tactics are now being played out in the form of attacks against northerners and against agents and symbols of the federal government of Nigeria in the South-East and South-South which are more of existential threats. The mindless violence and extremist terrorist actions perpetrated by IPoB and its followers in the South-East and the South-South and the recent boost it is receiving from Ighoho and the southern governors have now manifested into an insistent drive towards civil strife in the country.

Nigeria has now been driven towards the precipice more by those authors of mindless violence and separatism who see it as their duty to actualise what their fathers started in 1966, through the force of arms and terroristic tactics than by any other threat elsewhere.

Are you not scared that the increasing North/South dichotomy on many national issues is speedily leading Nigeria to the brink?

The current agitations and disturbances that have been ongoing ceaselessly since around 2015, aimed at rendering the country practically ungovernable, and ushering in anarchy and instability thereby occasioning a change of government by whatever means and tactics, are certainly matters of concern to all well-meaning Nigerians and friends alike. That the general and pervasive insecurity being experienced across the country that has left untold numbers of dead and displaced persons are symptoms of the disquiet in the country that has been exacerbated by political opportunism and corruption.

That the forces of reaction aim to halt the war against corruption, and reverse the populist tendencies of this government, is not in doubt.

Your group keeps talking about a referendum on the Biafra question. Is it out of love for the country or something else?

We are genuinely supporting the referendum for the actualization of an independent state of Biafra and for any other component that feels strongly about self-determination out of decent patriotism and love of our country and fellow citizens particularly those of us who have not made it a point to call for the break-up of the country at the slightest of pretexts. Realising the diabolical scheme and seeing through the planned secessionist tendencies now exhibited in the actions and clamours of groups from the South, supported morally and politically by the vast majority of their pliant and affrighted elites, politicians, traditional rulers, business persons, and the larger population of the region, we became convinced that the determination to see through the secession of parts of the South from Nigeria is real and cannot be avoided or deferred any longer without terrible consequences.

To avoid such mishaps and unnecessary devastation on all sides particularly the South-East whose leaders and agitators are now bent on driving the region over the brink into a catastrophe, we formed the view that peaceful means of actualising the separation should be agreed upon immediately within the boundaries established by international law.

Consequent upon this conviction, and to prevent a descent into another civil war at this day and age, and to forestall mass killings, untold sufferings and atrocities, we support the call for a referendum to take place that will settle the self-determination question once for all. In this connection, we propose the following frameworks to be agreed upon in the course of the referendum and its final implementation in the South-East or any enclave that wishes to secede from Nigeria: A referendum be organised, administered and supervised by the United Nations, the African Union and ECOWAS in the South-East from which a separate state of Biafra could be derived. Such a referendum can only take place in the enclaves that call for secession with only its indigenes taking part in the process and all identified indigenes of such enclaves or entities that called for secession must leave the territory of Nigeria and assemble in their designated enclave for the exercise.

During the period allotted for the holding of the referendum and announcement of the results of the exercise, no further contacts should be experienced between the enclave that is intending to break away and the rest of Nigeria so as not to lead to any interference in the process of the referendum. The outcome of the referendum shall be final, irreversible and shall not be reviewed or reconsidered for any other reasons and citizens of the break-away enclave shall be deprived of any automatic rights to return to the territory of the rump Nigeria, or to be admitted to live in any of its parts.

2023: Why North can’t trust southern govs with presidency — Sulaiman, CNG spokesman

July 11, 2021

We must okay FG's security operations in our states — Southern govs

•Calls pro-South President northern govs traitors

•Says northern leaders opposed Shekau but South supports Kanu, Igboho

•’South employing prejudice in matters affecting Arewa’

*•On Nigeria’s problems: It’s wrong to blame North

•Grazing routes: FG should seize land where owners kick

•‘Bayelsa gov desperately trying to compare Kanu, Ighoho to Gumi’

•States separatist agitations aimed at destroying northern region

By Charles Kumolu, Deputy Editor

Amid growing dichotomy between the North and South on how to resolve key existential problems in Nigeria, spokesman for Coalition of Northern Groups(CNG), a leading pro-northern body, Abdul-Azeez Sulaiman, gives reasons the North and the South haven’t found a common ground on restructuring, zoning of 2023 presidency, farmers/herders crisis, open grazing and self-determination agitations.

Lately, we have seen the North taking a contrary position with the South on restructuring, justifying notions that it is afraid of restructuring. Is the North actually afraid of restructuring and what are its fears?

