₦airaland Forum

United Nations
humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien has released
US$13 million from the Central Emergency
Response Fund (CERF) to provide life-saving
assistance to 250,000 people in areas of north-
east Nigeria that have just become accessible.
The destruction of crops and looting of livestock
have left many people unable to support their
families. More than 50,000 people need seeds
and tools for the upcoming planting season and
CERF funding will help them to rebuild their
livelihoods. A significant number of women and
girls, and also men and boys, have suffered or
witnessed terrible abuses; CERF funds will enable
humanitarian partners to provide critical
psychosocial support and protection services.
“People have experienced unspeakable suffering
due to the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram.
We now have better access finally, and a chance
to help them,” said Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien. “The international
community must take advantage of this opening
to reach people with essential services and build
on the CERF allocation to scale up the response”.
CERF funds will support the provision of food,
cash for food purchase, special child nutritional
supplements, protection and health services to
the most vulnerable people in the newly
accessible areas through disbursements to FAO,
UNDSS, UNFPA, UNHAS, UNHCR, UNICEF and
WFP.
“The humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria is
massive and alarming: 15 million people are
affected by the violence instigated by Boko
Haram including 7 million people who need
urgent humanitarian assistance,” said Munir
Safieldin, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator.
“Unless we scale up now, 7 to 8 children will die
of severe acute malnutrition every hour; 184
children will die every day. We need resources
now to scale up our current response”.
The Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria was
revised upwards by $51 million in June and is
now calling for $279 million. To date, it is only 22
per cent funded.
Since 2015, CERF has supported life-saving
assistance in response to Boko Haram-related
violence with more than $58 million, bringing the
total CERF support to more than $70 million with
this new injection of funds. Some $27 million was
allocated in March 2015 to assist more than 1.6
million internally displaced people, refugees,
returnees and host communities in Cameroon,
Chad, Niger and Nigeria. An additional $31 million
was provided in early 2016 to help 700,000
people in the Lake Chad Basin.
CERF is a pooled fund that supports rapid
humanitarian response. Donors preposition funds
with CERF so that money is available immediately
to kick-start relief operations in new emergencies
and to provide live-saving assistance in crises that
are underfunded. At mid-year, donors have
contributed $248 million to CERF for 2016 and
CERF has allocated nearly the same amount,
responding to high demand from humanitarian
partners. New contributions are urgently needed.
UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs:

Problems of international oil and gas companies,
including Shell and Chevron Corporation
( NYSE:CVX), in Nigeria might end in the near
future as the militant group, Niger Delta
Avengers, has asked the Nigerian President
Muhammadu Buhari to visit the southern region
of the Niger Delta. The group has asked the
President to hold a referendum in the country
and to assess how the multinationals and the
government are adversely impacting the locals.
The talks between the two parties are expected to
bring an end to the political turmoil in the
country, which has been haunting Africa’s
biggest economy for the past few months.


Avengers on the Roll
Since February, Niger Delta Avengers has carried
out multiple attacks on foreign companies’ oil and
gas facilities. The group’s first major attack was
on Shell’s Forcados terminal and under-water
pipeline. Since then, it has attacked several
production facilities and pipelines of Shell,
Chevron and Eni SpA (ADR) (NYSE:E).
Nigeria earns 70% of its income from the sale of
crude oil. However, the Niger Delta Avengers
believe that only a small proportion of the crude
sales revenue is invested in the local
infrastructure.
The group highlighted the fact that while
Chevron’s oil and gas facilities have not faced any
power outages in the Niger Delta for the past 40
years, the locals are suffering from lack of schools,
hospitals, clean water and electricity. On their
website, the Avengers said that while the
multinationals are living like “Kings and
Presidents” in the country, the residents continue
to struggle with a lot of problems. The poverty
level in Nigeria is high while the standard of living
is extremely low.
The militants want international energy
companies’ to halt their operations and exit the
Niger Delta. The group said on its twitter account
that foreign companies are “robbing the Niger
Delta of oil and gas for quite a long period.”
The Avengers set May 31 as the deadline for
foreign companies to halt their operations and
exit the region. If the companies didn’t leave by
the set deadline, the militant group said it would
continue to target their facilities, electricity
feeders and pipelines. The group has also warned
against any repair works on the damaged sites.

Peace Talks
In May, Nigerian officials said that they are in talks
with the Avengers. The government pulled back
army troops from the region to ensure the group
is ready to engage in peace-talks. However, the
talks didn’t bear fruit and the attacks continued.
Earlier this month, the Niger Delta Avengers said
they were ready to negotiate with the
government if it would maintain a “genuine
attitude and conducive atmosphere.” The group
said a “genuine dialogue” is necessary to create a
short and long-term framework for the energy
sector in Nigeria.
On Saturday, the group called the Nigerian
President to visit the southern region of the Niger
Delta. Mr. Buhari was scheduled to visit the area
last month, however, he cancelled his trip due to
an ear infection. The postponement of the visit
angered the Avengers, and there was an attack
on the state-owned oil company’s boat. The
group, however, didn’t claim responsibility for the
attack.
This would be Mr. Buhari’s first trip to the region
after he was elected President last year. The
Avengers have accused him of completely
ignoring the locals, especially the minorities. The
group said he should visit Ogulagha and
Ugborodo communities, which are host to Royal
Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A), Chevron and
other international energy companies.
The militant group said: “Mr. President come and
see for yourself what the host communities are
going through in the hands of Nigeria
government and the multinationals.”
Mr. Buhari’s visit might end the tensions between
the two parties, which would positively impact
the oil and gas majors in Nigeria. The militant
attacks have adversely impacted the financial
position of the energy companies and have
dented the Nigerian economy. Nigerian crude oil
production has dropped from 2.2 million barrels
per day (bpd) to around 1.6 million bpd.
Moreover, the country has also lost its status as
Africa’s biggest oil producer.
The attacks have also created problems for
foreign oil and gas companies in the country. The
companies are already struggling with weak
commodity prices for the past two years.
According to news sources, a number of energy
companies including ConocoPhillips, Shell, and
Total are planning to divest assets in the region.

Another Brexit?
Separately, the Niger Delta Avengers have asked
Mr. Buhari to “call for a referendum and let
Nigerians decides like they did to vote you into
Power.” The Nigerian President should follow in
the footsteps of David Cameron of Great Britain
and should allow the locals to decide whether
they would opt to stay as Nigerians or not, the
group added.
The Avengers are of opinion that the locals are
not happy with the government and thus would
opt for the exit. Market experts are expected to
keep a close eye on Buhari-Avengers talks as they
would determine the future oil and gas
production of Nigeria.

