₦airaland Forum

The governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa in a testy mood recently said Nigeria was on the verge of collapsing into regional or ethnic groups based on fear of domination by a particular ethnic group, which he cited as the Fulani. He declared that the South-south holds the ace in Nigerian unity and when they decide to let go, the nation will disintegrate. What is your comment on this?

Yes, this is expected in a federal structure that is not functioning. Our federal system is not functioning because this constitution is a destroyer of this country. We will never make progress as long as we continue to use this constitution. It is a feudal constitution. It is a constitution of oppressors. People who want to hold on to power forever are the authors of that constitution. It is very deliberate. Which country in the world would have electricity as part of the constitution? There must be National Grid. National Grid is part of your constitution. Eh? If there is coal in Enugu, we cannot use coal to generate electricity because of National Grid. This is self-serving and deceptive. All kinds of irrelevant suppressive items are found in our constitution and you know how many times we have had constitutional conferences? We have had National Assembly ad- hoc Constitutional Review committees? Let them remove all these things from our constitution. We are a nation of smart and intelligent people and we have allowed this constitution to remain over time. That is why we are not making any progress all round. That constitution is just a destroyer. It has destroyed the country and will destroy it the more. Let me tell you something that will shock you. No responsible company or contractor in the world would like to be in Nigeria. Those that were here before, they have all left. Yes, they have all left because our constitution is an inhibitor to national development. When you are saying and predicating everything on annual budget, how do you plan and ensure that jobs contracted out are executed in minimum downtime? If this year they give you 50 per cent and it is exhausted, you have to wait till the passage of another budget next year before you will get money. That way, jobs are slowed down and some are even abandoned. There must be national planning, economic planning. It is not just wishing that things should be done; we must be pragmatic and resourceful to remove obstacles that impede our national development efforts. The constitution has plunged the nation into confusion.


How do you see Nigeria of the future with all the problems?

I see a Nigeria that will one day go regional and the six zones will become the government. We don’t need the 36 states. Let there be six zones, that is, geo-political zones and let them become the government. The structure we have now is wasteful. You have 36 governors, 36 super-structure, including courts and ministries; and so on and so forth. We can’t survive like that. The bureaucracies weigh down on the wealth of the nation. We use 75 per cent of our revenue on recurrent expenditure. How can we operate like that and still expect miracle to happen in terms of development of critical infrastructure. Look at Ghana. Ghana does not have states. They don’t have governors. This is so they can plan well. But we, because of our population, we put in place all these structures that drain our wealth. We need to review the existing system and come up with one that will not be wasteful, a system that will be tailored to the prevailing economic condition in the country. The days of oil boom are over. We must apply restraint and be frugal in planning. Every geo-political zone should have its own Court of Appeal, and its own Supreme Court. That is the way to go. To insist that Nigeria will have one Supreme Court will not work.


Some women groups are not happy because they did not get equal appointments of male and female genders in the Buhari administration. Do you support the move?

I will go for competence any day. It is not possible to offer the women positions in government without looking at their competence level. Yes, gender accommodation is important, but it must not be given a la-carte. Some prerequisites must be considered and this is applicable to both genders. Let them come, but it has to be based on competence. The party should prepare a blueprint. It is not for the minister to be dictating policies for the party, no. It should be the other way round. What we have in Nigeria is that the parties abdicate their responsibilities to the government officials and stay on the sidelines. It is the executive that should tell the minister what they want him to do. As a party, they have a manifesto. They should sit down and work out the details of the manifesto for implementation by government. It is the party that is in power and not the government officials. What do they do now? Rubbish people. It is the minister that determines the content and direction of policies in government. How does that make sense? It is like the tail wagging the head. It is the minister of economic planning that will prepare everything that everybody will do. Before they are through it, half of the year is gone and we are always fighting for time. If the party has a programme on primary healthcare they should forward it. It is not for the minister to be telling everybody everything that you may have even studied in the university. This is one of the reasons our budget process is fairly long.


June12 has been declared Nigeria’s democracy day and the late MKO Abiola was honoured with the renaming of the National Stadium Abuja after him and a grand national title of GCFR, reserved for presidents conferred on him. Curiously, his bank accounts, frozen in the wake of the annulment of June 12 election are yet to be unfrozen and there is no reparation. Why and how is that so?