There is no fear whatsoever. And I don’t agree that it is only the North that is taking a different stand on restructuring. It is rather an issue that is yet to be clearly defined and uniformly understood and agreed upon by all the blocks. The points of divergence mainly are on details- the format, form, terms and conditions. It is an unfair judgement to assume the North, which has continued to bear the brunt of the southern agitations for secession and the clamours for restructuring as the obvious target of all the complaints about virtually everything that is seen as wrong in the system, would be the one to fear to participate in any process for improving the structure, operations and utility of the Nigerian state in the context of a genuine dialogue without hidden agenda or preconditions.

On the contrary, the North has and will welcome any opportunity to engage all parts of Nigeria in honest and open-ended discussions on constitutional reforms, the operations of our federal structure and national economy, and all issues which represent major sources of grievance.

Appointed enemies

But we are concerned that while the North too has many issues with the operations of the Nigerian state, and does not routinely insult and blame elites from other regions for them, its self-appointed enemies and antagonists, have willy-nilly, made it the target of accusations and abuse for everything that is wrong with Nigeria since independence, with history being shamefully and blatantly reviewed, rewritten and falsified to suit certain agenda that aims to portray the North in a bad light. The loudest advocates of the twin agitations of restructuring and secession have accused the North of committing every sin under the sun excepting perhaps natural disasters or Force Majeure. They have vilified the North in the process, killed its leaders at some point, continue to scandalize its institutions and ridicule its traditions and customs. They have under various guises tried to bring down the North by suggesting and insisting on warped reforms aimed at destroying its institutions, undermining its economic and social fabrics, and encouraging rampant poverty, and the current social problems like armed robbery, kidnapping, prostitution, drug and substance abuse.

The fact that the North has faced these difficulties with equanimity, stoical calm and resignation, and continue to bear the brunt of the agitations for secession and the clamours for restructuring makes it the most legitimate and natural claimant to the call for re-visiting the philosophy, structures and operations of the Nigerian state, and to join in support of any enquiry and change in the manner we live that will improve our security and the quality of our lives. Like all Nigerians, we have questions about the manner our nation operates. We want to work with others to establish a basis for identifying what is priority, what is essential, what is fair, what is avoidable and what we need to do as a nation to isolate violence from its central position in our lives. The North, therefore, has nothing to fear from any restructuring process, provided we are involved not as a problem but as partners who have a stake in a Nigeria that works for all.

On open grazing, do you think the President’s determination to recover grazing routes for herders is the appropriate response to herders/farmers clashes?

We most certainly see the initiative by government to reclaim the grazing routes lost to urbanization and harmful policies as an appropriate response if the people of the South would be willing to put away their pent-up prejudices.

To complement that effort, it would also not be out of place to demand the proclamation of a National Policy on Grazing and Livestock Development (NPGLD) to cater to the needs of all the pastoral communities everywhere in the country. Going forward, government should also consider the immediate setting up of a National Pastoralist Commission (NPC) to act on all matters affecting the wellbeing and interests of all citizens whose livelihoods depend on livestock rearing.

This should be complemented by a further proclamation of a Special Intervention Initiative through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Ministries of Finance, National Planning, Agriculture and Water Resources, for supporting special livestock development policies and the establishment of special funds to support pastoral communities along the lines of the Anchor Borrowers Programme and other types of interventions. It is important to place on record that successive governments have found it expeditious to establish structures like OMPADEC, NDDC, Ministry of Niger Delta and Amnesty Programme, among others aimed at resolving a specific set of challenges affecting specific communities in the South. There is therefore no justification whatsoever to resist or even question the creation of special initiatives to address the needs of herdsmen if these will lead to lasting peace and stability.

The President’s directive on the recovery of grazing routes has been widely described as an action capable of worsening killings and instability across the country…

As we all know, prejudices die hard which is perhaps why the Southern elites rejoice in deploying pent-up tribal, regional and even religious jealousies to define any matter coming from, or affecting the North at the slightest of pretexts. This is simply an affair that has its roots in history and one that has hitherto been managed in such a way that we have for this long lived together and prospered, as a testimony to how far we have come in accommodating our differences and agitations. Like many communities across the world, our history is replete with disputes and isolated incidents over land, but there is today a growing population that comes with growing demand from grazing and farming. Added to this is the effect of climate change and desertification in the far North.

These natural phenomena mostly brought about by the short-sightedness of our leaders who allowed the destruction of areas duly demarcated and gazetted well before independence, in order to ensure convenience of herders, while allowing sufficient allocation for farmers, are among the known causes of the current stretch over space. In the context of the current deterioration of the situation deliberately exacerbated by self-serving political interests, the federal government needs to act to identify suitable lands across the country and create grazing reserves and cattle routes, and where resistance is shown, to expropriate such land as may be required for the purpose, through resort to extant provisions of the Land Use Act and other related laws.