Pandemonium broke out on Monday morning at
the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja,
when security details attached to the office of the
Senate President Bukola Saraki assaulted
journalists covering the trial.
Trouble started when Saraki and Ike
Ekweremadu, his deputy, arrived the court with a
retinue of security operatives, who stationed
themselves at the entrance of court and
threatened to shoot photojournalists and
television cameramen.
The camera operators and photojournalists
maintained that they wanted to take cutaway
clips to enable them to establish their story before
the start of the court sitting. The security aides
rejected the explanation of the journalists and
attacked them with gun butts.

ABUJA — The All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government is not focused on probing members of the party, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr. Babachir Lawal, has said.


SGF Engr Babachir David Lawal
The SGF, in an interview, weekend, affirmed that the government would, in the light of declining revenue, reprioritise the 2016 budget with emphasis on the administration’s priority projects and would not prioritise the constituency projects inputted by the National Assembly.

Lawal, in his first major interview since assuming office last August, also gave reasons for the failure to name ambassadorial nominees in certain states just as he justified the recent recruitment into the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

Lawal, in the interview, said the report of the 2014 National Conference organised by the Goodluck Jonathan administration was not a priority of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Saying Buhari was too busy to study the report of the National Conference, Lawal said: “The government has not taken a decision on the 2014 National Conference. I understand that some Nigerians want it implemented but the government has been too busy with key areas of governance to talk about an exercise that we thought was essentially diversionary and a sort of, maybe, a “job for the boys.”

“If you remember, it was reported that almost everybody in the committee got N7 million and we consider it essentially as job for the boys. They probably produced a document that is good and commendable but I mean, this government is too busy with very more vital areas of governance and we are not intending to spend our time reading reports.

“The exercise of governance is not about reading reports. The reports are here, so many volumes that, for example, it would take me like seven days to go through and I wonder what happens to my work while I am reading it; while the economy needs attention, unemployment is there, insecurity is there, people are blowing up pipelines and so on.”

The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly,
Honourable Kola Oluwawole, has praised civil
servants in the state for calling off their four-week
old industrial action.
He also eulogized the state governor, Dr Ayodele
Fayose for his transparency in handling the
finances of the state and his sense of
commitment to industrial harmony in the state.
Oluwawole, in a statement signed by his Special
Assistant (Media), Stephen Gbadamosi, in Ado-
Ekiti, on Saturday, noted that the desired
development of the state could not be achieved
in an environment laden with acrimony.
“I want to salute our civil servants for their
understanding signposted by their calling off the
strike. His Excellency, Dr Peter Ayodele Fayose,
also deserves praises for his transparency in
running the finances of the state.
“Issues like this cannot but rear their ugly heads;
but we have to find a way of coming to the round
table so that our state can progress. The much-
sought-after development of our dear state can
only be achieved in an environment devoid of
rancor.
“That is the reason we in the Ekiti State House of
Assembly waded into this matter of workers’
strike in the first instance. We will continue to
help to seek for a common ground where the
executive and workers have axes to grind,” he
said.
The Speaker also seized the opportunity to appeal
to workers in the state to always consider
available facts before taking actions in their
dealings with the state governor, adding that
negotiation should always come paramount
ahead of industrial action.

The National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators
(NCNDE-A) has called on youths to support the
federal government, urging them not to pay
attention to All Progressive Congress (APC)
'blackmailers' who will do anything to create
disunity within the country. The president of the
association, Israel Akpodoro, made the statement
in Abuja on Friday, Vanguard Newspaper
reported.
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Mr. Akpodoro said in the statement that some
members of the opposition had brainwashed the
Niger Deltan youths to believe that the non-
payment of the amnesty allowance was a form of
punishment by the federal government. He
appealed to the government to pay the arrears of
the amnesty stipend, as such an act will go a long
way to restore peace in the region and dispel the
rumor that the federal government is punishing
ex-militants for the havoc of the Niger Delta
Avengers.
The association called on President Muhammadu
Buhari to pay the allowances so as to cushion the
effects of the current economic situation in the
nation.

Nigeria’s Vice President,
Yemi Osinbajo, Thursday
declared that having an easy
source of revenues denied
Nigeria the opportunity to
engage in the critical thinking
and prioritization that usually
drives development.
Osinbajo spoke at the
launching of the Standard
Operating Procedures (SOP)
and Port Services Support
Portal (PSSP) for Nigerian
Ports hosted by the Ministry
of Transportation in Abuja
on Thursday with other top
government and private
sector functionaries including
Transportation Minister
Rotimi Amaechi in attendance.
He said the country must
reduce the current
dependence of the federal
and the state governments
on the ritual sharing of
revenues from oil.
According to the Vice
President, doing so would
require alternative revenue
sources and diversification
of our economic structures in
terms of the drivers of our
economic activity and
sources of foreign
exchange, whilehailing the
Ministry of Transportation
for initiating the SOPs and
PSSPs, which are electronic-
based monitoring which would
now govern the entire port
operations in the country.

https://cdn.dailypost.ng/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/President-Muhammadu-Buhari-1024x683.jpg

President Muhammadu Buhari says the inability of 27 state governments to pay monthly salaries of their workers is disgraceful to Nigeria.
President Buhari stated this in Abuja on Wednesday while addressing staff of the Presidential Villa.

He expressed dismay that in spite of the initial bailout funds given to some states, workers in those states were yet to receive their salaries.


“The matter that may shock you is that 27 out of the 36 states couldn’t pay salaries.

“This is a disgrace to Nigeria; it’s a disgrace. Up till now some of the states cannot pay salaries.

“What happened to all that we have been getting all this time? We looked left, right, centre, up and down and said; any savings?

“There was nothing, because we developed a consumption that we were not supposed to develop.’’


Buhari, therefore, advised state governments to diversify their revenue sources to strengthen their financial positions.

He pledged that his administration’s ongoing war against corruption would be sustained to rid the country of the debilitating effects of the wanton looting of public funds.

“I have never in my life – from class monitor to here for the second time in different form – believed in corruption.

“With what we are doing, if we made any mistake along the line of compromising our integrity, the country would have been further dragged back by blackmail and other things.

“We’ll not touch anybody that did not touch public funds.

“If you behave yourself, you may not have houses in Abuja or in Europe or in America, but you will sleep soundly.

“Your children and families will enjoy respect.’’

The President reiterated the determination of his administration to stop all forms of fraud in the country.

He said security agencies had been alerted to apprehend persons engaged in currency racketeering in the country.

“For those, who have plenty of naira and use bankers and others to stamp papers and buy the dollars and take them outside, we will have to do something else, because we are alerting all security agencies.

“All fraud must be stopped. If they want to believe us is to see those we have caught red-handed, taking public funds.