I think Buhari has done something that nobody ever thought of by recognizing the day as democracy day and honouring him post-humously. They have given him the highest honour in Nigeria. Give these people some bit of credit. These are the things that Nigerians have been clamouring for. The remaining things left undone, they will do them. People should exercise some patience.


But the family is crying that the account should be unfrozen and reparation paid to them. Added to this is that only a few weeks ago, the operating license of summit oil owned by the late Abiola was cancelled. What does that signify?

Why did they cancel it? Maybe they have not been operating. At least they should have a board of directors. Let’s leave MKO Abiola out of this issue. They have board of directors, they have management, they have directors, they have executive directors, let them go and sort the problem out with the government. It is not MKO Abiola’s affair any more. He has died many years ago.


What do you believe this new government should give Nigerians?

Honestly, they are on the right track, although they are slow. This issue of state police, they must follow it to the end. Number two is autonomy for local governments. They must free local governments and give them their due responsibilities under the constitution – primary health care, primary education, markets. Let them perform their duties. Don’t be over bearing on them. Let them survive. That is what we are praying for and that is what it should be. Let them be more vibrant.

Chidi Obineche



Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, represented Lagos-East Senatorial District in 1999 before he became the Minister of Works under the regime of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He is now a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

He speaks on why he left PDP for APC, the 2023 presidential elections, which he said is the turn of the Southwest geo- political zone, the constitution of Nigeria which he assesses as the sole destroyer of the nation, June 12 democracy day, godfatherism, insecurity, budgeting process, local government autonomy, national structure, among other key contemporary issues. Excerpts:


Why did you quit the PDP where you have been for long for the ruling APC?

There are so many crises in the PDP, divisions, in-fighting. It is not good for anybody who wants to be relevant in politics. The managers of the party in Lagos State don’t seem to be ready to win any election. We cannot be in politics to be perpetual losers. It is possible to win, but where it is impossible for you to win, what do you do? It was not possible to remain there to be fighting and quarrelling. No internal democracy; no discipline. Nobody loves the party. Everybody will just be doing what they like. We keep running around in circles without a firm purpose.


Could these be the reasons the party lost in the last governorship elections for the fifth time?

Of course, there was absolute lack of internal democracy in the choice of the party executives, in the choice of the candidate. Everything was based on impunity and corruption. How can you win election in that kind of party? There is nothing like internal democracy in PDP.


But the general feeling is that APC, which you joined, is not different from PDP you just left?

No, in APC you see them contesting. At least there is a semblance of democracy. That is what we are saying. Let there be competition. Let there be a choice by the people. They say power to the people in PDP, but in practical terms that is not what is obtainable there. Let the people choose and decide where power goes to. The tail wags the head there. Is that democracy? Sometimes 35 per cent is chosen ahead of 65 per cent. Is that democracy? Is that right in any way? They will ask someone to go and bring who you have. So, whoever you bring is imposed on the people. It is very unfortunate.


Maybe that was why Bode George recently warned the national body to keep away from the Lagos PDP chapter?

I don’t know. If you see him you can ask him. I am not part of them anymore. I don’t bother about whatever they are saying.


So do you have any more ill feelings for PDP?

It depends. It is in all the parties. When you don’t allow the majority to lead and control things. When they manipulate things and pass them off as democracy. It is not good for our democracy. I am pleading with INEC. The National Assembly should give INEC the power through the constitution to compel INEC to conduct every congress of the parties. That is the way you can have sanity.


How do you see godfatherism in Lagos politics, which has seen the APC hold sway in the state since 1999?

It is not a Lagos affair. It is also in other states. It is everywhere. Even in our communities. The leadership and much of the things we do in our communities are based on godfatherism.


But the Lagos situation is peculiar. One man has been calling the shots for two decades now?

No, no, no, it is not peculiar. What you describe as godfatherism is the basis of African community. Go and check it out. Somebody must provide leadership. Somebody must provide the funds. Our level of development has not enabled us to be so independent. We are a developing nation and we are not as sophisticated as the advanced democracies. The level of poverty is high – 95 per cent.


What if PDP bounces back either at the tribunal or in 2023, would you still say the same things?

It depends on your perception. What if you say if the APC consolidates on power in the period you mentioned? It could be in the Southeast or South-south.


