₦airaland Forum

sarrki:
Akpabio is a progressive in mind

He worked in Akwa Ibom

Please visit the state if you haven’t

He really did a great job

That’s what we are talking about individual

It’s not about party

It’s about individual

Are you not confused already.

I according to you Akpabio did a great job.

Who now destroy Akwa-ibom for I6 year's

‪How can Tinubu present Akpabio to Akwa-Ibom people in one breath and in the next breath ask Akwa-Ibom people to reject the PDP because PDP destroyed Akwa-Ibom for 16 years. Does he not see the contradiction?

For solid years out of those ‘16 years of destruction’, Akpabio was even the Governor of Akwa Ibom!

So *Akwa-Ibom should reject Akpabio and also accept Akpabio!*��‍♂

In literature, this is what we call (an) oxymoron!

Please i don't understand

Cc. Myd44, sarrki, buhariguy

BCC: Johnnyesence

This is very sad.

APC Is gradually turning NIgeria into Hell

Ekiti Gov poll: Tribunal orders Fayemi, APC to be served through substituted means

The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti, today, granted the PDP and its candidate in the Ekiti State governorship election, Prof Kolapo Olusola, order to serve the petition on the APC and Dr Kayode Fayemi through substituted means.

All efforts by bailiff to serve Fayemi and his party had been futile as the party secretariat was locked to apparently evade service.

Sensing that the defendants were deliberately evading service, the PDP filed a Motion ex-parte, seeking an order of court for the petition to be served through substituted means.

The court today, ordered that the petition be pasted at High Court premises, Ado Ekiti and delivered at the National Headquarters of APC in Abuja by courier.

It means we have been operating at a loss since 2013. That is the truth.

Given the back and forth on these issues, was there no provision for arbitration in your contract, because Nigerians are tired of the dram and all they want is power?

In the last five years, we have pushed for force majeure twice; we told them to come and take their licence and refund our money, because it was becoming impossible to continue. But on each occasion, the Federal Government refused. One happened towards the tail end of the previous administration and the other one happened after this government came into power. That tells you how difficult it has been for us. Even if you file for force majeure, like that of Yola Disco that was accepted and they have not been paid till today, that is another issue. But, as ANED, it should not be too long to determine how much is due to business men who spent their money in buying an entity. So, if I file for force majeure and you can assure me that the money would be paid on time, we would look at it. Again, we have always believed in dialogue. We are powerless and I think the question about finding alternative solution should be directed to the honourable minister. Some of his aides can confirm that I have taken this upon myself privately on various occasions, by urging people close to him to urge the minister that all the stakeholders need to sit down and talk sincerely; no politics, deceit and grandstanding. We are willing to dialogue any day, because our business is at risk. If the DisCos collapse today, some Nigerian banks would also collapse with them. In case people don’t know, when they were selling the entities, only one of the DisCos had foreign direct investment, while all the others borrowed money in dollars. Those who have put their money in an entity like this would be the first to wish that the system succeed because the failure of the system means their money is also going down the drain. So, I agree that we need to talk.

A statement credited to the Bureau of Public Enterprises few days ago said they may be forced to compel DisCos to reduce their stakes as a result of inefficiency. What is your reaction to that?

I can assure you that because the investors of these entities paid for them in cash in dollars, and because there was share sales agreement, and because there is performance agreement, when the time comes we would look at it together. And as they say, we shall cross the bridge when we get there. We would be more than happy to have investors join us; anything that can make it better, but we have to look at all the issues. What we cannot do is to pretend that certain things do not exist, just like somebody pretended that he or she does not know Sunday Oduntan.

Part of the shortfall you have as DisCos is due to the reluctance of customers to pay because of dissatisfaction over poor supply and huge estimated bills. Are you aware that people are not happy with the way their grievances are being addressed?

It is very easy to say why not do everything you can to satisfy your customers, but to do that, you have to give them energy, we have to reduce the incidence of estimated billing, which is a major cause of conflict and those two are tied to liquidity, even though that is not enough as an excuse. For the past five years, we have done a lot more in terms of customers’ engagement, we have set up customer care centres in all the discos but we agree that we have more to do, especially when it comes to attending to our customers. You see, part of what came with that tariff review of February 1, 2016 was that minor review was supposed to take place every six months. It is very interesting to note that under the watch of Mr. Fashola as the minister, none has been done, in accordance with the law. Once you don’t go back and do that review, which may be downward or upward as the case may be; depending on the inflation level, exchange rate and other factors, the cost won’t be reflective. Today, N25,000 won’t buy the things it bought in 2016. That failure to do what is right, review the tariff so our charges can be cost-reflective, led to the inability of the other party from doing what was meant to be an aggressive metering. Let’s say we have 4.1 million customers to go. A smart three-phase prepaid meter costs an average of N73,000. The total cost for producing four million meters, for example, is N299bn. In our plan for five year period for all the 11 DisCos, the capital expenditure is N305bn in five-years, and that amount includes expenditure for all capital projects, like poles, cable, transformers, meters and so on. And meter is only one of those, but that is easy now, since NERC has taken over the issue. Once MAP starts working, which we hope it would, people would have meters and there would be a reduction in conflict.

There are also reports that DisCos reject power and the minister said there are about 408 feeders that are not working. Could you clarify these?

On the feeders, that is very misleading. We conducted our own assessment and we have found his statement to be inaccurate. Let it be known that the DisCos are taking more power from the feeders. The problem with those feeders is at the TCN interface; where the TCN gives us power and we have a lot of bottlenecks. The ministry of power somehow views DisCos as a government parastatal. For those feeders that are not working, it’s mainly transmission bottlenecks. They also talk about DisCos rejecting load, how can I reject load when what you are giving me is far less than what I requested for. I need 120MW but you give me 20; that is a shortfall of 93. How then can I reject it? I should then add that the system should encourage government parastatals to pay their bills.

If they don’t pay, what stops the DisCos from disconnecting their supply?

They beat our staff and even come up with some security explanations. Ask Ikeja DisCo how much Ikeja Cantonment has paid for electricity bill from 2013 to date or from the time the minister purportedly paid the verified sum in August 2017. From that time till now, how much have they paid and what is the minister doing about that?

There is N213bn intervention fund but we hear that only N58bn is accessible by DisCos. What about the funds?

We refer to it as Nigeria Electricity Market Stabilisation Fund, which was a loan given to DisCos to pay legacy gas debt, meaning the debt on gas incurred by PHCN. However, not all DisCos have been able to access it because of the conditions attached, and the ones that have got it are paying back as a first line charge. People call it intervention as if it’s a subsidy, but it is not.

Going forward, when will Nigerians have stable power supply and is it achievable, which is the question on the minds of people?