“This exercise will continue as long as this leadership is here.

“Whoever takes anything that does not belong to him and is not entitled to him and he is caught, he will be documented and taken before the court.’’

He assured that he would continue to lead the country with patriotic zeal, integrity, dedication and commitment to improving the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.

Buhari thanked the State House staffers for their services to the nation and urged them to remain patriotic and to eschew corruption in the discharge of their duties.

“I’m asking you to re-dedicate yourself to your country.

“As I said thirty years ago, we have no other country than Nigeria; we are determined to rehabilitate the country for coming generations.

“The process of change is not easy, but with your dedication, we can deal successfully with the issues that currently confront us,’’ he said.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, State House, Malam Jalal Arabi, thanked the president for his concern and support to the staff of the presidency.

He stated that the State House staff will remain loyal to the Buhari-led administration in its desire to transform the country. (NAN)

The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) said the federal
government is not serious in its supposed
commitment to opening dialogue with the Niger
Delta Avengers (NDA).
IYC President Udengs Eradiri said although a
proper invitation had not been extended to the
IYC, the discordant tune coming from members of
President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet and the
absence of the president at the meeting has
made the IYC lose confidence in the dialogue
process.
The Niger Delta Avengers said while they were
never part of any 30-day ceasefire agreed upon
by militant groups and the federal government,
the NDA would only agree to dialogue if it is open
to an international audience.
In a response to the inquiry of the leadership, the
NDA warned "political jobbers" not to assume the
position of the group on issues of a truce.
“Those canvassing and assuming our position on
truce are on their own, but the NDA will only
agree to dialogue if it’s open to international
audience,” the group said.
On his part, Mr. Eradiri, in an interview with
journalists in Yenagoa, said the dialogue would
not be proper without the president’s
attendance, and the IYC would not join such talks
unless he were present for them.
“I can only attend if the president is present. I
won’t waste my time. When former President
Yardua was negotiating with militants, you could
see it clearly. You saw that it was between the
militants and the federal government’s
negotiating team. There was nothing like the
‘NSA is doing this one and the Defence is doing
another one.’ No,” the IYC leader said.
Mr. Eradiri emphasized that the federal
government was not talking the peace process
seriously.
“There has been no seriousness on the federal
government team. The only seriousness expected
is the president leading the team. If the Ijaw team
and the militants present 10 conditions and the
president declines some, we will believe that is
the correct and true position of the
administration. And we will go back to the table
and plan,” he said.

The Limit of Ayo Fayose’s Immunity, By Femi Falana

In view of the fact that the effect of section 308 of the Constitution has been watered down, Governor Fayose cannot invoke the immunity clause to shield himself from investigation. Since the offences of fraud, treason and criminal diversion of public funds were allegedly committed in connection with the 2014 governorship election in Ekiti state, Mr. Fayose who was a candidate of the PDP at the material time, is liable to be investigated.

Sometime in 2004, Governor Ayo Fayose was reported by The News magazine to have stolen N1.2 billion from the coffers of Ekiti State government. The brutal killings in the state were also traced to a killer squad funded by the governor. Embarrassed by the publication, Mr. Fayose sued the magazine at the high court holden at Ado Ekiti. Our law firm defended the magazine and pleaded justification. At the trial of the case, the allegations in the publication were proved beyond any shadow of doubt. In dismissing the suit, the trial judge said that Mr. Fayose had no reputation worthy of protection by any court.

The allegation of the looting of the treasury of the state was investigated by the EFCC which proceeded to charge Mr. Fayose at the Federal High Court. The Police also charged him with the murder of Tunde Omojola at the Ekiti State high court. Both cases were pending in court when he contested and ‘won’ the Ekiti State governorship election. Shortly thereafter, a young army officer, Captain Sagir Koli exposed the involvement of some armed personnel led by General Aliyu Momoh in the coup which led to the ‘re-election’ of Governor Fayose. All the criminal suspects initially denied their involvement in the criminal enterprise. But when confronted with the tape recording of the plot to manipulate the election, Mr. Fayose admitted that he took part in the coup.

Based on the expose by Captain Koli, the authorities of the Nigerian Army set up a panel of enquiry to investigate the role of the armed soldiers in the violent subversion of the democratic process in Ekiti State. The panel conducted the inquiry and identified the military officers and soldiers who participated in the coup which led to the pyrrhic victory of Mr. Ayo Fayose. The report of the panel was submitted to the Chief of Army Staff who promised to act on it by implementing its recommendations.

The indicted military officers and armed soldiers have since been flushed out of the Nigerian army. Some of them were also referred to the EFCC for further investigation over allegations of financial inducement and corrupt practices. The findings of the army panel have been corroborated by Mr. Fayose’s campaign manager, Dr. T.K. Aluko who addressed several press conferences wherein he gave graphic details of the illegal deployment of armed troops and criminal diversion of public funds for the governorship election allegedly won by Mr. Fayose. In particular, he revealed that the fund for the election was ferried to Ado Ekiti by a former minister who is currently on self exile in the United States.

While not challenging the allegation by the EFCC that the sum of N1.3 billion has been traced to his personal account, Mr. Fayose has attempted to hide under the immunity clause to shield himself from investigation. Contrary to the governor’s claim, he does not enjoy immunity from investigation with respect to his criminal involvement in treasonable conduct and corrupt practices. It is trite law that all the public officers protected by Section 308 of the Constitution can be investigated for corruption and other criminal offences. In Chief Gani Fawehinmi vs. Inspector General of Police (2002) 23 WRN 1 the Supreme Court held:



“That a person protected under section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, going by its provisions, can be investigated by the police for an alleged crime or offence is, in my view, beyond dispute. To hold otherwise is to create a monstrous situation whose manifestation may not be fully appreciated until illustrated… The evidence may be useful for impeachment purposes if the House of Assembly may have need of it. It may no doubt be used for prosecution of the said incumbent Governor after he has left office. But to do nothing under the pretext that a Governor cannot be investigated is a disservice to the society.”


The senior lawyers who have questioned the freezing of Mr. Fayose’s account on the ground that the EFCC did not obtain a court order have not read section 28 of the EFCC Act which provides that “where a person is arrested for an offence under this Act, the Commission shall immediately trace and attach all the assets and properties of the person acquired as a result of such economic or financial crime and shall thereafter cause to be obtained an interim attachment order from the Court”.

To ensure that the investigation of the public officers covered by the immunity clause is not compromised by the executive, the Chief Justice of Nigeria is empowered by section 52 of the ICPC Act to appoint an Independent Counsel (who shall be a legal practitioner of not less than 15 years standing) to investigate any allegation of corruption against the president, vice president, governor or deputy governor. The ICPC is enjoined to fully cooperate with such independent counsel and provide all facilities necessary for such independent counsel to carry out his functions. At the end of the investigation, the Independent Counsel is required to make a report of the findings to the National Assembly in the case of the president or vice president and to the relevant House of Assembly of a State in the case of the governor or deputy governor.