I am talking about the national level

As long as there is impunity in the system, it remains a far cry. If things go well and there is no impunity, the issue of corruption will be reduced. The issue of godfatherism will be reduced. INEC should gear up and sanitize the system. Look, we have over 800 cases in court now over the last election. Should it be so? It doesn’t augur well for our democracy. And these things are there because of favoritism, poverty, corruption. INEC should be able to control all the political parties. That is when people can determine who is going to be their chairman. When that happens, we will put behind all the troubles and there will be perfection and sanity in the structure and the system.


Recently, the Federal Government set up a three-man panel to review the report of an earlier committee with a view to putting in place state police in the country. What is your view about state police in Nigeria of today?

There is no alternative to state police. In the past we had local government and sate police. Nigeria is the only country in the world that does not remember where it is coming from. In this same country local government had police. In this same country the regions had state police. And let me tell you, it worked well, no matter what some people are saying today. How can you have a centralized police system? It leads to problems, it leads to war. How can you post a divisional police officer, DPO, to a place where he does not hear the language of the people? And he will protect his own people in that community against the indigenous people against all odds. It is dangerous for us to continue that way.


How about skepticisms that governors will abuse state police?

Governors are not permanent. At the worst, a governor would be there for eight years and another person takes over. There should be a structure. We are talking about a system. It will outlive that governor. He will go eventually and everything will stabilize. It is not supposed to be a governor’s matter. The system in place is a national tragedy, where you take a Yoruba man to be the DPO in Kano. How can he fare well there? He doesn’t understand their language; he doesn’t understand their culture.


How do you see the widespread insecurity in the country with tales of kidnappings, banditry and the response of the security agencies to the problems?

They are incapacitated. The structure of the security apparatus, the security architecture does not give room for the nation to survive. For instance, in Zamfara, there is banditry. Who are the members of the police there? You will find southerners there – Yoruba, Igbo. What can they do there? Who understands them? Do they understand their language? Do they understand the community? But put the people in the community in the police there, there will be a harvest of success because they know themselves.


Obasanjo recently alleged that there is a grand plan to fulanize Nigeria. Could that be true or is it just a fantasy?

No, no, no, it is a note of warning that we are drifting towards what he is complaining about. A nation is supposed to take cue of certain allegations and retrace her steps. Obasanjo is not used to just talking and he has seen it all. He has fought a war to unite Nigeria. He was in the forefront of the battle for the unity of the country. So, he knows what he is talking about. He is not a small man in this sort of business. And nobody should underrate or undermine whatever he says. When he speaks, somebody should listen, and arrangements should be made quickly to pull back before it is too late.


The former minister of communications has said that the North should retain power in 2023. What do you say about that?

It is not for him to say it. It does not lie in his mouth to actualize this. It is the turn of the Southwest and we are getting ready to compete.


What about the Southeast and South-south that are already warming up?

They should come up to compete. There is space for everybody. It is competition. We are working hard on it. Let them also work hard and plan as we are doing. That is why I am in APC.


Why do you think it is the turn of the Southwest now?

We have sacrificed a lot for this country. We are the people who fought for democracy. We are entitled to it and we will compete for it. The North should hand it over to us and that is why I am in APC too. We will be given the opportunity to compete and I want to be part of it.


You were once a senator. What is your assessment of the 8th National Assembly that just wound down?

Honestly, what I am seeing is not what I expected. There are critical issues that are part of the shame of this country that ought to be addressed. But they were overlooked. They should be sensitive. What they did was not relevant to the problems of Nigeria and they know it. What are the problems, you may ask? We have very bad educational system especially at the primary and secondary levels. What stopped them from making it easier for every Nigerian child to attend school? What will they lose? Our schools are getting moribund. You go to healthcare nothing was done. Our teaching hospitals are fast becoming primary health centres. Access to good health and education has been denied the citizens because there are no enabling laws in that direction. That is what we want the legislature to do for us. Are you listening? The best form of education is primary education. One would have expected them to make laws that will make our primary education the best in the world. That is the way it is all over the world; in South Korea, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is a shame that the legislature cannot address these problems. None of us can send our children to the schools we attended at the primary and secondary school levels and it is creeping into the universities now. What do we do?


In other words you feel that the 8th National Assembly failed woefully?