I agree with you that all of us want sufficient power supply. We can have that and it is achievable, but for it to happen, all stakeholders need to come together. And the number one body that can make it happen is the Federal Government of Nigeria. There must be clear direction and non-politicised environment. We can get there only if we first deal with the existing liquidity crisis by bridging all those gaps and shortfalls, which is now at about N1.3tn. Also, we need to generate more power consistently, and that takes time. That is not the fault of the current government. We have had a 62-year problem and we can’t blame it on this government or the DisCos and gencos that took over five years ago. We cannot correct the adversity of 62 years in five years. So, we have to generate more, improve our transmission grid and stop the politics. I expect our national budget to contain a certain amount consistently for transmission every year, not to buy official vehicles. We also need a bigger distribution capacity. The current one is 6,288MW, according to the stress test done by TCN. Distribution companies are capable of distributing 6,288MW. Of course we have a very dilapidated infrastructure, which also needs heavy investment. Also, the DisCos need to clean up their acts and be more efficient and address the problem of energy theft, which is a serious issue.

So, it’s an all round thing that involves everybody – the service providers, consumers and regulators. We cannot be celebrating 7,000MW when our population is growing from 198 million to 200 million people and South Africa has more power than it requires. Federal Government can lead in making this possible, but don’t let us drill the impossible. You cannot have uninterrupted power supply in the next five years, because if we start today to build more power plants and other things, it takes time. And I must say that since 2015, a lot has been done by this government. However, we need to do more. We cannot serve our population with 10,000MW. So, if we are not aiming at 20,000 MW as at today, we are far away from getting there.

The Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, in this interview with TUNDE AJAJA, speaks on the lingering disagreement with the regulators, the challenges of the distribution companies and the way out of the crisis in the sector

The altercation between the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and the DisCos, or ANED, came as a shock to many and somewhat a reflection of the goings on in the power sector. What is the origin of the dispute?

On July 9, 2018, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, addressed a press briefing where he made some pronouncements. Thus, we were compelled to reply, to clarify and debunk some of the assertions that were heavily and clearly distorted, so that we can make some issues clear to Nigerians, especially given the significantly distorted pictures that had been painted of the Discos by the honourable minister. So, it was only fair that we replied. We recognise the challenges of the Nigerian electricity supply industry and we only addressed the issue in form of newspaper advert to highlight the issues. But surprisingly, on Friday, July 20, 2018, the minister issued a strong-worded press statement where he engaged in a vicious personal attack on the person of Mr. Sunday Oduntan (myself), who of course is the spokesperson for the DisCos and their investors. The minister went very personal but didn’t address the issues. Again, we decided that we won’t descend to that level of name calling and personal attack. It’s not about Mr. Fashola, it’s about our country. If we choose to address him frontally as a person, we have a lot to say but we won’t do that. It won’t be in the interest of the country. He’s a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and he’s our own minister. We have personal interest in that sector and we decided that we should not engage in that sort of method adopted by the minister. The honourable minister should tell the world whether we lied in the responses we have provided. That was what we expected from him, but he decided to make me a scapegoat, the enemy of the state and a bad man. In areas where we know a lot has been done, we commend the government because we want the Federal Government to succeed. We implore the politicians not to drag ANED and this industry into the murky Nigerian political waters.



The minister also said he doesn’t know you as an investor. How do you respond to that?

I work for ANED, which is owned by all the DisCos in Nigeria and was incorporated in 2015, legally operating as an association, just as we have MAN, NBA and others. Outside the country, in the UK, for instance, they have Energy UK, which is the equivalence of our ANED here. The minister knows me very well (pointing at the pictures of him discussing with the minister at a programme). But you know some people in Nigeria look like demigods when they get to power; they know all and to them, the downtrodden must not talk. However, we believe in conversation and the success of this industry requires that all stakeholders should have a conversation. And I have to confirm here, like the minister rightly said that I’m not an investor in any DisCo, but I’m a consumer and a stakeholder in this industry, and of course I represent the DisCos and their investors.

We learnt he also once threw you out of a meeting. What was your offence?

It is true that he threw us, not only me, out of a meeting. Even the representatives of the generation companies were also sent out. What the honourable minister did not say in his press statement was why and I will tell you. He started this monthly sectoral meeting, to which ANED was invited and accredited. We loved the idea and we attended. We had attended seven and the eighth one was in Sokoto. We were running adverts around that time to tell people about energy conservation, energy theft and the issues of the debt owed by MDAs. So, it was in that same week that we ran an advert on MDAs’ debt, because we feel that government and its MDAs should pay their bills. We thought we were on the same page with the minister on that, because he too had made the statement before that people should pay their bills. So, we ran an advert. In the course of the programme, we saw the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mr. Louis Edozien, taking that page of the advert to the minister. Mr. Fashola looked at the advert and stood up to accuse us of embarrassing the government. He then said we should leave the meeting. I would have expected him to tell the world that he asked us to leave because we have the audacity to ask debtors to pay their creditors. The GenCos and DisCos have representatives and they have an association. They are free under the law to associate, as long as what we are doing is not illegal. We are out to cooperate and collaborate with the government. It’s very unfortunate that a discussion on how to save the power sector has been reduced to conflict between Mr. Fashola and Mr. Oduntan. Mr. Oduntan is so small, like the David, to fight the Goliath.

The minister said power generation has increased to 7,000 MW and that Nigerians should ask DisCos why they are still not getting power. So, why are Nigerians not getting power?

We do not understand the constant references to the increase in generation capacity to 7,000MW from 4,000MW for the period of 2015 to 2018, which has been used as the basis of defining the DisCos as incapable of taking on more power – the stranded 2,000MW. But a review of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Daily Energy Watch for January 28, 2015 showed the generation available was 6,421MW. In other words, it is misleading to state that available generation has grown from 4,000 in 2015 as a measure of progress, given that slightly under 7,000MW already or previously existed, prior to the beginning of this administration. Furthermore, there is no stranded 2,000MW. While there is an available capacity of 7,000 MW, the best that can be generated at this time is 5,000MW. This is because there is insufficient gas to power the thermal plants due to gas line limitations, like the non-completion of the Oben pipeline and the absence of a commercial framework that would encourage gas exploration. Generation that is constrained by gas amounts to an average of 1,500MW daily, and of note is that 25 out of 28 generation plants are fuelled by gas. In simple terms, the often-advertised and pronounced DisCos limitation to take on 2,000 MW of additional generation is not consistent with the facts or reality. When we did 5,074 MW, for how long did it last? I can tell you that it happened for less than 24 hours. We at ANED cannot afford to mislead the public; that is why we are giving out the figures.

Many Nigerians have gone through a lot in requesting prepaid meters, but DisCos seem to be feeding fat on estimated billings, while many consumers are crying. Why is it difficult to supply metres?