Since there is no immunity for impunity as far as electoral malfeasance is concerned, the investigation by the EFCC is in order. The senior lawyers who have questioned the freezing of Mr. Fayose’s account on the ground that the EFCC did not obtain a court order have not read section 28 of the EFCC Act which provides that “where a person is arrested for an offence under this Act, the Commission shall immediately trace and attach all the assets and properties of the person acquired as a result of such economic or financial crime and shall thereafter cause to be obtained an interim attachment order from the Court”. The law permits the EFCC to freeze an account or attach a property of a criminal suspect and proceed thereafter to obtain an ex parte order from the appropriate court.

I am not unaware that by the strict interpretation of section 308 of the Constitution, no court process can be issued or served on a governor. But because immunity cannot be pleaded or invoked to cover electoral fraud, elected governors are served with court processes and dragged to court to respond to allegations of electoral malpractice. However, in order to give effect and validity to the equality of the rights of all contestants in a presidential or governorship elections, it has been held by the Supreme Court that the immunity clause cannot be invoked in election petitions. Otherwise, public officers covered by the immunity clause may take advantage of their positions to rig elections and thereby sabotage the democratic process. The rationale for suspending the operation of the immunity clause during the hearing of election petition was explained by the late Justice Kayode Eso in Obih Vs. Mbakwe (1984) All NLR 134 at 148 when he said:



“With respect, to extend the immunity to cover the governors from being legally challenged when seeking a second term will spell injustice. I am conscious of the fact that in my interpretation of section 267 of the Constitution, I am giving that provision a narrow interpretation. This is deliberate for, in my view, in the interpretation of the Constitution, care should be taken not to diminish from the justice of the matter, this is not a case of a judge engaging in legislative process.”

Similarly, in Turaki v. Dalhaltu (2003) 38 WRN 54 at 168 the Court of Appeal (per Oguntade JCA (as he then was) had this to say:

“There is no doubt that a Governor by the force of section 308 of the 1999 Constitution is immuned from civil and criminal proceedings for his personal acts but in proceedings in an election petition or seeking to enforce rights appertaining to or arising from national elections, no Governor in my view enjoys or can claim immunity. In an election matter, as in this case, the right of the Governor to remain such Governor is in issue. If a Governor were to be considered immuned from court proceedings, that would create the position where a sitting Governor would be able to flout election laws and regulations to the detriment of other person contesting with him. This will make a nonsense of the election process and be against the spirit of our national Constitution which in its tenor provides for a free and fair election.”


…if he is indicted, Mr. Fayose ought to be prosecuted by the EFCC since the immunity of a governor is put in abeyance when the legitimacy of his election is in dispute.

In the case of the Alliance for Democracy v. Peter Ayodele Fayose (No 1) (2004) 26 WRN 34, the Respondent had challenged the issuance of a subpoena on him on the ground that Section 308 has conferred immunity on him as a governor. While dismissing the objection the Court of Appeal (per Muri Okunola JCA) held:

“…The provisions of section 308 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are not applicable to confer immunity on a State Governor in an election petition involving his election to preclude the issuance of subpoena on him. Or put in another way: the immunity provided by the provisions of section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 on a State Governor is put in abeyance when his election is being disputed before an Election Tribunal as to make him amenable to being compelled by a subpoena to tender document(s) or give evidence before the Election Tribunal.”

In view of the fact that the effect of section 308 of the Constitution has been watered down, Governor Fayose cannot invoke the immunity clause to shield himself from investigation. Since the offences of fraud, treason and criminal diversion of public funds were allegedly committed in connection with the 2014 governorship election in Ekiti state, Mr. Fayose who was a candidate of the PDP at the material time, is liable to be investigated. And if he is indicted, Mr. Fayose ought to be prosecuted by the EFCC since the immunity of a governor is put in abeyance when the legitimacy of his election is in dispute.

Finally, in his desperate bid to divert public attention from the ongoing investigation of the criminal diversion of public funds, Mr. Fayose has attempted to link me with his indictment by the Nigerian Army and the EFCC. Notwithstanding that the allegation is completely baseless, I fully support the investigations. I do not need to instigate the anti-graft agencies to enquire into the activities of a serial treasury looter. Having admitted his involvement in the coup which occurred in Ekiti State which culminated in his emergence as governor, Mr. Fayose ought to be prosecuted for treason which arose from the electoral malfeasance.

As the allegation of sexual
misconduct against three
Nigerian lawmakers by the
United States Government
continues to draw public
fury, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives,
Yakubu Dogara, has asked
America to provide fool-
proof evidence that the
lawmakers indeed committed
the crimes.
A lawmaker, Mohammed
Gololo (APC-Bauchi State)
was accused of grabbing a
hotel maid and soliciting sex,
while two others, Samuel
Ikon (PDP-Akwa Ibom) and
Mark Gbillah (APC-Benue
State) allegedly requested a
car park attendant to help
them arrange the services of
prostitutes during a visit to
Cleveland for the
International Visitor
Leadership Programme.
The allegations were
contained in a June 9 petition
to Mr. Dogara by American
Ambassador to Nigeria,
James Entwistle.
The three lawmakers denied
the allegations separately
describing them as “totally
false”, “calculated attempt to
rubbish the National
Assembly” and “a case of
mistaken identity.”
In a series of tweets on
Saturday, Mr. Dogara
commented on the
allegations, as he responded
to questions thrown at him
by Nigerians.
“He who alleges must
prove,” he said via his
Twitter handle @
speakerdogara. “That’s the
law.”
“As we speak no evidence
has been put forward other
than the letter sent to my
office and copied to many
others.
“Together with the US
Embassy in Nigeria we will
get to the bottom of this
matter and until then let’s
not be judgemental.
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“Under our laws an accused
person is deemed innocent
until proven guilty and he
enjoys the benefit of any
doubt.
“Social media trial and
conviction of members
alleged to have committed
the offence is taking up arms
against our laws,” tweeted
an “awfully embarrassed”
Mr. Dogara.
Charged by Twitter user @
saintyMartins for being
“more defensive” than the
accused lawmakers, Mr.
Dogara replied, “what’s more
offensive, to be defensive
or convict people based on
an allegation? Is that the
standard in the US.”
Another Twitter user @
akorive001 asked Mr.
Dogara what his response
was to allegation by activist
Kayode Ogundamisi that he
was shielding the accused
lawmakers.
“Interesting,” the Speaker
replied, “He (@ogundamisi)
can convict if he likes but for
us we must see the evidence
(be)cos(cause) that’s what
the law says.
“My position is very
neutral.”
On the alleged “attempted
rape” of hotel room keeper
by Mr. Gololo, Mr. Dogara
said the US Ambassador did
make reference to that in his
letter. “That’s a social media
creation.”
Mr. Gololo was actually
accused of “grabbing” the
room keeper and soliciting
sex from her.
He said the concerned
lawmakers had indicated they
were ready to stand trial in
the US.
“They are ready to do that
at their own cost.”
In further tweets, the
Speaker, however, warned
of consequences for the
lawmakers if proven guilty.
“No ambassador brings
dishonour to his home
country without some dire
consequences. This all
members know.”
“The members are
ambassadors of the House
and indeed Nigeria when
they were in the US, they
mustn’t bring dishonour to
us.”
The spokesperson for the
House, Abdulrazaq Namdas,
told PREMIUM TIMES on
Thursday that the House
leadership was investigating
the matter.

The hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, also
known as petrol, has thrown up a number of
challenges and in response, Nigerians have been
forced to adopt a number of cost-cutting
measures to survive the hard times thrown up by
the increase. Specifically, Nigerians are
introducing ingenious means to survive the hike
and the associated hardship, some of which
include car-pooling, fuel-gauge watching, cutting
down on the use of car air-conditioning and
patronising fuel stations selling at lower prices.
Already, the National Bureau of Statistics, in its
April inflation report released during the week,
revealed that Nigeria’s headline inflation reading
rose to 15.6 per cent in May, 2016, about 1.9
percentage points in excess of the previous
month’s record of 13.7 per cent.
The latest record did not only indicate a steady
rise since last year (except in August, 2015), but
also showed a six-year high point, matching the
same level as in February 2010 The NBS blamed
the rise in the country’s inflation rate on the
increase in electricity rate and fuel price among
others.
Motorists groan, device means of survival
A motorist, Mr. Jude Umeh, said the fuel price
increase has hiked his expenditure and reduced
his savings significantly. He said “prior to the
increase, I normally drive into a petrol station and
ask the fuel attendant to fill up my tank, but I can
no longer afford to do that. In the past, when my
fuel gauge is showing that my tank is half way, I
used to fill up my tank with about N3,500, but
now I cannot afford to fill up my tank from half
way.” Umeh said these days, he could only buy
fuel as much as his pocket allows, stating that
N5,000 can no longer fill his tank when it drops
half way.
Another motorist, a businesswoman, Mrs. Agatha
Otiti, who drives a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), told
Saturday Vanguard that within the first two
weeks of the price hike, she spent N27,000 to
fuel her vehicle, which forced her to have a
rethink on her expenditure as it concerns fuel.
She explained that these days, she no longer
comes to town on a daily basis, from her place in
Lugbe, but only ventures out of her home if she is
certain she has a business deal to close, which
would fetch her reasonable sum of money.
For Mr. Friday Olarewaju, he only comes to work
with his car twice in a week and on days when he
cannot catch up with the company’s staff bus. He
said the decision to limit his driving time was as a
result of the high cost of petrol, which he
lamented was taking a toll on his finances. He
added that the company’s staff buses had
recorded significant increase in staff patronage,
as majority of his colleagues had abandoned their
cars since the hike in fuel price.
“It was agreed among all the staff that we would
be contributing N1,000 each on a monthly basis
for fuelling the company’s Toyota Coaster Buses
that pick and drop us at bus stops closest to our
house on a daily basis. As for me, the bus stop is
a walking distance from my house, so it is very
convenient for me,” he explained. Mrs. Anastasia
Bakare, said she, her friends and some of her
colleagues have reached an unwritten agreement
to take turns in driving to the office carrying
others.
She said, “When it is your turn to drive, you carry
others, and that is how we arrange it on a weekly
basis. With this arrangement, I usually end up
driving my car to the office only once a week. This
has been helpful in reducing the amount I spend
on fuel on a daily basis.” Another motorist who
chose not to be named, told Saturday Vanguard
that he no longer uses the air condition in his car,
so as to conserve fuel. According to him, I only
use my car air condition when it is raining heavily,
and when it would be very difficult to drive.
In addition, to save cost, Mr. Usman Salisu said he
does not allow his fuel to reach half tank before
he goes for fill up. According to him, allowing the
fuel to drop to half tank means one will spend
more in filling it up. He explained that fuel drops
faster from the mid-point of the tank, stating that
from the point at which the tank is full to the mid-
point, it takes a little longer.
“If you want to spend less on fuel, once your fuel
gauge drops from the point at which it is full, do
not let it get to the midpoint before you fill it up
again. That way, you might end up spending less
for fuel on a weekly basis,” he argued. A private
car owner who spoke to Saturday Vanguard said
that since the price increase, he has been mindful
of his movements to conserve fuel. He added that
filling of his tank is now a thing of the past as he
only buys the quantity that would be enough for
his immediate use, even as low as two litres.
A commercial bus driver who plies between Iyana
Ipaja and Ayobo Road, Matthew Akinpelu
complained bitterly over the negative effect of the
new price on his transport business. “It is
saddening that these days, I hardly make money
from my transport business because of the new
fuel price. Before now, I was making a profit of
N2,000 with N800 worth of fuel. But that is not
the case since a litre of petrol now cost N145.
Presently, when I buy seven litres of fuel for
N1,015 and after toiling under the rain from
Iyana Ipaja to Ayobo Road, I make N1,000. Tell
me, how do I feed my family, pay house rent and
meet other responsibilities?”

The Uchenna Madu-led Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has reaffirmed its support for the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). The group was reacting to the reaction of the Ralph Uwazuruike-led Biafra Independent Movement (BIM), which has distanced itself from the NDA. In a statement issued in Enugu and signed by MASSOB director of Information, Samuel Edeson, the group said “the latest development has further shown and proved to the Biafran people that the man called Ralph Uwazuruike and his associates like Sunny Okoroafor are not existing or clamoring for Biafra.” It queried: “How can a Biafran person in his or her right senses deny or condemn the Niger Delta Avengers and other genuine Niger Delta groups agitating for Biafra? “If reformed and only one MASSOB under the leadership of our leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, is wrong in supporting the Niger Delta Avengers on their activities for Biafra actualization and restoration, why is it that other pro-Biafra groups have not condemned MASSOB?” It further chided Uwazuruike and Okoroafor for having directly and consciously proved that they were enemies of Ndigbo. The MASSOB insisted: “This reaction of Ralph Uwazuruike further proved his romance with the Federal Government through DSS to scuttle and sabotage efforts made for independence of Biafra from Nigeria. “MASSOB wish to remind Biafran people that it’s on record which can never be erased that Ralph Uwazuruike was expelled from MASSOB on 30th November, 2015 at MASSOB headquarters, Okwe for numerous criminal activities, open/shameful political romance with Federal Government, sabotage against genuine Biafran activities, signing of documents for enthronement of one indivisible Nigeria, etc. “After a week of the expulsion, he quickly formed his new group called Biafra Independent Movement (BIM). “Uwazuruike is no longer part of MASSOB, including his BIM members. They should stop deceiving themselves by claiming (to be) MASSOB members. “Biafran people know where they belong.”