Since the northern governors had earlier said open grazing is no more suitable for today’s Nigeria, one would have expected that the southern governors’ position on it would be accepted by the North but the reverse is the case…

What that handful of northern traitors that pose as northern political leaders do, does not affect the fact that the insistence by the southern governors on the retrogressive anti-grazing law deliberately aims to selectively destroy the business of cattle herding and threaten the legitimate presence of pastoral communities in the South, irrespective of whether they are part of a crime committed or not. They are part of wider strategies aimed at diminishing the viability of the North and rendering it incapable of standing on its own two feet and competing favourably with other parts of the country.

Irrespective of what any governor in the North would feel about it, the consensus across the cultured North is one that emphatically repudiates the insistence on the passing of the anti-grazing law by the southern governors that potentially jeopardizes the lives and property of pastoral communities in the South. We at the CNG will not relent in warning that the right of pastoralists anywhere in the country to freedom of movement must not be impeded by any legislation or obstacle imposed by a state or a community.

Your group supported the clampdown on secessionist leaders, Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu, but the generality of opinion is that they do not pose threats to the nation like bandits and “killer herders”. What do you make of that?

That is another unbelievable insinuation in line with the southern prejudices against the North and anything that comes from the North or affects the North. Our group in particular and indeed the entire cultured northerners have never condoned or endorsed the criminal activities of the insurgents in the North-East and the banditry in North-West from which we are all bleeding, quite unlike the southern governors and elites that openly embrace gangsters and support the violent agitations by their people and even encourage them. Unlike the South that desperately wants to pick holes in the arrest of such violent separatism championed by Nnamdi Kanu which amounts to criminal felony in any law anywhere in the world, the North has no record of having impliedly or expressly attempt to shield Abubakar Shekau, for instance. We can all see the way the governor of Bayelsa State is desperately trying to compare Kanu and Ighoho to Sheikh Ahmed Gumi who merely sacrificed everything and risked everything to reach out to the bandits and offer peace. This is indeed ridiculous.

Our concerns about the brand of violent agitations by Kanu and Ighoho stem from their violent nature and the risk of bringing about another civil war in Nigeria. But the truth is that the North celebrated the killing of Shekau as much as they are celebrating the arrest of Kanu in the hope that both would form the cornerstone for the restoration of peace and public order across the country. Certainly, the present stand taken by southern leaders has justified our fears that led to the Kaduna Declaration of June 6, 2017, when we took the bold and necessary step to call attention to the unfolding developments in Nigeria with the resurgence of the Biafra agitation and the new face it assumed. A similar communication was addressed to major foreign diplomatic missions represented in Nigeria, in which we drew attention to the emerging trends in the country that are pregnant with complications and unforeseen consequences all of which have played out and probably playing out as buildup to the 2023 elections.

Our truly patriotic representations then aimed to forestall what we rightly perceived as an inevitable drift toward anarchy and bloodshed in Nigeria, and also to alert the international community as to where responsibility would ultimately lie if such momentous and terrible events ever came to pass.

Coupists

We take particular interest in the resurgence of separatist agitations, especially by IPoB and its ilk in the South-East because they represent a much wider conspiracy to divide Nigeria and bring the North down on its knees by incapacitation and balkanization.

This is just as we see the current brand of other agitations for “restructuring”, “true federalism” and “resource control” as strategies employed to achieve the results that the coupists of the First Republic failed to realise. It aims to increase the weight and relevance of the regions to the detriment and expense of the central government, thereby gradually paving the way for complete separation from Nigeria.

Everyone can see that when the ultimate objectives of the South were not met through agitation, propaganda and clamour, resort is being made to more violent means starting with instigation to more unrest and fanning the embers of religious and ethnic discontent across the country. Within this period, unrests have been instigated in volatile parts of the country such as Lagos, Osun and Ekiti where attacks on northerners were organized by Yoruba militias such as the Ighoho gang, and in places like Benin and parts of Rivers State by an assortment of militant groups. And in the South-East, the agitations for separation and the cry for Biafra became louder, and the agitators supported by their politicians became emboldened to act more radically and violently, designed to spark off retaliation in the North with subsequent attacks to be perpetrated against northerners in the South-East, thus making it even more likely to insist on dividing the country. This is why the movements represented by Kanu and Ighoho are potentially more dangerous threats to the country than anything else. To the average southerner, there is selective application of the law on criminal elements by federal government.

The belief is that government pampers bandits and “killer herders” in the North while it goes after “lesser evil” in the South…

It is certainly funny to define violent agitations for the break-up of a country and open calls for war and actual declaration that have gone beyond rhetoric as “lesser evil “.

Why is the North opposed to power shift as proposed by southern governors when power shift is embedded in Nigeria’s political culture for ages and the North has also benefited from it?