Nigerians need to know that the minister, who of course is controlling NERC, has directed NERC to come out with Meter Asset Provider regulation. They have taken metering out of our hands and so it’s no longer our primary responsibility. Anything that has to do with meters, please ask the honourable minister. It’s no longer in our hands, but we are still metering because we already have our own metering plan that is ongoing. We are not stopping that. People blame us that they don’t have meters, that is why we were very astonished that the minister went back again to say we are the ones to provide meters. That is part of the inconsistency in policy we talk about; you say something is no longer somebody’s business and you now turn around to ask the person why it is not available. But we are willing to cooperate with them for everything to become successful, because the sector is bleeding. The moment customers have meters, the issue of estimated billing and all those contentions will not be there. We know where we too have a lot to do and we are just saying that to be able to do this well, all other factors have to be in place. I have said this often that you cannot take me to the track for us to start running, but just before you blow the whistle, you tie my leg.



What is the major issue in the all important energy sector?

It is the liquidity crisis in the sector and we are saying how do we deal with it and get this thing done. We are not interested in any naming and blaming or attacking anyone.

alking about the liquidity issue, the Federal Government said you should deduct the about N70bn you are being owed from the about N800bn you DisCos are owing MBET. Isn’t that fair enough?

Sometime around August last year, the Federal Government after its verification said it would pay the MDAs debt to MBET, which is our own creditor and we said no problem. But has anybody raised the question whether the MDAs have continued to pay their bills from last year till now? The answer is no. We are not antagonising anybody, but what we are saying is that we need to put Nigeria first and in doing so, all of us must work together. It shouldn’t be like a headmaster addressing pupils and then the pupils go back to their classrooms after the address. It should be about discussion; that is where ANEC stands and we are not anti-government. We are ready to discuss the issues. We have a lot of things at stake. If there is sufficient power supply and there is efficient distribution and we do all that we are supposed to do, we would make more money. Our own inefficiency, the inefficiency of the market and the whole value chain, the inconsistency by the regulator, the lack of independence of NERC and the intrusion by the Federal Ministry of Power are all hampering progress in the power sector. So, it’s in our interest for all of us to work together so everyone can be happy.

Why is there lack of cooperation?

When you look at the value chain, you have to look at what the challenges are, as they affect the three; generation, transmission and distribution. Let’s start with cost. Electricity is a product that has its cost of production, and that means there is a landing cost. So, when the generation companies receive their invoices from the gas suppliers and they prepare their own invoices that would go down the chain, through MBET to the DisCo, when you look at all the costs, what is passed down to the DisCos is higher significantly than what the DisCos pass to the customers. That means there is a mismatch and a simple arithmetic should make it very clear. In this case, we are buying the product (power) for N80.88 and we are only allowed to sell the product for an average of N31.56. Let’s say N80 and N32, on the average. There is a shortfall of 48 and that means even if you want to pay 100 per cent, you cannot pay N80. Let’s break it down because this is at the heart of the crisis. Take a loaf of bread as an example. The baker sells a loaf of bread to you at N80 and the state government says you cannot sell bread more than N32 per loaf. There is a problem, and that is the issue here. Assuming everybody that buys the bread pays, and let’s even put recurrent expenditure aside, it means the highest you can pay back to the bakery is N32 out of the N80. With that, you are causing problem for that person because the ability of that baker to remain in business is cost recovery. But we are not even able to collect the whole of the N32 in this case, where we have the aggregate technical, commercial and collection losses, like energy theft. And where you have such leakages, it means you cannot even collect the whole of that amount. That means there is need for alignment, which is not possible without collaboration. You can’t force this thing down people’s throat and pretend as if the rate applicable since 2016 should remain the same. You cannot say inflation rate as of February 1, 2016, when this tariff took effect, and exchange rate at that time have remained the same. These factors combine together to change the narrative when you talk about pricing. And please remember, there is a huge forex component to this business. When you talk about our equipment, most of the things we use are imported, so there is a forex component. This means that for our regulator to take a decision on what to do next, there is a need for them to listen to us and even the GenCos and transmission companies and that is missing. But once you stay on top of the pyramid, which is so high and others are nobody, then there is a problem.

Is that why you haven’t been able to pay the debt you owe MBET?

If we buy at about N80 and you compel us to sell same for N32 and you are expecting me to pay my bills, the issue of indebtedness in the value chain would remain there because of that same reason. Unless somebody comes out to say ANED is lying about this. They should come out to tell us how much it costs to produce electricity per kilo hour and how much we are told to sell it to customers. And is there subsidy in the system? I can tell you that the answer is no. We want these issues to be resolved and that is why we are staying on the issues and we won’t keep quiet about it because we are stakeholders and we are interested in the success of the power sector.

There are also reports that the DisCos are kicking against every move being made by the government to have constant power supply, like the issue of eligible customers, where certain people would be able to buy power directly from the GenCos. What is happening?

We are not against the policy; we are talking about the timing. I remember that when these entities were privatised, there were performance agreements that were signed between the Federal Government and the DisCos investors. There are things that government committed to do which they have not done and there are things the operators committed to do that are fully not done. For instance, government promised appropriate pricing, they call it cost-reflective pricing, but that unfortunately has not been done. We buy for N80 and we can’t sell beyond N32. Once you have such shortfall, your ability to be efficient is suppressed, but unfortunately, an average member of the public does not know that. They want to have power supply. When your book is in perpetual debit, no bank will lend you money. The way the pricing is structured is such that big customers, who pay the highest in terms of cost, are expected to cross-subsidise for the small customers. But if you come into my network to change that and take away the big companies, it means the small customers I have left would have to pay more at some point. This is one of the impacts of the policy summersault that we talk about. When you have a policy and you are not looking at the effect of that step and you are grandstanding and trying to be political, what happens is that you are doing more damage than good, even if your intention is very good. We should not turn our laws upside down. We should be seen by the outside world as a country that respects the sanctity of contract.

If the cost of power is N80 and you sell at N32, how have you been surviving?


https://punchng.com/no-point-misleading-the-public-nigeria-cant-generate-more-than-5000-mw-for-now-oduntan-aned-spokesperson/

Good evening Nairalanders,

I have a poser tonight and have been wondering if there is any Similarity between APC (Nigeria) and Leicester City (EPL)

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BCC: myd44, madridguy, buhariguy and entire BMC crew

FCC: johnnyessence, firefire

PDP files petition against Fayemi’s victory

THOSE WHO STOLE OUR MANDATE WON’T ENJOY THE BENEFITS FOR LONG


Today, I formally filed the much expected petition against the results of the July 14, 2018 governorship election, which was openly manipulated by political desperadoes, using instruments of the federal government.

Like I have maintained, I am challenging the election results not out of desperation to be governor, but for reasons of future and posterity, and largely on behalf of the people of Ekiti, who were taken aback by the outcome of the election.