In a statement on its website on Friday, June 17,
2016, the Avengers’ spokesman Brigadier General
Mudoch Agbinibo named one Mr. Ariyi Emami as
the leader of the gang of “political thugs and
agents of the APC” who are working to
“undermine the Niger Delta struggle”.
In the statement, the Niger Delta Avengers
revealed that this same person has been pushing
to be awarding pipeline protection contracts in
the Niger Delta by the All Progressives Congress,
APC, government. The group also said that he has
held meetings in the Edo State Government
House in Benin City.
The Avengers also revealed that this same Mr.
Emami was presenting himself as a representative
of the Niger Delta Avengers in a meeting with
Nigeria’s minister of state for petroleum, Dr. Ibe
Kachikwu in the Delta State Government House in
Asaba.
Chief Ayiri Emami, the “Warri Billionaire”. |Maestro
Media
Earlier Friday, the Delta Avengers had refuted
reports by a citizen reporter website that it was
dialoguing with Dr. Kachikwu at the Delta State
capital. It called the people in the meeting with
the minister imposters.
Mr. Ariyi Emami is known as a “Warri billionaire”
on society pages.
“We are watching with keen interest the
unwholesome activities of the political thugs and
agents of APC to undermine the Niger Delta
struggle in the likes of Mr. Ayiri and gangs,” the
statement, titled, Niger Delta Struggle Not For
Political Thugs, said.
“Few days ago, he and his group was parading,
regrouping, rebranding and re-arming defunct
Ex-MEND and settled Militants leaders discussing
pipelines, oil and gas facilities contract in Edo
State Government house.
“Today he and his co-travelers are in delta state
Government house, the Itsekiri Militants leader
with community leaders and unfortunately
branding them as representatives of Niger Delta
Avengers for self-gain and political survivals.
“We condemn its entirety the continuous linking
of the Niger Delta Avengers to any meeting in
Delta State Government in Asaba with Minister of
State for Petroleum Resources.
“We have never mincing words in telling the
whole listening world that the Niger Delta
Avengers will not be part any dialogue deal that
will not bring about ‘the peace of our time; but
we want a peace with honour’ as such we could
not be a party to any meeting with the likes of
Ayiri Emami and his co- travelers that that are
ready to kill and trade for the interest of pipeline,
oil and gas facilities contract from the
Government to bloat their pockets and urge
fantasies,” Mudoch Agbinibo concluded.

The Archbishop Emeritus of
the Catholic Archdiocese of
Lagos, Anthony Cardinal
Olubunmi Okogie, has urged
President Muhammadu Buhari
to start afresh in his
leadership of the country.
He urged the president to do
all that is necessary now to
revamp the economy before
things get out of hands.
Speaking on Thursday
during his 80th birthday
celebration which took place
at the Holy Cross Cathedral,
Lagos, Okojie also advised
Buhari not to take the
goodwill he is currently
enjoying from Nigerians for
granted.
Okojie said, “If President
Buhari wants to make a quick
turn back, he should take his
inaugural speech and the All
Progressive Congress, APC,
manifesto, study them and
then start afresh.
“That is my advice,” he
stated, adding that the
Nigeria is in need of leaders
who would unite and not
divide the country.”
Continuing, he observed that
Nigeria is in need of self-
sacrificing leaders who would
pay attention to the needs of
the people.
He said, “At this stage of my
life, I can only advise and
admonish our policy makers,
especially in the education
sector, that are now battling
with the lives of innocent
children, to allow education
to flourish; for if education
does not flourish, our
country cannot flourish.
“You have already seen it in
some parts of the country.
We have seen it in some of
our children’s behaviours,”
Okojie added.

The sharp drop in Federal Government’s revenue from crude oil sales has heightened fears among member of the House of Representatives over likely cuts in the N115bn budget of the National Assembly for this year, The PUNCH learnt on Thursday. Findings showed that the capital projects of the House for 2016, including a proposal to buy luxury cars worth over N3.6bn had become threatened. The N6.06tn budget for this year came under serious funding challenges lately as attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta escalated. From the budgetary 2.2 million barrels of crude per day, vandalism and attacks on oil pipelines by the Niger Delta Avengers have forced production output to dip to about 1.4mbpd. Investigations by The PUNCH showed that the looming budget cuts, which could also affect the estimated N27.9m quarterly allowances of the 360 members, topped discussions at a closed- door meeting hurriedly convened by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, on Wednesday. At the session, angry lawmakers reportedly expressed unhappiness over the poor releases of funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies for second quarter projects, a development said to have been tied to dwindling oil revenue. Findings also indicated that the “displeasing manner” the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, and his Senate Counterpart, Senator Danjuma Goje, handled the 2016 budget, came up at the meeting. “Members are not happy and the fact is not lost that they are no longer comfortable with Jibrin continuing as the chairman. “The zonal intervention projects of members were distorted by the committee. “There were cuts from their funds that could not be explained. The pressure remains on the Speaker that he should be relinquished of the position,” a senior legislative official told The PUNCH. Investigations revealed that the meeting, which lasted over one and a half hours, also devoted time to the plan to procure 360 luxury cars for members. The leadership of the House had initially resolved that Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited should supply 360 units of Peugeot 508 Salon series to members. It was gathered that the unit price agreed on was N10m, bringing the total cost to N3.6bn. However, while the House was facing fears that there might be no money to fund the N3.6bn, findings indicated that some members bluntly told Dogara at the session that they would not accept to ride in Peugeot 508. The members were said to have felt insulted that the leadership thought Toyota Land Cruiser Prado or other higher brands could not be bought for them because of paucity of funds. One source explained further, “There was disagreement at the meeting over the choice of cars to buy. “Some members even pointed to the fact that senators had already bought Prado jeeps, why not the House? “They also argued that ministers have up to three, four Prado jeeps in their convoys and could not understand why one jeep to a member was considered not affordable.” But, Dogara was said to have laboured at the session, explaining that the real problem was lack of money to buy the cars that suited the preferences of members. “He simply told them that there is no money. No money to buy anything outside Peugeot 508 cars,” the senior official added. When contacted for comments, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas, confirmed that the Speaker indeed met with members at an executive session on Wednesday. But, he declined to speak on the details of the deliberations on the grounds that issues discussed behind closed doors were for the ears of those at the closed doors only. “That is why it is called executive session. Anything discussed there remains closed until we tell the public,” he added. But, a separate source said the House would stick to the original plan to buy Peugeot 508 cars. It was gathered that Peugeot Automobile was expected to start delivering the cars from June 1. However, till date, no unit has been delivered, apparently due to the budget challenges. On his part, the Minority Leader of the House, Mr. Leo Ogor, informed The PUNCH that the meeting reviewed the threats posed to the economic survival of Nigeria by the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers. He added, “We are looking at the overall impact on the national budget, it is not just about the National Assembly. “We face a looming danger of all the states in the Federation not being able to pay salaries. “So, the way to go about it is not to be confrontational. We are urging the militants to embrace dialogue. Every part of the economy is being affected; it is a serious matter. “That was why we even moved a motion after the executive session, calling on the federal government to increase funding of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.”