Not only the 8th National Assembly has failed, all governments have been failing because they have not addressed the problems of the country. Our engineers are not allowed to practice their profession in their country. What do we do? This is the only country where their engineers are prevented from working for the development of their country. Look at the accountant? Look at the medical profession? Look at the law profession? Look at the insurance profession? It is the most critical part that we are neglecting. That is engineering technology. Our people are not participating actively in this area and it is surprising how we will leap into the technological age without our engineers. This is a critical part of our development and it is unfair to exclude our engineers. Foreign contractors should not be given anything in Nigeria. Nigerian contractors should be given everything. We are happy China is doing our railways. When we had independence China did not have a railway. We have people who can build this railway line here, but we don’t care. We can manufacture railway coaches, but Nigerians are not encouraged to do so. It is only this country that is behaving as if we have never done anything well before. Things were a lot better in those days.


Let‘s talk about the local government funds. The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, has warned state governments to stop pilfering local government funds through the joint state/ local government accounts and have given intention of penalty for infringement. The governors have fought back through their forum that it was unconstitutional. Who is right?

The Nigerian is right. That is one of the reasons I am in APC. I have fought such things all my life. I am a local support person. And any country, which is running a perfect local government system will be a good country. That is the closest government to the people. You have ceded local governments to robbers and thieves.

You have ceded local governments to the Emirs. You have ceded local governments to area boys and touts. We are so callous in this country. How can the Federal Government be feeding primary school children without the involvement of local government people? How can the Federal Government be giving things to market women without the involvement of local government people? Nonsense. Who owns the markets? Who owns the primary schools? Are we not reading the constitution? We turn things upside down. They should go and read the constitution. We should empower the local governments by giving them their money and allowing them to function in accordance with the constitution. If we give them their money and they embezzle it as some people are alleging, is it the money of the state governors? If the state/local government joint account is the albatross because it is in the constitution, they should remove it from the constitution immediately. In Nigeria, people want to make money and be rich to the detriment of the majority of Nigerians. How can we have 95 million people in poverty and we are happy as a nation?

Boko Haram fighters have stolen a large amount of money from the Nigerian military following an ambush on a logistics convoy on Friday morning, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

One soldier was also wounded in the attack.

Soldiers of Nigerian Army Super Camp 3 and the 231 Battalion — both under Sector 2 Operation Lafiya Dole — were moving supplies from Damaturu, Yobe State, to Biu, Borno State, when they drove into a Boko Haram pitfall around Azare-Kamuya end of the highway at about 9:00 a.m., military sources said.

A fierce firefight that followed left at least one soldier wounded and large military equipment destroyed. A gun truck for the 231 Battalion was seized by the insurgents and taken away.

They also made away with N15,492,000 in ration cash allowance for soldiers on the frontlines. At N1,000 per day, the amount can cover allowances of 20,000 troops for a week.

A reinforcement from 27 Task Force Brigade, Damaturu, which later intervened in the attack killed one of the insurgents. French newswire, AFP, reported that Boko Haram claimed two soldiers were killed in the attack.

Military sources told PREMIUM TIMES one Boko Haram fighter was killed but insisted only one soldier was wounded and no military casualties in the Friday morning attack.

The attack comes as Boko Haram continues to exploit a lack of military presence on large swathes of the interstate between Borno and Yobe. The army said it was implementing a strategy of concentrating soldiers at ‘super camps’ rather than at smaller outposts across the troubled region.

While Boko Haram fighters have invaded smaller units since they renewed targeting of military bases in mid-2018, they have also overrun large battalions and even brigades in different parts of the northeast. The attacks combined have left scores of soldiers killed, including the assault that devastated 157 Task Force Battalion last November.

As the military moves soldiers to super camps to make attacks on bases more difficult for insurgents, Boko Haram has been taking over communities left unprotected by the new measure. At least two local government areas were taken over by Boko Haram in recent weeks.

The military has not commented on the latest attack on its logistics convoy. A spokesperson, Sagir Musa, did not return PREMIUM TIMES’ calls and messages seeking comments on the equipment losses and stolen cash.

By Isioma Madike



The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has asked its pilot trainees in South Africa to return home with immediate effect. The young pilots, 12 in number, were divided into six each in different schools. According to a source, who spoke to Saturday Telegraph on condition of anonymity, the young pilots have finished with their paper works, only waiting for their licenses and formal graduation ceremony before the order to return home.