The reason is obvious. The gang-up against the North, in particular, is to force a regional shift of the presidency in 2023 by whatever means and tactics, including those that are clearly undemocratic. The agenda was exposed by the open support of the southern governors for treasonable felony, committed by separatist forces led by the likes of Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu, which sent dangerous signals to the world and forced the North, in particular, to rethink its options in the context of the current alliances and realignments. It gives no one any relief for such leaders of a society that delight in unleashing mayhem against fellow citizens of other regions at the slightest of pretexts, to expect the other sections of the country to trust them or any of their proteges with presidential powers.

The southern governors’ resolutions that attempt to impose a contentious system of rotational presidency that turns all democratic norms and accepted indices of our national demography on their heads, a rotation system that is clearly aimed at achieving dubious political goals, and one clearly designed to weaken the North has awakened the consciousness of all northerners.

The new thinking in the North is, therefore, to refuse to be stampeded or blackmailed into taking major decisions around rotating the presidency and to insist that only a candidate who is competent and able to unite and secure Nigeria should be President in 2023.

.... to be continued

babaolofin:
It is a lie. 42,000 for 30 days is an average of 21,000 per route and 700 passengers per day per route. This calculation is based on the spread of Operation expenditure on both routes (Lagos - Ibadan and Ibadan - Lagos ).
700 passengers per day at the beginning with probability of patronage reducing after initial excitement.

When Abuja - Kaduna train broke down in transit on June 28 , I asked nairaland and Nigerians what is happening to Lagos - Ibadan train as nobody heard any news from anybody about the performance. Nobody replied only for 42,000 figure to be fabricated.

https://www.nairaland.com/6624474/passengers-trapped-bush-abuja-kaduna-train/3#103165077

From the above link, Nigerians can see that I have demanded to know what is happening on this route earlier.

•Blames lack of spare parts for Kaduna-Abuja train breakdown

By Tola Adenubi - Lagos

On Jul 9, 2021

The Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Honourable Rotimi Amaechi has disclosed that the incessant breakdown of the Kaduna-Abuja trains is down to spare parts from China. This is even as he revealed that the Lagos-Ibadan trains conveyed 42,000 passengers in the month of June 2021.

Speaking on Friday after a routine inspection of the Lagos-Ibadan rail project in Lagos, Amaechi assured that some spare parts that are being expected for the Lagos-Ibadan trains will be used for the Kaduna-Abuja train locomotives when they arrive.

According to the Minister of Transportation, “After the last breakdown of the Kaduna-Abuja train, I instructed the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to rest that particular locomotive. I am surprised that there was a delay related to another breakdown in the early hours of today.

“The issue with the break down of the Kaduna-Abuja train is down to lack of maintenance which is attributable to a lack of spare parts from China. We have written to Mr President on this issue and he has graciously approved the purchase of spare parts for the Lagos-Ibadan trains. Very soon, the Chinese people will supply us with enough spare parts for the Lagos-Ibadan rail. By the time they do that, we will be forced to use some of these spare parts for the Kaduna-Abuja trains and hopefully, the issue of incessant breakdown of the trains will be resolved.

“On the Lagos-Ibadan trains, 42,000 passengers were moved in June. We expect the figured to increase in the coming months because if we can move 42,000 in the month that we started, then the figures will increase as more people become aware of the train services between Lagos and Ibadan.”

On the completion stage of the train stations, the Honourable Minister explained that due to a recent kidnap of some Chinese officials in the Olodo area of Ogun State, the train station there is yet to be completed.

Most of the stations have been completed except for Olodo which is delayed due to a recent kidnap of some Chinese officials. The contractor has completed most of the communication and signalling work, but we need to observe the project for the next six months to be sure everything is working perfectly as planned.

“If not, we won’t be able to do the 16 trips-a-day train schedule as planned. The reason we are inspecting is to be sure everything is working as planned. After six months, when we are very sure of what we are seeing, then we can bring in new coaches and locomotives and increase the trips.

As of today, I have directed the NRC to scale up the number of trips per day from four to eight,” Rotimi Amaechi added while briefing newsmen in Lagos.

FarahAideed:
What do you mean he has achieved nothing? . Come on the man just solved NIGERIas housing deficit problem be declaring it a hoax

National Assembly ignores South govs, others, defends controversial PIB provisions

Sunday Aborisade, Leke Baiyewu and Dennis Naku

8 July 2021

There are strong indications that the National Assembly will ignore opposition to some provisions of the Petroleum Industry Bill recently passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The PUNCH on Wednesday gathered that after the harmonisation of the versions of the bill passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the bill would be submitted to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) for assent.

After 13 years of its introduction, both the House and the Senate on Thursday passed the bill. While the House proposed five per cent share for host communities, the Senate suggested three per cent.

The National Assembly also proposed 30 per cent of the profit of the planned Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited for oil exploration in frontier basins, which are mostly in the North.