Without doubt, the will of the people was subverted by those who have chosen to take Nigeria back to the dark days of ballot stuffing, ballot boxes snatching and outright falsification of election results and I believe they deserve to get justice.

As law abiding citizens of our country, the only path of honour to take in a situation like this is the process that we have initiated today, to seek redress against the use of security forces and other instruments of the federal government to suppress the will of our people.

Sadly, the desperation of the APC to take over all States in the country, especially those under governors like Dr. Ayodele Fayose perceived as uncompromising has destroyed all the gains made by the PDP government regarding free, fair and credible elections.

The mood of Ekiti people when the beneficiary of the electoral robbery was declared winner and up till today is a pointer to the resolve of the people not to accept the subversion of their will and we have answered their calls to use the judiciary to get back their mandate.

In doing this, we have presented overwhelming discrepancies in the results declared by INEC to the tribunal to adjudicate upon and I am confident that the popular mandate of the people of Ekiti will not go unrestored.
I therefore want Ekiti people to keep hope alive, remain strong and resolute in their belief in God.

While we go through this judicial walk to exposing the electoral thievery of July 14, 2018, we urge the good people of Ekiti State, especially my teeming supporters to remain calm, peaceful and prayerful, bearing in mind that those who stole their mandate will not enjoy the benefits for long.

I also want to use this opportunity to condemn the indefinite closure of the State Radio and Television stations. No doubt, the closure of the radio and television stations was part of the grand plan to sustain the inglorious use of naked force to rob Ekiti people of their democratic rights, but the people will triumph ultimately.

Thank you.


Prof. Kolapo Olusola
Deputy Governor of Ekiti State
PDP Governorship Candidate
August 3, 2018

https://punchng.com/breaking-pdp-files-petition-against-fayemis-victory/

Where are The Senators: Channel TV

Channel Tv provides an Info-graphic to this question

Source : Channel TV

APC

Bauchi Board member dismissed for Associating with Dogara

Senate President, Bukola Saraki has been appointed the national leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP at the party’s NEC meeting on Thursday.

Being the highest office holder in the party at the moment, Saraki will replace his deputy, Senator Ike Ekwerenmadu, who held the position until the defection of Saraki and other top APC members to the PDP.

The arrival of Saraki was heralded by loud ovation as he was led into the venue of the meeting by PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, and other top leaders of the party.

Saraki, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal and Benue State governor Samuel Ortom were all present at the meeting.




The NEC meeting attended by the four former members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was in celebration mood as the politicians exchanged banters.

Apart from the former APC chiefs, the meeting hall had key figures in the PDP, including governors, lawmakers and some of the presidential aspirants.

https://politicsngr.com/breaking-saraki-appointed-national-leader-pdp-details/

Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) on Tuesday said with the exit of Senate President, Bukola Saraki from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the last bad blood in the party has been finally flushed out.



Describing Saraki as a millstone in the neck of APC, Sagay said Saraki was the source of all the problems APC was facing since 2015.



He said now that he has left the party, the APC will now be stronger, lighter, refreshed and free from the internal enemy.



“It is a cleansing process. To me, with Saraki’s exit, the last bad blood in the APC has been flushed out. So, the APC is strengthened and is not going to be pulled down.

“This man right from the beginning was the source of all the problems of APC. The way he got into the presidency of the Senate by subterfuge, by selling off APC’s deputy senate presidency position in Senate and then forming an alliance with the opposition PDP to torture the government of his own party and betray them left, right and centre.

“He has been a terrible millstone on the neck of APC. So, with his exit, APC will be lighter, stronger and better positioned and be free from internal enemy,” he said


https://newsflash247.com.ng/2018/07/last-bad-blood-in-apc-has-been-finally-flushed-out-sagay-blasts-saraki/

IMPEACHING A GOVERNOR
FOR PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT

Impeaching a sitting Governor of a State in Nigeria is a very serious matter

*Step 1*
A notice of any allegation in writing alleging gross misconduct on the part of the Governor. This notice must be signed by not less than one-third of the members of the State House of Assembly is presented to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

*Gross misconduct is defined by the Constitution as ‘…a grave violation or breach of the provisions of this Constitution or a misconduct of such nature as amounts in the opinion of the National Assembly to gross misconduct.’*

*Step 2*
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly must within 7 days, serve the Governor of the State and each member of the State House of Assembly with a copy of the notice of allegation.

*Step 3*
The Governor has a right of reply (he/she does not have to reply however), and any such statement in reply to the allegation must be served on each member of the State House of Assembly.

*Step 4*
Within 14 days of the presentation of the notice to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, the State House of Assembly shall resolve by motion without any debate whether or not the allegation shall be investigated. This motion needs to be passed by at least two-thirds majority of all members of the State House of Assembly.

*Step 5*
If the motion fails to reach the required majority, the process immediately stops, and no further action will be taken. However, if the required majority is obtained and the motion is passed, then the Speaker of the State House of Assembly will within 7 days of the passing of the motion, request the Chief Judge of the State to appoint a Panel of seven persons who in his opinion are of
unquestionable integrity to investigate the allegations. The members of the Panel cannot be members of any public service, legislative house or political party.

*Step 6*
The Panel is to report its findings within three months of being appointed. The findings will be reported to the State House of Assembly. During the proceedings of the Panel, the Governor shall have a right to defend himself, and shall also have the right to be defended by a legal practitioner of his/her choice.

*Step 7*
Where the Panel reports that the allegation has not been proven, there will be no further action. However, if the report is that the allegation against the Governor has been proven, then the State House of Assembly will consider the report, and a resolution for the adoption of the report shall be moved.

*Step 8*
For the resolution to be adopted, it must be supported by not less than two-thirds majority of all the member the State House of Assembly. Once adopted the Governor shall stand removed from office as from the date of the adoption of the report.

Tambuwal Asks Nigerians To Reject ‘Prison-Yard Democracy’ Where Security Agents Are ‘Rascals’

overnor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has called on Nigerians to reject “prison-yard democracy, typified by the ignoble meddlesomeness, rascality and high-handedness of some security agencies against democratic institutions”.

In a statement released on Tuesday by his media office, Tambuwal expressed his dismay with the recent happenings in Benue State and Abuja, where security agencies reportedly meddled in the affairs of both the Benue and national legislatures by trying to prevent some lawmakers from accessing their legislative chambers and also impeding the movement of the Senate President and his Deputy last week.

“Nigerians must, in strong terms, say no to prison-yard democracy, where the rights of the citizenry are shackled to the caprices of a few, as if we now run a nation of helpless inmates,” Tambuwal said.

“If the people of Nigeria are so unfortunate to endure the growling nightmare occasioned by deprivation of most things that a democracy should ordinarily provide; If they are now accustomed to the pangs of hunger, unemployment, shabby infrastructure, poor healthcare and general hopelessness, they should, in the interest of democracy and the youths, stand against anything that has the potential of robbing them of their inalienable rights to live and make choices as free citizens.