The directive, the source added, is sequel to the recent attacks on Nigerians and nationals of other countries living in South Africa, which has continued to draw condemnation around the world. Saturday Telegraph learnt that the directive is part of the efforts towards safeguarding Nigerian nationals in South Africa.

The source said: “Nothing is wrong with the training. It’s just the tension that is been created in Nigeria. “We have been there for one year now and had finished with our paper works last week; we were only waiting for our licenses and formal graduation ceremony. “But we have been asked to just come back with the authorities promising to sort out whatever remains with the schools, including our certificates. “The Nigerian Air force feels is unsafe for us to continue to stay in South Africa. But we try to calm them down.”

The young pilots had gone to South Africa to train as part of the bilateral agreement between the two countries. There is fear from the NAF authorities that Nigeria has spent so much on these young pilots and would not want to take what it calls unnecessary risk given the tension in the two countries at the moment. The programme has been on since 2015 but indications are rife that Nigeria may not send more trainees to South Africa except issues around xenophobia are quickly resolved. It will be recall that tension reached feverish height following the alleged killings, burning and looting of properties belonging to Nigerian nationals living in South Africa. The Nigerian government in retaliation pulled out from the ongoing World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa.

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja



The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the moves by the federal government to concession the 22 federal teaching hospitals in the country.

It said such a measure could lead to exorbitant cost of medical treatment beyond the capacity of majority of Nigerians.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said thursday at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nurses Week/Scientific Workshop in Abuja, that the government should instead invite the private sector to invest by establishing new hospitals and not taking over existing public hospitals.

He said the Infrastructure Concession, Regulatory Commission (ICRC) recently recommended the concessioning of the 22 teaching hospitals, adding that previous attempts to privatise the National Trauma Centre in Gwagwalada, Abuja was rejected by the health workers’ union.

“For us to attain universal health coverage, certainly nurses who are the backbone of the preventive and curative medical services must be given the place in policy development.

“I am very happy that this year’s FCT Nurses Week is taking place at this auspicious time when we are being challenged by a lot of policies that by my estimation, and with our experience having travelled round the world, may not actually deliver quality health services.

“In fact, it will alienate more and more people. One of such policies is the recent decision by the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) saying that it has granted the Federal Ministry of Health the nod to concession 22 tertiary health institutions. This is unacceptable,” he said.

Wabba added that at the inception of the present administration and despite the fact that there were proponents of privatisation of healthcare, President Muhammadu Buhari publicly expressed his opposition to the privatisation of healthcare in the country.

“But you can see that whereas they cannot pass through the door as the door is locked, they are coming through the backdoor that is unacceptable,” he said.

Wabba listed three major roles of the teaching hospitals as teaching, research and the provision of tertiary health services.

The NLC president wondered what would be achieved if the tertiary health institutions are privatised or concessioned, adding that doing so would see the two important components of research and teaching suffering.

He said health should not be for profit, stressing that even in the developed world, healthcare still remains a priority.

While defending the position of labour, Wabba said that in a country where the inequality gap is so wide between the rich and the poor, if healthcare is made essentially for profit generation, many poor citizens will not be able to access it.

He said the main reason for private health facilities existing side by side with the publicly-owned hospitals was for those who are rich and capable of footing the bill to patronise the expensive private hospitals while the poor and average Nigerians can use the government-owned facilities.

Also the in-house workers’ union in the health sector, the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) kicked against the alleged move to privatise public health institutions, vowing to resist the move.

The National President of MHWUN, Biobelemoye Josiah, also opposed the alleged concession plan, saying that “if healthcare services are going to remain affordable for the poor ones, government must retain its stake in public-owned hospitals and not privatise them”.

Josiah described as fraudulent, attempt by some persons to railroad the federal government into accepting to concession the teaching hospitals under the guise that it would lead to a better health sector.

He said members of the unions in the health sector would begin consultations with a view to forging a common front to oppose the concession plan.

However, the federal government has said contrary to the misconception by labour, there is no move to privatise government-owned hospitals but to review and refocus the operations of public health institutions to enable them to deliver quality and valuable services to the people.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with THISDAY, a member of the Health Sector Reform Committee and Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics in the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, said the government embarked on the programme of reforms in appreciation of the fact that a lot had gone wrong in the health sector and that there was need to restore the public hospitals to world class standards.