H ON Evance Ivwurie, the lawmaker representing
Ethiope Constituency, Delta State, knew that that
the mission he chose to prosecute was a deadly
one, yet he decided to forge ahead.
In April, he led a team of security agents, who he
did not tell the nature of the operation until 30
minutes into a forest in the outskirts of Abraka
Kingdom which herdsmen used as hideout and
had dug tunnels. Ivwurie spoke to Sunday
Vanguard on the daring mission, why he chose to
keep the details until the last -minute from the
police, the threat to his life and his resolve despite
the odds.

What spurred your campaign against
herdsmen in your community?
•Ivwurie
What actually spurred me is the determination to
provide leadership, a leadership that eradicates
the heinous activities of the herdsmen, who I
refer to as terrorists. They have formed the habit
of killing my constituents and, on daily basis, they
kill a minimum of two to three persons and rape
girls.
When indigenes go to farm, they attack. In
Abraka alone, they amputated two young men.
They left women with one hand each; herdsmen
took the other hand. We have a case of a woman
known as Beauty, who they molested across the
river; she resisted every attempt to rape her, but,
in the end, they slaughtered her.
When they attack, they leave their signature
because their killing is dastardly, they would
shoot, machete the victims and you will see the
footprints of their cattle.
To answer your question, precisely in February, I
received a distress call that one of our brothers,
Mr. Francis Akpeni, who was a farmer and hunter,
had gone to his farm, and that the community
was looking for him. This went on for days until
they found him on the fifth day. His remains were
already decomposing with bullet wounds and
machete cuts all over his body. Around the area
they found him, there were footprints of cows.
The report touched me and I embarked on
intelligence gathering. Since I grew up in the
area, I know where these herdsmen do their
grazing and this is very important because we
need to know the nature of business of strangers
in our environs.
In the process of my intelligence gathering, I
received the news of another brother, Francis
Okotie, who was a lecturer with the Library
Department of the Delta State University with
children who combined his government job with
farm business.
Okotie had gone to his farm to do fumigation and
the cattle rearers did not take that lightly
because, after fumigation, if the cattle feed on
the grass, it has an adverse effect on the cattle,
and, because of this, the herdsmen shot him
severally and used machete to design his body
too. Villagers found his corpse the next day.
In my quest for public service all over the world, I
have found out that one of the most important
ingredients of leadership is courage.
I am not going to wait for a herdsman to come
from Kaduna, Chad or wherever and slaughter my
constituents on a daily basis and I would be
running to the media to cry out. I am sorry to
disappoint those that think I should wait, then go
and negotiate after they have done the harm.
Some people warned me that the herdsmen are
very violent and that no one in this country dares
them and we should negotiate with them or the
government does some palliatives to settle the
matter. I said no and that I would get to the root
of this problem and we all know that in this
country, to solve any problem, you have to get to
the root; else, whatever you are doing is just
window-dressing.
Owing to my understanding of the terrain, I
decided to go to the root of the problem by
asking, ‘where are these people? Let me go and
look for them’.
Having done my intelligence, I called the DPO in
charge of Abraka and told him that I wanted 50
mobile police officers, who have to go with me for
an operation; I did not tell him the nature of the
operation. He asked about the kind of operation
and I told him there were certain things that
happened in the area, which I needed to deal
with. He said he could not get me that number of
police officers but could get 35.
I told him that I would give him details of the
operation 30 minutes to when we were about
leaving and we finalized. I also called the vigilante
group and told them I needed only five of their
men and we moved to the station and that was
when I told the DPO.
When I told him, he said, ‘Oga, I am tired of these
herdsmen. Since I got here, they have killed eight
people, not to talk about the women they have
raped and men attacked’.
Therefore, we took the risk knowing that the
herdsmen are very violent, but I provided a quick
orientation for the officers that the motive was
not to kill any of them and that remains till today.
The plan was to take them alive, which is what we
anchored the operation.
The campaign was: ‘Arrest, meet their sponsors
and engage them’. Though there are claims that
these herdsmen are faceless, there are people
behind them. Therefore, the plan was that when
we take these herdsmen and police detain them,
their sponsors would come to bail them, and we
would interface with them and know if they were
actually here for real business. This is because it is
wrong to graze illegally in our farmlands.
So we needed to discuss, and we drove and
crossed the River Ethiope and the forest to where
these herdsmen are settled. When we got there,
we saw so many of them in different camps. But
we did not even envisage that they know
everywhere in the bush more than many of us
and you would agree with me that everybody
would not work in the same spirit like myself, as
some of the policemen were afraid that we might
be shot at from the bush.
Before we parked our vehicles to come down, the
herdsmen ran into the bush and into some
tunnels and deep trenches inside other parts of
the bush, which could make them elusive.


Are you saying the cattle rearers have
sponsors?
I can tell you they have sponsors and leadership.
The ones you see escorting the cattle are just
errand boys as there are people who own these
cattle and are behind the gang. If you look well,
in between the herd, there is at least a cow,
which they tie their weapons on each side of the
belly. They also have talisman. We know there are
people, who drive tinted jeeps into the bush to
meet these herdsmen to share information with
them, and some even landing in helicopters in
the bush.
However, if you are not a committed leader or
police officer, you would hear about them and
wave the issue aside.

The tunnels you saw, how did they look like,
what is the purpose?
The purpose is that, like the day we encountered
them, they can easily escape through the
tunnels.
Since you made these findings, have the
police destroyed the tunnels?
My promise to my people is that we would be
going back there, but this is a security matter, I
would not like to expatiate on that. Nevertheless,
after that visit, many things have happened in
quick succession and for so many people, it was a
major change as the people were benefiting from
that business. You cannot see herdsmen coming
from other parts of the country to your
community without the involvement of some
locals.