“These are unfortunate incidents, an aberration, a reprehensible attack on the fundamental human rights and privileges of fellow Nigerians and a direct attack on our fledgling democracy. We should condemn this crass and impudent exhibition of uncivilized conduct, so that we can keep peace and maintain a civilized society.

“Democracy is about freedom, of choice and association. It is about the people and the supremacy of the will of the people. Democracy, loses its essential value when the overall interest of the people takes a back seat in any supposedly democratic setting.”

Arguing that legitimate political choices and movements, including cross-carpeting, are part of a democratic enterprise, he said: “Any attempt to bully people out of their legitimate, democratic choices is a war against democracy, the rights of the citizenry that power this unique people-oriented system of governance."

Tambuwal also called on the country’s leaders at all levels to “guard their utterances, in order not to drive our nation further down the path of divisiveness and ethnic/religious mistrust”.

“Let us water our democracy, using the fountains of equity, fairness and justice for all,” he said.

http://saharareporters.com/2018/07/31/tambuwal-asks-nigerians-reject-%E2%80%98prison-yard-democracy%E2%80%99-where-security-agents-are-%E2%80%98rascals

EFCC very predictive agency

EFCC Probes Benue Gov, Ortom, Lawmakers, Others For Alleged N23.08b

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is investigating Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and many members of the House of Assembly for alleged diversion of N23, 088, 586, 206.



But the governor said last night that he had no fear over the probe. He demanded fairness.



About N22, 713, 586, 206 was withdrawn in cash, allegedly on the governor’s instruction as security votes and other “curious” overheads.



The Assembly members are expected to account for N375million.

The anti-graft agency said some of the cash withdrawals were made in bits of N10million over the counter.

The EFCC found it “ridiculous” that 500million was cashed in one day.

Besides the governor, more than 30 suspects are being investigated. They include 21 members of the House, three permanent secretaries, four cashiers, a contractor, directors of Finance, some accountants, and bank managers.

The EFCC believes that most of the funds were diverted, with, according to the agency, the governor directing permanent secretaries to tear the disbursement lists.

Here is the breakdown of the funds allegedly diverted:
N1, 916, 635, 206 (withdrawn from the Government House two accounts);
N19, 468, 951, 590 (cash was taken from two accounts of the Bureau for Internal Affairs and Special Services);
N1, 328, 000, 000 (withdrawn in cash from the account of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs); and
N375million meant for the purchase of Prado SUV for House of Assembly members but N275m shared by 21 lawmakers

These highlights were released at a session in Abuja by top officials of the anti-graft commission.

On the alleged diversion of N1, 916, 635, 206, the fact-sheet said: “On the 31st of January, 2018, an intelligence was received that some officials of Benue State have diverted about N8billion. Based on the intelligence, the EFCC commenced an investigation. It was discovered that between June 30, 2015, and March 2018, cash was withdrawn from the Government House accounts and diverted.

“Two accounts actually belong to Government House.

“These accounts received about N1, 916, 635, 206 between June 30, 2015, and March 2018. The huge sum was withdrawn by some cashiers, namely Emmanuel Aorga; Patrick Aba; and Ochoga Peter.

“From bank details, Aorga withdrew N369, 728, 950; Ochoga cashed N704, 041,000 and Patrick Aba N130, 199, 386.

“In most cases, they were issued N10m cheques in order to withdraw the money in bits.

“For the Government House, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Gabriel Iangba, who was interrogated, claimed that these are funds for security, governor’s travels, protocol services and security votes, among others.

On the N19, 468, 951, 590 taken from the Bureau for Internal Affairs and Special Services, the EFCC’s fact sheet indicated that the money was withdrawn from the Bureau’s two accounts.

“The N19.4billion was withdrawn between June 30, 2015, and March 2018. These funds were cashed in a similar manner like that of the Government House Accounts. The withdrawal was effected by a cashier in bits of N10million. In a day, the same man withdrew N500million in an N10million per transaction model.

“During interrogation, the Permanent Secretary for Bureau for Internal Affairs and Special Services, Boniface Nyaakor, claimed that they normally gave six security outfits some of the cash. When asked to give details, he said while the highest remittance of N10million will go to one of the outfits, the rest will get N5million each.

“He said memos were usually raised and the governor was always approving. He said once the funds were cashed, he will list out how the funds will be disbursed. After the disbursement, he will bring back the paper to the governor and Ortom will ask him to tear the distribution list.

“We discovered that once the monthly allocation hits these accounts, the withdrawal of all the funds is a maximum of two days.

“It should be noted that all the cashiers were invited with their supervising accountants. They confessed that once the money was cashed either in Government House or at the Bureau, they have a place they used to deposit it and the affected permanent secretaries will take over disbursement.

“And apart from banking transactions, all records of disbursement have been destroyed.”

Asked if a governor can be questioned on security votes, a top EFCC official said: “The governor has to show records of how security funds are spent.

“In the case of Benue, the Security Votes Schedule was not even captured in the State Appropriation Act. They only put ‘Tentative’. This is done as a cover-up.”

Concerning the N1, 328, 000,000, the EFCC gave details of how it came about the discovery.

The commission’s fact-sheet said: “A petition was received from a Commissioner in the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), ex-Commissioner of Police Abubakar Tsav on June 10, 2016, alleging that pensioners and workers were going through hardship due to non-payment of salaries and pensions. The petition by Tsav was against Governor Ortom and a former Chairman of Gwer West Local Government Area, Mr. Titus Zam.

“The petitioner alleged that the governor withdrew N 929, 903, 967 accounts of the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

“Based on this petition, an investigation was carried out and it was discovered about N1, 328,000, 000(N1.328b) cash was withdrawn from the account between October 2015 and June 2016.

“In the course of further investigation, it was one John J. Bako, who is said to be a member of security outfits in the state withdrew N28million from the account while N1.3billion was withdrawn in cash by Andoor Festus, who is said to be a cashier of the Bureau. The money was withdrawn in cash in bits of N50m, N100m, N120m, and N260m.

“A letter of invitation was sent to the State Government. The first letter was sent on July 18, 2016, and reminders were sent but no reply. The last letter was sent to the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs on July 9, 2018, but Bako and Andoor are yet to come.

“These are people the EFCC cannot trace. This commission believes the state government should know who they are since they were linked to the account.”

In a follow up by The Nation bordering on an alleged apology to Ortom by Tsav recently, a top official said: “The petition bordered on a case against the state. The money he claimed was being diverted was not his money but it is public funds.

“We owe Nigerians a duty to see to the conclusion of this investigation. If Tsav apologized, he has blown the whistle, he cannot retrieve the petition.”

As part of the sleaze in Benue State, the EFCC also uncovered how the state government allegedly paid N80million into the account of a Boko Haram suspect Aliyu Yaminu, who is nicknamed Tershaku.