But at their meeting in Lagos on Monday, southern governors rejected setting aside 30 per cent of the NNPCL’s profit for oil prospecting in frontier basins. They also opposed three per cent share proposed for host communities.

On his part, a prominent leader in the Niger Delta, Chief Edwin Clark, described the bill as satanic.

Already, both chambers have set up conference committees to harmonise the different versions of the bill.

The PUNCH, however, learnt on Wednesday that the conference committee would only focus on the areas of difference and would not tinker with the provisions under criticism.

Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, had on Tuesday constituted a conference committee to harmonise the differences in the versions of the PIB passed by the Senate and the House.

Gbajabiamila announced members of the panel as including the Chairman of the House’ Ad Hoc Committee on PIB and Majority Whip of the House, Mohammed Monguno and six others as members

They are Victor Nwokolo, Ademorin Kuye, Kingley Uju, Tijjani Yusuf, Ibahim Hamza and Mansur Soro.

On Wednesday when asked if the joint committee of both chambers would consider issues raised by the southern governors and other stakeholders, a member of the panel, who spoke to one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity, said the lawmakers would only concern themselves with resolving the differences in the versions passed.

He stated, “Conference committees are meant to harmonise differences reached by two chambers. So, if this (Senate and House’ 3%/5% disparity) is the only difference, that is it.”

Criticism on provisions on host communities hasty, propelled by lack of in-depth analysis – House spokesman
But the House hit hard at critics of the PIB and described opposition to the bill provisions on host communities as hasty and propelled by lack of in-depth analysis.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu, in a statement made available to one of our correspondents, dismissed the controversy over the definition of ‘host communities.”

According to Kalu, states hosting production facilities of international oil companies are also considered as host communities.

The note was titled ‘The Petroleum Industry Bill 2020: A Simplified Explanation to the Constituents of Bende Federal Constituency by Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Member Representing Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State and the Spokesman of the House of Representatives.’

Kalu said, “On the 1st of July, 2021, both chambers of the parliament went through the clause by clause consideration of the bill in preparation for the third reading, which was a major achievement, although not without a call from the public to explain grey areas appearing discriminatory to the host communities, while claiming that a section of the nation is set up to benefit from both the Host Community Trust Fund as well as the Frontier Exploration Fund.”

The lawmaker said he considered the opposition as “a hasty conclusion propelled by the lack of an in-depth analysis of the bill.”

Kalu said, “In Section 318 under the interpretation section, ‘host community’ is defined as those communities situated in or appurtenant to the area of operation of a settlor, and any other community as a settlor may determine pursuant to chapter 3 of the bill.

“These are those communities housing the production assets of the settlors (the IOCs) and are compensated for the loss of surface use of land for exploration after the land survey is carried out.

“The IOCs know their hosts at all times. There is zero ambiguity on this, as no settlor will accept to fund those who are not hosting them. Surely, the IOCs have a role to play in determining this, especially when one looks at the provisions of the bill with regard to the host Community Trust Fund and the process of setting up the organisational structure as well as the implementation guidelines as outlined by the bill. Nigerians are assured that the Trust Fund will take care of the host communities, to the exclusion of all others.

“Pipeline routes are not host communities, they are impacted communities under the care of the operators in the course of their operations. It is still not obvious which part of the bill mandated the Host Community Trust Fund to cater for the needs of the ‘impacted communities.’ These divisive propagandist theories should be ignored fully.”

The House spokesman noted that what the executive sponsored bill proposed was an annual contribution of 2.5 per cent of the operating expenditure of the preceding year of the IOCs to fund this, as provided for in Section 240(2), which the House amended based on technical advice to 5 per cent, though the host communities asked for 10 per cent.

“The reason behind our decision is to ensure that the financial burden is not much on the investors in this era of great competition across the sector. Since the desire of every investor in choosing the destinations for investment is majorly profit, it presupposes that for our bargaining to be attractive, it should create value for the investors to energise their buy-in. The point remains we can’t fund the whole nine yards of exploration and production without foreign direct investments.

Southern lawmakers decry late circulation of report
Several members of the House declined to speak on the record over the controversial clauses.

Some members, especially from the southern part of the country, said copies of the report on the PIB were distributed late to lawmakers.

“The document is voluminous and some of us received the report on the morning of the day it was to be considered. No one could have seen all the loopholes within the short period,” a member from the South-East said.

Senate harmonisation panel may recommend 4% oil equity share for host communities
In the Senate, a member of the panel told one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity that the committee met on Wednesday.

He said members only deliberated on the issue of five per cent equity share for the host communities passed by the House of Representatives and the three per cent approved in the Senate.

He said, “ When there is a conference committee, the essence is to reconcile only the areas where there are differences in the bill passed by both chambers.