Edo Deputy Governor, Dr
Pius Odubu, on Saturday
said Gov. Adams Oshiomhole
had rated him as the best
candidate for the Sept. 10
gubernatorial election in the
state.
Odubu, an aspirant to the
governorship position on the
All Progressives Congress
(APC), made the claim at a
reception organised for him
by his team of supporters in
Benin.
He said that he had
understudied the governor
since their assumption of
office more than seven
years ago, and that th3e
governor had groomed him
for the number one seat.
“I have been in school; I
have been in Oshiomhole’s
school of governance and
he, himself, has rated me as
the best.
“We need a governor that
will hit the ground running.
We need a governor that is
game-ready and not one with
potential.
“We will bring to bear, all
that the governor has taught
us, and our expertise. We
will do the greatest good to
the greatest number of the
people within the shortest
time possible when we get
there.
“By His grace, I know and I
believe that I am the man
that will take over from the
governor,’’ Odubu said.
He urged APC’s delegates for
the June 18 primaries of the
party not to be coerced into
voting against their
preferred aspirant,
stressing that they must
freely choose who would
govern them.
On alleged massive buying of
Permanent Voters Cards
(PVC’s) by a particular
aspirant, he advised that
voters must protect their
PVCs.
He said, “my good people of
Edo, I hear they are
collecting your PVCs; please,
your PVC is your property, it
is your right, don’t sell it,
don’t mortgage your future.
“You have to freely choose
the man or woman that you
want. You must choose who
will govern Edo of your own
free volition,’’ the aspirant
said.
He announced that he had
been cleared for the
primaries by the party’s
screening committee and
appealed to his supporters
to remain steadfast and
conduct themselves
peacefully before, during and
exercise. (NAN)

The Federal Government, Saturday, said it is finalizing a conditional Budget Support Facility to provide financial relief to State Governments based on the states meeting a set of stringent fiscal conditions. The Finance Ministry, in a statement in Abuja, said the facility is aimed at providing support to the states to help them overcome their financial challenges. The Ministry of Finance said the states would only be able to access the facility if they meet a stringent 22-point reform agenda called the Fiscal Sustainability Plan (FSP), that was approved by state governments, the National Executive Council, last month. According to the Finance Ministry, the FSP encompasses a framework of reform measures including the requirement for the states to publish audited financial statements and budgets, biometric and Bank Verification Number (BVN) payroll review exercises to sanitise payroll costs, as well as limits on recurrent expenditure levels. Other reforms, the Ministry said, will require states to set and meet targets to enhance Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), the establishment of Efficiency Units to reduce overhead costs, privatisation of State Owned Enterprises, domestication of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and limitations on securing further bank loans. More details soon.

SuperS1Panther:
Ask majority of people screaming blue murder that how many of them or their family members benefited from the partisanship or corrupt practises of such officers?

Some people just LOVE wailing for wailing sake.

It is the mess of Army Institution, let them sort themselves out. OBJ too retired all Army Officers that has ever held a political post before 1999. Guess who it affected most?

The very best and fine officers from from North. So, why the noise now? Or should I say Why the wailing now?

Qelvin:
Good sef, we need their services back here in the armed struggle for Biafra...let all our officers and men start to return home to put their training to better use.

amaechi1:
Nwanne, I am not from north. My argument wait for list before you apportion blame. That what a wise one will do. For all you know, this heading may not be true.

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the
retirement of some senior officers from service
following the approval of the Army Council.
A statement issued by the acting Director of Army
Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, on Saturday,
said the approval was confirmed at the meeting
of the council on Thursday.
Although Usman did not disclose the number of
officers affected, he said their retirement was
based on service exigencies.
``The Army wishes to inform the general public
that quite a number of senior officers of the
Nigerian Army were retired from service
yesterday.
``Those retired were mainly some major-generals,
brigadiers-general, colonels, lieutenant-colonels
and a major.
``Their retirement was based on service
exigencies,’’ the statement said.
It recalled that not too long ago some officers
were investigated for partisanship during the
2015 general elections.
Usman further said the retirements were
connected with the investigation by the
Presidential Committee investigating defence
contracts.
He said some officers had already been arraigned
by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission.
Usman advised the public not to read the
development out of context, stressing that the
military must remain apolitical and professional at
all times.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and
Founder of the Kukah Centre for Faith, Leadership
and Public Policy, Most Rev. Mathew Kukah
yesterday said President Muhammadu Buhari
cannot throw away the 2014 National Conference
Report, given that the report was a sacred and
quintessential document of Nigeria.
Kukah spoke to journalists ahead of the Fixing
Nigeria Initiative event, slated for June 16, 2016
in Abuja, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s
governance system and addressing critical
leadership challenges confronting the nation.
He contended that the resolutions and
recommendations inherent in the National
Conference Report were sacrosanct in
engendering a sustainable and peaceful nation
devoid of rancor, and therefore, could not be
dismissed or thrown away to the garbage hip of
history.
The Bishop, who was Co-Secretary of the National
Conference, took time to explain the imperatives
of the 2014 National Conference Report, arguing
that “the president cannot throw it (report) away;
archives are archives. Thank God he did not say
he will throw it into the dustbin.
“We are not in a military regime. The president
cannot wake up and say the National Assembly
should be closed. A lot of the powers have been
taken from the President,” he added.
Kukah’s position came on the heels of comments
credited to President Buhari where he was quoted
to have stated that “I haven’t even bothered to
read it or ask for a briefing on it, and I want it to
go into the so-called archives.”
The comments have elicited severe criticisms,
with many accusing the President of arrogance
and complete disregard for the sanctity of Nigeria
and its citizenry.
Also, speaking against the backdrop of the attack
on a Carpenter, Mr. Francis Emmanuel by some
Muslim Youth in Kakuri, Kaduna State this week,
Kukah stated that such savagery was totally
unacceptable, calling for the trial and punishment
of culprits involved in the attack.
The Bishop, who deplored the increasing spate of
religious extremism in the country, held that such
attacks as occasioned by the brutal killing of 74
year old Mrs. Bridget Agbahime in Kano and the
attack of Mr. Emmanuel were unwarranted,
calling on the government to expedite action in
bringing the perpetuators of such heinous crimes
to book.
Kukah said: “The ugly things we have seen in the
last one week, like the attack in Kaduna; this is
totally unacceptable. Somebody goes out to buy
food and you attack him and say why are you not
fasting? It is totally unacceptable. The culprits
must be arrested, tried and punished. There is no
other way you can end this impunity,” he
stressed.