Tershaku, who was arrested by the Nigerian Army in April, has since been in custody.

The EFCC said: “Between December 20, 2017, and April 6, 2018, the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAC) has been remitting N20million to the account of Al-Tershaku Global Security Limited allegedly owned by Tershaku. JAC posted N80million to this account as at the time of Tershaku’s arrest. This is aside suspicious cash lodgments by Tershaku himself into the company’s account.”

In the same vein, the EFCC confirmed that about 21 members of the Benue State House of Assembly and a contractor have a case to answer over N417million contract for the purchase of 30 Prado SUV for lawmakers in the state.

Some of the lawmakers were said to have allegedly conspired with the contractor, Alh. Ahmed Baba, who owns Mia Three Nigeria Limited.

“It is a case of diversion of contract funds. An N417million contract was awarded to Mia Three Nigeria Limited (owned by Alh. Ahmed Baba) by the Benue State Government for the supply of 30 Prado SUV for members of the Benue State House of Assembly for oversight functions.

“With less Tax and Value Added Tax (VAT), the worth of the contract amounted to N375million. The cost of each car was around N12.9million. But out of the N375million, about N275million was diverted by the contractor in connivance with members of the Benue State House of Assembly.

“Eight members of the Assembly took delivery of the Prado SUV, one did not benefit because he hijacked a vehicle from the convoy of the Deputy Speaker but 21 others only collected cash from the contractor instead of vehicles.

“The EFCC team has so far recovered N244million from the affected members of the Benue State House of Assembly. Four members refused to pay back the full value of the SUV after remitting. They reluctantly refunded N1million each to EFCC after much pressure.

“These four members and outstanding sums are as follows: Addingi Mguman (N9million); Kester Kyaenge (N9million); Terkaa Ucha (N4million) and Terzeer Adzuu (N9million).

“We have been interacting with the lawmakers since 2016; it is not as if we have just started the investigation. Some of them, including the Deputy Speaker, came to honour EFCC’s invitation last Thursday. It was while we were interacting with the Deputy Speaker that he was impeached.

“They were asked to report on Monday (yesterday) except a member that applied to perform this year’s Hajj.

“These lawmakers and the contractor have a case to answer because the Prado SUVs were not meant for leisure

“The members have been reporting because their case file is with the Legal Unit of EFCC. We asked them to be reporting because we do not know the exact date they will be arraigned.”

More than 30 suspects are being investigated. They include 21 members of the House, three permanent secretaries, four cashiers, a contractor, directors of Finance, some accountants, and bank managers.

‘Let the probe be fair’

Benue State officials spoke yesterday on the planned probe of Governor Samuel Ortom. His Chief Press Secretary Mr. Tever Akase called for a fair investigation.

Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone last night, Akase said: “The point is that Governor Ortom’s government is transparent. He has nothing to hide. Since he became the governor, every year he published the statement of account in national newspapers.

“This is to show that he has nothing to hide. So we welcome the EFCC investigation. This is anti-graft and we believe they are doing their job. However, we are asking that they should be fair in their investigation. A man who is suspected is not guilty until he is found guilty.

“As I said, we hope that the investigation by the EFCC will be fair without any political undertone. We don’t want to read any conspiracy into it because we have nothing to hide.

“Governor Ortom has been faced with security challenges and he is expected to address them. And this he has been doing. He has not embezzled public funds. Neither has he converted public funds to his personal use. In all, we want a fair hearing, fair investigation.

Download the latest version of Newsflash247 Android App. Download
Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Tahav Agerzua said: “The EFCC can probe any person or organisation based on allegations which may turn out to be true or false. In the case of Governor Ortom, they can probe but I assure you that they will find nothing at the end of the day.”



https://newsflash247.com.ng/2018/07/efcc-probes-benue-gov-ortom-lawmakers-others-for-alleged-n23-08b/

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE EMERGENCY MEETING OF THE NWC HELD ON MONDAY 30th JULY, 2018
1. NWC considered unfolding developments and issues happening in Benue State, particularly as they concern the State House of Assembly and the stability of elected Government.

2. The NWC condemns in its entirely the purported sitting of eight APC members including the impeached and suspended Speaker; (in a 30 member House) wherein they illegally claimed to have served an impeachment notice on the Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom. PDP also condemns the use of the EFCC and DSS to harass and intimidate officials of the Benue State Government.

3. We note the roles played by the factional Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government and Sen. George Akume in encouraging lawless acts and anarchy in Benue State.

4. Party States that the actions and opinions expressed by Oshiomole on the decamping of Governor Ortom to the PDP as well as the deployment of Policemen by the Buhari led Federal Government to force the purported issuance of illegal impeachment notice on the Governor are acts intended to precipitate crisis for declaration of state of emergency in Benue.

5. It is on record that the erstwhile Speaker had been impeached, suspended and restrained by a court of competent jurisdiction from parading himself as Speaker.

6. In spite of this, it is shocking that no fewer than 300 Policemen were alleged to have escorted the impeached Speaker to the State House of Assembly to initiate a disgraceful and manifestly illegal process.

7. Our Party warns against deliberate acts which were maliciously designed to truncate democracy by employing underhand tactics to achieve what is inconceivable in a democracy.

8. The Party calls on the Nigerian Public, the civil society organizations and International Community to note the series of plots and deliberate attempts by the Buhari led APC Federal Government to cause mayhem in a State that is struggling to recover from a spate of killings and bloodletting.

9. We are aware that these plots were designed to scare away Nigerians, Including State Governors and Legislators, who are desirous of rallying with the PDP to rescue our nation from the misgovemance of the Buhari regime.

10. However, Party urges members to remain steadfast as no amount of intimidation, harassment and assault on processes would suppress the freedom of choice eminently guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended). This misadventure is dead on arrival and again demonstrates the desperation of this failed APC Federal Government.

11. PDP therefore urges its members, particularly in Benue State, to rise in defense of their rights and our hard earned democracy.

Pendulum: THE CRUCIFIXION OF ABUBAKAR BUKOLA SARAKI

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, I thought the ancient tradition of nailing people considered enemies of persons or the State to the cross had long gone into antiquity and extinction, but I was wrong. The most famous crucifixion in human history was that of our Lord Jesus Christ, of course other lesser mortals have been crucified including the thieves who died on either side of Jesus Christ on the Appointed Day. I have decided to borrow this imagery and metaphor to describe what is currently happening to Nigeria’s Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS), at the moment. And it is so tragic. Before I go into the meat of my epistle, please, permit me to provide some background information on what I want to call the ABS saga.