“At the moment, there are no other areas of disagreement apart from the oil equity share. While Senate approved 3 per cent, the House passed 5 per cent.

“During our meeting today (Wednesday), some of our members suggested that we adopt the House decision of 5 per cent while others said jerking the Senate version up from 3 to 4 per cent would be okay.

“ From the look of things, the Senate Committee would canvass 4 per cent oil equity share during our joint conference meeting with the House of Representatives.

“We won’t be able to touch other clauses because they are no differences in the Senate and House versions.”

The President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan had on Tuesday said the panel would meet with their counterparts in the House of Representatives as early as possible to reconcile the differences in the two versions passed.

The Senate President said the conference committee would start sitting immediately so that the National Assembly could transmit the harmonised the bill to the President.

Lawan charged members of the conference committee to meet with their counterparts in the House of Representatives to enable the National Assembly to come up with a final document on the PIB for transmission to the Executive arm of government.

He had said, “The conference committee will meet with our counterparts in the House, the House will also announce the composition of the conference committee.

“We hope that they will swing into action immediately, so that we are able to have the final document of the PIB which we will transmit for the presidential assent.

“So, we expect our delegation here under the leadership of the Senate Leader to engage with our colleagues in the House of Representatives.”

The PUNCH had on Tuesday reported that the National Assembly might transmit the PIB passed by both chambers of the federal Parliament to the President, ,for assent next week.

A principal officer of the Senate who spoke with The Punch on conditions of anonymity, on Monday, had confirmed that the Senate and the House of Representatives would harmonise their different positions on the Bill latest by Tuesday next week.

The Senator had said the conference committee of the two chambers which would harmonise the two versions of the bill would start sitting before the end of the week.

He had said, “It is just that people love to play politics with everything. This is not the first time that the Senate and the House of Representatives would pass different versions of a Bill.

“The usual conference committee would be constituted this week to harmonise the different versions and they are likely to submit their report early next week.

“We are going on our annual recess on July 15th and we would transmit the bill to the President before we go on vacation. Both the Senate and the House of Representative’s leaderships have said so, on number of occasions.”

‘PANDEF’ll resist disrespect against N’Delta’
The Pan Niger Delta Forum in its reaction insisted that there was no going back on the rejection of the three per cent for host communities.

It also reiterated its rejection of the five per cent okayed by the House of Representatives.

PANDEF National Publicity Secretary, Ken Robinson said this on telephone to our correspondent on Wednesday.

This is as Robinson took a swipe on the House Chairman on Media and Publicity, Benjamin Kalu on his remarks on the Petroleum Industry Bill.

He said, “PANDEF is amazed at the comments of one Hon. Benjamin Kalu who is representing Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State.

“We have also rejected the fraudulent and provocative 30 per cent of profits that have been designated for frontier exploration funds.

“But for us, we are rejecting the insults and we are saying that we will resist it. Our people, we are talking and consulting and we will respond appropriately to the disrespect being meted out to the Niger Delta people by the National Assembly and its leadership and by the Nigerian state,” he added."

Fahdiga:
Money that will still be looted by Tinubu and Co

Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Mohammad Nami said he has appointed all deposit money banks where MultiChoice Nigeria Limited (MCN) and MultiChoice Africa (MCA), owners of DSTV maintain accounts as agents to recover N1.8 trillion outstanding taxes.

Scandalously, FIRS added, the parent company, which provides services to MCN has never paid Value Added Tax (VAT) since its inception.

“They (foreign companies) do with impunity in Nigeria what they dare not try in their countries of origin,” the tax agency lamented.

A statement fro FIRS on Thursday morning accused the companies of continued refusal to grant FIRS access to its servers for audit.

“It was discovered that the companies persistently breached all agreements and undertakings with the Service, they would not promptly respond to correspondences, they lacked data integrity and are not transparent as they continually deny FIRS access to their records.

“Particularly, MCN has avoided giving the FIRS accurate information on the number of its subscribers and income. The companies are involved in the under-remittance of taxes which necessitated a critical review of the tax-compliance level of the company,” FIRS said

“The group’s performance does not reflect in its tax obligations and compliance level in Nigeria.

“The level of non-compliance by Multi-Choice Africa (MCA), the parent Company of Multi-Choice Nigeria (MCN) is very alarming.

“The issue with Tax collection in Nigeria, especially from foreign-based Companies conducting businesses in Nigeria and making massive profits is frustrating and infuriating to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). “Regrettably, Companies come into Nigeria just to infringe on our tax laws by indulging in tax evasion.

“There is no doubt that broadcasting, telecommunications and the cable-satellite industries have changed the face of communication in Nigeria.

“However, when it comes to tax compliance, some companies are found wanting.