My personal admiration for, and relative closeness to, ABS was largely influenced by two friends of mine. The first was the Publisher of Thisday newspapers, Nduka Obaigbena, while the second was the then Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (CRA). Several times in the years of ABS as Governor of Kwara State, I had the chance of speaking with ABS on the phone, because Nduka would always ask me to speak with ABS anytime they were together. I loved his gentle mien and comportment. We also met at functions several times and he carried himself with confidence, grace and poise. He always looked like someone so meek and mild and could easily be underrated. I actually think that is his greatest strength and weapon.

ABS was a very powerful and influential Governor. He was self-assured and assertive. My good friend, Amaechi, or CRA for short, was very close to him and he actually took over from him as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. Their love and synergy were very infectious. I remember one afternoon I visited CRA at the Wheatbaker Hotel in Lagos. After our meeting, I asked when he would be going back to Port Harcourt and CRA told me he would have to wait for ABS to come first. I was impressed because they had a relationship that made them look like lovebirds. I also appreciated how they combined powerfully in support of Major General Muhammadu Buhari. They gave their lives, energy and resources to the Buhari cause. Of course, one cannot ignore the epic support given by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and some stupendously wealthy businessmen who donated generously to give Buhari a lifeline at the fourth time of asking!

I witnessed Saraki’s total commitment to Buhari and the Change Project on several occasions in his Ikoyi home. He mobilised a lot of his extensive network, especially in the business world, and they met as regularly as possible. I saw Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, CRA, Wale Tinubu, Muyiwa Bakare, and others brainstorm on not only supporting Buhari, but also their desire for a prosperous and safe Nigeria. They all wished and hoped that Buhari would step in as a father-figure to all and play the Mandela option in Nigeria, come to heal the wounds, unite Nigeria, provide enabling environment for business, banish the security problems and grow the economy. It was expected that the war against corruption would be fought differently and more professionally with more action and less noise, by identifying the culprits and going after their loot wherever they are kept and bring this back into the coffers of Nigeria. The old system of using the so-called anti-corruption war to witch-hunt perceived and imaginary enemies of government was supposed to be a thing of the past.

ABS provided a formidable base for Buhari during the APC Primaries in Lagos. He galvanised his entire staff of very young and brilliant guys to work sleeplessly and sort out Buhari’s logistical needs. I will never forget the dare-devilry of CRA and ABS. They played their last cards. I was an eye-witness.

After the primaries, CRA as Director General of the Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation, and his friend, ABS, worked as if they were on a suicide mission. Their personal sacrifices inspired someone like me to give my little support for Buhari. I was also encouraged by the choice of Professor Yemi Osinbajo as Vice Presidential candidate, a man I expected to give the intellectual backing that was lacking in the Presidential candidate. Everything went well until individual ambitions and rumour-mongering crept in. People told Amaechi that he was betrayed by his friend Saraki who, as it went, told Buhari not to pick Amaechi as Vice President because of his tempestuous character. Unknown to both friends, some fifth columnists were out to destroy their beautiful tag-team so as to weaken their influence and indirectly weaken the new Presidency. There was also the talk that ABS wanted to be the Senate President desperately. Personally, I didn’t see what was wrong with anyone pursuing his dreams in life within the ambits of what is legal. After all, President Buhari himself did this and got lucky at the fourth attempt.

Let’s fast forward. Buhari won the election and we were all very elated. The next issue was how to select the principal officers of the National Assembly. Saraki obviously had eyed the Senate Presidency even before the elections were concluded. Tinubu’s camp that already had the Vice Presidency in its kitty but also wanted the number four slot for Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker, Federal House of Representatives. Tinubu, it was alleged, similary wanted the number three spot of Senate President for his candidate from the North East Region. Members of the New PDP felt they were being left in the lurch. Interestingly, the President was playing elder Statesman by holding himself above the fray.  He did not champion anybody from his CPC faction of APC for any of these Principal Offices. Meanwhile, CRA and ABS were no longer as chummy as before. Their combination would have been lethal, but their enemies had succeeded in driving a wedge between them and this was tearing them apart. It thus became a case of “everyone for himself and God for us all.”

I was in Abuja the day ABS was elected Senate President. I called on CRA and asked if he had congratulated his friend ABS, his answer was negative. We agreed to have breakfast the following morning at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. I asked CRA again about ABS, he said he had called him. I could see the reticence and reluctance in his attitude. For me, it was okay that he managed to fulfil all righteousness. I went in to see ABS at home to congratulate him on his victory. I was not happy that ABS and CRA were no longer close. This was their biggest undoing. Those who separated them knew what they were doing; the alliance had to be weakened, and they both became like orphans. Meanwhile, Tinubu’s gamble and opening gambit in the new administration had failed to win his faction of the APC the number three and four positions. Tinubu was livid and he felt ABS was treacherously elected and must be punished severely.

Unknown to Tinubu, the cabal didn’t want such avuncular power for him, that would presumably enable him to control the numbers two, three and four positions in the new government. As a matter of fact, the cabal were all out for him. Before one could say Jack Robinson, they created a gulf between the President and Tinubu. The interaction between the two kept dwindling. Not content with that, they also launched a major offensive against the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The aim was to weaken the other two strong factions of the APC so the President’s confederates could hold sway in all the necessary areas of the executive and the legislature. I wrote copiously and warned about the demonisation of Saraki. I also granted an interview in the Vanguard newspaper in which I admonished Tinubu not to join in the attempt to annihilate Saraki. From available evidence, I knew the case against Saraki was very weak and not sustainable in the court of Law. All that would happen would be to send some gullible people on a wild goose chase by portraying Saraki as the greatest enemy of Buhari and the nation. The strategy worked wonders, momentarily. Saraki knew no peace from then. His assailants wanted him to resign or be removed, by fire, by force. The few of us that openly declared that his travails were political also came under savage and rabid attacks from fiendish quarters. For three years running, Saraki has been on the cross.

He eventually won his case at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Just before then, as if suspecting he would win, his enemies had erected another cross ready for him to bear, when the Nigerian Police alleged that they had linked him to a most terrible, heinous and very bloody armed robbery case in Offa, Kwara State. The Police sounded like he was definitely responsible for the dastardly operation. The Police are best advised to rise above partisanship and conduct their investigations in a transparent manner. That has not been the case so far and the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, should not see this as an opportunity to exact revenge and pursue a personal vendetta that he believes may exist between him and the leadership of the Nigerian Senate. The sad thing in our country is that no one protects your innocence. You are tried and convicted summarily on the pages of newspapers, electronic and social media. There are more than enough people, who are not very busy, ready to carry out their nefarious attacks on you, whether innocent or not.

Saraki has suffered indeed. I don’t mind if I’m the only one willing to ask that he be allowed to prove his innocence instead of the mob attack in the print electronic and social media. What happened to our Christian and Muslim souls? What about the entrenched constitutional provision that a man is innocent until proven guilty. This debilitating bitterness will ultimately cripple Nigeria, not because Saraki is infallible, but because this kind of attitude and approach cannot augur well for our nascent democracy. This kill-and-go method to conflict resolution will hurt each and everyone of us at different stages. Buhari will leave power one day, if not next year, may be in 2023, which is just like the day after tomorrow in the eyes of God. Must we destroy everyone because of transient power. What shall it profit a man who wrecks an entire citizenry just to stay in power? Saraki’s latest headache seems easily traceable to his decision to join the Presidential race, which is not the birth-right of anybody. Whether he will actualise this decision by carrying on to the end is immaterial. The beauty of democracy is in allowing everyone to have a say and choice. When tomorrow comes, the seed of bitterness we sow today would be harvested by those close to us.

Before our very eyes, Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo, Shehu Shagari, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, late Sani Abacha, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo (again), Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and now Buhari (also again), all ruled or governed. Minus Abacha and Yar’Adua, all these once powerful men are alive, but see how much almost all of them, bar Obasanjo, have diminished in status, stature and public reverence. No matter how long, all leaders, including Saraki, will leave the stage and end up the same way, unless they follow a path that will chart an enduring legacy. So why all the gra gra of gods with feet of clay? If we all remember tomorrow, we’ll pause for a moment and work on developing our nation instead of entrenching ourselves in power, as if that is all there is to life.

I need not say more…

https://thebossnewspapers.com/2018/07/27/pendulum-the-crucifixion-of-abubakar-bukola-saraki/

APC and their noise-makers crew members looking for relevance again.


Always backing like rabbies dog

BMC will have no rest anyday they did not see what to write about APC defectors.

Thought you people said, they are inconsequential.


Why are you all dying on top of dem matter like housefly like this.


Una no get work

BMC Nairaland crews members on the loose again.

Your national BAcking Dog chairman had transferred his backing skills at all of you.

July 28, 2018

Press Statement

PDP to Oshiomhole: Stop Acting Like an Attack Dog

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the factional National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole, to stop behaving like an attack dog.

PDP notes with utter dismay that Oshiomhole, since assuming office as chairman of the factional APC, had abandoned the path of wisdom expected of him and has become noisy, loquacious, rapacious and completely immodest in all his actions and utterances.

If Oshiomhole had limited his childish abuses to President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he dismissed as indolent, ineffectual and condoning indiscipline; or to the ministers of their incompetent government, whom he wholesomely described as dishonourable; the governors left in his faction, whom he said are undeserving of return tickets in 2019; and members of his faction, who he had rendered directionless, the PDP would have ignored his attention seeking antics.

However, Nigerians have now found a new laughing stock in Oshiomhole, who appears to have completely lost all bearings in his quest to compete for media space with aides of the President and by so doing, throwing every decorum to the dogs.

While the PDP has nothing but pity for Oshiomhole, who is fast turning himself into President Buhari's court jester, our party will henceforth not watch and allow him continue to make irresponsible, mundane and unsubstantiated allegations of corruption, murder or mutiny against any member of the PDP or any notable Nigerians, unchallenged.

The PDP therefore cautions those who brought Oshiomhole into office, through a charade called a national convention, to immediately direct him to regulate the lethargic words spewing out of his double-speaking mouth before he derails our democracy.

Oshiomhole should be reminded that but for the cover provided for him by President Buhari, he would have been under prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over huge allegations of pillaging the scarce resources of Edo State where he also trampled upon the citizens, including poor widows, when he was governor.

However, with the collapse of the APC and its inevitable defeat in 2019, Oshiomhole by now knows that his presidential cover will soon be over and that he will surely face the full weight of the law.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary

Ingocof:
Oh Ilorin high court is fully ready to expose and embarrass someone who claims to be the god of kwara state

Can you read and comprehend at all

madridguy:
Your point?

Read up again

madridguy:
I don't see reason spending N242bn on election that is already a walk over for Sai Baba. The Presidency should leave the rogues with their madness.

Election or no election, Sai Baba is unshakable.

Carry go Baba, make you stop for 2023 Bus-Stop make Prof. Osibanjo take the mantle from there.

As for the wailers ranting below me, una go wail tire.

Exactly, then why is your looting executive's looking for election money for their foot soldiers.

Did they jut know election is 20i9 ni.

Awon ole radarada

So they should Convert project fund to election loot ko le work.


BMC CREWS una eyes go see

All this BMC crews thinks with their anus.


Did they jut wake up today to know election is next year.


E kora yin soun jare awon oniro

The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kola Oluwawole, has raised the alarm over what he described as police siege on the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

The Speaker raised the alarm in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday.
He said: “A few hours ago, it came to our notice that armed policemen had invaded the Ekiti State House of Assembly complex on the order of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bello Ahmed.
“The Police Commissioner claimed that he received a letter from the Clerk of the House, Mr. Tola Esan, purportedly seeking security deployment to the premises of the House.

“However, the Clerk has written to the Commissioner of Police, dissociating himself from any letter and describing such letter as forged.
“Mr. Tola Esan also spoke with pressmen on camera, stating categorically that he did not write any letter to the police, seeking deployment of security men to the House of Assembly complex and that the House is on recess till October 8, 2018.
“The question we now wish to ask the Commissioner of Police is; who wrote the purported letter and where did he get it from?
“Also, we wish to ask the Commissioner of Police the motives behind his hurried deployment of armed policemen to the House of Assembly complex without seeking clarification from the Speaker.

“Again, after speaking with the Clerk on phone and he told the CP expressly that no such letter was authored by him, why are the policemen still laying siege on the House of Assembly?
“The House of Assembly is constitutionally backed to go on recess as seen in the National Assembly and other advanced democracies in the world and therefore no official function of the house can take place while on Recess.
“As at today, the House of Assembly is on recess till October 8, 2018.
“Iformation at our disposal is to the effect that the Policemen are laying siege on the House of Assembly to provide cover for some miscreants today to perpetrate evil and create chaos in the House of Assembly thus threatening our democracy and putting the lives of our innocent staff into danger.

“We are also aware of the sinister plot to break into the Assembly Complex before daybreak with the intention of making away with the Mace.
“We therefore call the attention of well-meaning Nigerians to the fresh coup being plotted by some anti-democratic agents in the APC in collaboration with the Police in Ekiti State.

“As the Speaker of the House, herein the constitutional head of the institution, there is no threat in the House to warrant any deployment of policemen and the Commissioner of Police should therefore withdraw the illegal deployment of policemen to the premises of the house as such is unsolicited, unwarranted dangerous and ultra vires.

“Staff of the House of Assembly have also been directed to stay at home until further notice in view of the need to prevent injuries and loss of lives as the armed policemen can as usual be overzealous.”

https://theeagleonline.com.ng/speaker-raises-alarm-over-police-siege-on-ekiti-assembly/

deomelo:
[s][/s]


Is negativity and bad bele your problem?

I am not a zombie and i cannot be fooled