“Information currently at the disposal of FIRS has revealed a tax liability for relevant years of assessment for ₦1,822,923,909,313.94 (One trillion, eight hundred and twenty-two billion, nine hundred and twenty-three million, nine hundred and nine thousand, three hundred and thirteen naira, ninety-four kobo only) and $342,531,206 (Three hundred and forty-two million, five hundred and thirty-one thousand, two hundred and six dollars only).

“In this regard, the affected banks are required to sweep balances in each of the above-mentioned entities’ accounts and pay the same in full or part settlement of the companies’ respective tax debts until FULL recovery.

“This should be done before the execution of any transaction involving the companies or any of their subsidiaries.

FIRS requested the banks to inform it of any transactions before execution on the accounts, especially transfers of funds to any of their subsidiaries.”

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, dismissed the People’s Democratic Party, PDP,’s suit challenging the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru’s victory at the Lagos East Senatorial by-election.

PDP is asking the court to disqualify Abiru from continuing to represent Lagos East Senatorial District at the National Assembly.

The Supreme Court upheld the argument of Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, for Abiru and Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, for APC on the basis that the appeal lacked merit.

Justice Adamu Jauro of the Apex court, who wrote the lead judgement, also awarded cost of N1 million against the appellants– the PDP and its candidate Babatunde Gbadamosi–and in favour of each of the respondents, Abiru and the APC.

Recall that Abiru won the last December 5 senatorial bye-election by a landslide, polling 89,204 votes against Gbadamosi’s 11,257 votes.

APC hails verdict

Spokesman of APC, Lagos, Seye Oladejo, while reacting to the judgment, Saud: “We are elated by the ruling of the highest court in the land. It has further enhanced the democratic credentials of our party and our commitment to always present credible candidates for elections within the dictates of the laws of the land.

“We want to congratulate Sen. Tokunbo Abiru on his reaffirmed victory and wish him a successful tenure now that the needless distraction of litigation has been disposed of.”

The Aare Oona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Aare Gani Adams, has appealed to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; and The Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, to assist Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

Adams made the appeal in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday.

After raiding Igboho’s house in Soka, Ibadan, the Department of State Services also asked him to report to its office.

The spokesperson for DSS, Peter Afunaya, had said that seven AK-47 rifles were recovered, alongside pump action guns and 5,000 rounds of ammunition, including other weapons, were recovered when DSS raided Igboho’s house, in Soka, Ibadan, Oyo State around 1:00 a.m. on Thursday.

The secret police also said it killed two persons and arrested 13.

Igboho, who is a promoter of the Yoruba Nation, has gone underground following the invasion, denied the ownership of the arms, and demanded an apology and N500 million damages from DSS.

However, many Yoruba monarchs have been silent on the development, a situation that the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Akanbi, attributed to Igboho’s disrespect for some traditional rulers.

Igboho had in the past tackled Ooni and Alake for expressing opposing views to his approach in agitating for Yoruba Nation and fight against herdsmen’s invasion.

But the Yoruba generalissimo appealed to the influential monarchs and South-West governors to intervene in Igboho’s travail, adding that “from my experience, it is difficult to fight the government and win.”

He said, “I appeal to our traditional rulers starting from Ooni, to Alake and other leaders, including our Governors who Sunday had abused and insulted – you know he insulted me too but we need to forgive and help him. We must not allow this to consume him.

“We are appealing to them generally not to allow Sunday Igboho to be consumed. The issue on the ground now is about the interest of the Yoruba Nation. Either you support self-determination or not, anything that happens to Sunday Igboho will be a slap to the entire Yoruba race. They should not forget that the issue on the ground is not only the issue of self-determination. It is also about insecurity – that some tribes are determined to overrun our own region.

“If you allow this to consume Sunday Igboho, it will create an advantage for the criminals, who have already invaded our farms and communities to cause a security threat.

“At the same time, I appeal to all agitators that they should not abuse anybody that defer or disagree on self-determination – that believes in the devolution of power. We shouldn’t abuse those who said publicly that they believe in the devolution of power. We should not be enemies.”

By Femi Falana

At the virtual meeting of Northern Governors Forum held on February 9, 2021, the members unanimously resolved to ban open grazing. According to the communique issued at the end of the meeting, it was stated that the Forum noted with concern “the growing wave of insecurity in the country particularly as it relates to the circulation of unverified video clips on social media portraying violent attacks on persons in some parts of the country. Therefore, the forum called on political leaders to segregate between criminality and social groups in their domains with a view to treating criminals as criminals.

The forum reiterated the condemnation of every form of criminality whether from herders, hunters, or farmers occupying forest reserves illegally. It also noted with concern the tension generated by the eviction order issued to herdsmen in some parts of the country. And it expressed concern that this is heating the already fragile security atmosphere with threats of reprisals which the Northern governors are working assiduously to contain.”

The forum also noted with concern that “the current system of herding conducted mainly through open grazing is no longer sustainable in view of growing urbanization and population of the country.”

Consequently, the forum resolved to aggressively sensitise herdsmen on the need to adopt new methods of herding by ranching or other acceptable modern methods.” The forum appealed to the Federal Government “to support states with grants to directly undertake pilot projects of modern livestock production that will serve as springboard and evidence for breaking resistance to the full implementation of new methods of livestock production (and) resolved to engage elders and youths in a robust discussion with a view to dousing the tensed security environment in the North and called on all the citizens of the north to continue to live in peace with all Nigerians irrespective of their origins and backgrounds.”

The forum stressed the urgent need for the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, to meet and discuss the issue holistically with a view to resolving all areas of misunderstanding and conflicts arising from these threats and suspicion for the sake of national unity.

In response to the call of the NGF for an urgent meeting, the Nigeria Governors Forum held a virtual meeting on February 11, 2021. At the meeting the 36 state governors agreed by consensus to end nomadic cattle rearing in the country in order to end the incessant violent clashes between farmers and herders. In the communique of the governors it was categorically stated as follows: “Following an update from governors on the various initiatives taken by state governments to address the rising insecurity in the country due to the activities of herdsmen, members reached a consensus on the need for the country to transition into modern systems of animal husbandry that will replace open, night and underage grazing in the country.”

It was further stated in the Communique that: “State governments are encouraged to put in place systems to accelerate the grazing initiative of the National Livestock Transformation Plan, NLTP and ranching in the country.” However, the Forum urged state governments to respect “the right of abode of all Nigerians and strongly condemns criminality and the ethnic profiling of crime in the country in an effort to frame the widespread banditry and the herders /farmers crisis.”

At its own meeting held at Asaba, Delta State on May 11, 2021, the Southern Governors Forum reiterated the decision of the Nigeria Governors Forum to ban open grazing in the country. Curiously, Professor Usman Yusuf has condemned the decision of the Southern Governors Forum on the ban. Even though he did not condemn the decisions of the Northern Governors Forum and the Nigeria Governors Forum, Professor Usman has argued that the decision of the Southern Governors Forum could not be justified under the Land Use Act. Such divide-and-rule tactics are designed to further polarise the masses of our people.

In any case, the decision of all the governors to ban open grazing is in line with section 1 of the Land Use Act which has vested the entire land in every state in the governors on behalf of the people. Accordingly, any person or corporate body that wishes to use land in any state is required to apply for a certificate of occupancy issued by the governor.

In the same vein, the power to approve the physical planning of the land in every state is the exclusive responsibility of state governments. Furthermore, forest reserves owned by state governments are equally regulated by laws enacted by the Houses of Assembly. Under such laws it is stipulated that it is a criminal offence to occupy any part of such reserve without authorisation of the state government.

By the combined effect of the Land Use Act, Regional Planning laws and Forest Laws applicable in all the states of the federation. Thus, pursuant to such laws the Federal Government has directed state governments to take charge of all the forests in all states. It is, therefore, grossly misleading to argue that herders have unquestionable power to graze their cattle on any land without the authorisation of the appropriate authorities.

As I had repeatedly maintained, the worsening insecurity in the country, including the violent clashes between herders and farmers, can only be seriously addressed if policy makers are prepared to abandon primitive ideas and embrace scientific solutions. As far back as 2016, the Buhari administration had adopted ranching in place of open grazing on farmlands without the authorisation of the owners. Unfortunately, due to pressure from some selfish interest groups the Federal Government abandoned the policy of ranching.

However, the increasing wave of insecurity in recent times has compelled the Federal Government and all the state governments to make ranching as the cornerstone of the National Livestock Transformation Plan. From the information at our disposal, not fewer than 24 state governments have applied for the special grant earmarked for the establishment of ranches by the Federal Government.

No doubt, every citizen is entitled to the fundamental right to freedom of movement and right to own and acquire land in any part of Nigeria by virtue of sections 41 and 43 of the Nigerian Constitution, respectively. To that extent, herders, like other citizens, are at liberty to acquire land for cattle business under the Land Use Act. But it is grossly misleading on the part of Professor Usman to say that governors are required to secure the permission of herders before banning the dangerous practice of open, night and underage grazing.

Those who are encouraging herders to reject modern animal husbandry are advised to learn from Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya and Ethiopia that have effectively adopted ranching to end clashes between herders and farmers. In those countries, farmers live in the ranches with family members, including their children and wards who attend schools in the neighbourhood.

*Falana, SAN, is Interim Chair, Alliance on Surviving COVID – 19 and Beyond, ASCAB.