By Shina Abubakar OSOGBO



THE National Communications Commission, NCC, yesterday, pledged to establish mechanisms to control the use of internet to protect the nation’s cyberspace against attack.

The commission said the move is aimed at protecting children against dangerous online contents, ensure consumer privacy and data protection.

This was disclosed by the commission’s Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Alhaji Ismail Adedigba, at the 109th edition of Consumer Outreach Programme in Osogbo, Osun State.

Adedigba said: “Realising that liberalisation of the telecoms industry has led to an unprecedented increase in the usage of internet-based solutions and services, the Nigerian Communications Commission has initiated a process to establish an internet industry code of practice for internet service providers in the country.

“The internet code is a regulatory intervention expected to secure the country’s cyberspace against threats from cyber attackers and addressing issues such as online child protection, privacy and data protection among others.”

He added that while the commission is working on regulatory interventions to sanitize the cyberspace, telecoms play their role by reporting shortcomings to appropriate quarters. In her opening remarks, the Director of Consumer Bureau, Mrs. Felicia Onwuegbuchulam urged consumers to note that as there is increase in the number “It is noteworthy that as the commission embarks on various initiatives to increase access to the internet for Nigerians for positive engagements, we are, nonetheless, conscious of dishonest individuals, who are bent on using the internet for illegal activities,” she said.

Fred Itua, Abuja



Former Senators and members of the House of Representatives are at loggerheads with their successors over constituency projects and contract awards by the National Assembly, estimated at about N100 billion.

Daily Sun gathered that the former lawmakers in the eight Assembly whose tenure expired in June, are insisting that the ongoing contract awards for constituency projects must be handled by them since they were captured in the 2019 budget while they were still in the National Assembly.

The 2019 budget was passed on April 30, few weeks after the general elections that saw the defeat of some of the legislators, including erstwhile Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

In the current 2019 budget, about N100 billion was earmarked for constituency projects. The fund is shared evenly among the 469 senators and members of the House of Representatives.

According to sources familiar with the funds management, the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), which is responsible for the handling of major constituency projects for senators and members of the House of Representatives is in a fix on how to handle the crisis.

Based on existing procurement law, lawmakers are barred from directly executing contracts. They are, however, expected to identify projects they want to be funded, and the areas where they should be sited.

Despite the existing law, lawmakers allegedly bypass the bottlenecks and use pseudo companies to lobby for contracts.

For instance, in a letter written to an agency (name withheld) by a member of the House of Representatives from Abia State, the lawmaker had identified some projects in his constituency that should be funded by the BCDA.

In the letter dated August 1, the lawmaker asked the agency to release funds from the N100 billion intervention budget for the execution of the projects.

The request, Daily Sun gathered, has not gone down well with his predecessor, who is insisting that the projects ought to be executed by her.
It was learnt that his predecessor has also written a similar letter to the agency, requesting for the execution of projects domiciled in the same Federal Constituency.

A source who spoke with Daily Sun urged the president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of he House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila to wade into the issue and resolve it as soon as possible.

“The agency responsible for the execution of the projects is complaining of conflicting requests from former and serving members. And the execution of many constituency projects have been stalled across the country as a result of the festering crisis,” the source added.

Senate Committee Chairman on Foreign and Local Debts, Clifford Ordia, in his reaction, said the issue should ordinarily not cause any friction between old and new lawmakers.

Ordia, told Daily Sun that due process should be followed, and he explained that the law is clear on who should recommend projects for execution in the national assembly.

Spokesman the House of Representatives, Ben Kalu, said he was unaware of the crisis. He however said due process and protocol should be followed in contract awards and execution.
Former member of the House of Representatives, Peter Edeh, wondered why a former member will insist on executing any constituency projects when he/she was no longer in office.

“Can a former governor fight with his successor on who should handle a project? Those insisting that they want to execute projects have special interests or things they are hiding,” he said.
Senate Spokesman, Adedayo Adeyeye could not be reached to comment as his active mobile phone number was switched off.

Spokesman to the President of the Senate, Ola Awoniyi, also declined comment as he insisted that the issue be referred to the Senate spokesman.

Reacting, spokesman to the speaker of the House of Representatives, Lanre Lasisi, said he was unaware of the development too. He, however, promised to make further inquiries and bring it to the attention of his principal, Gbajabiamila.

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja


The federal government’s personnel cost has risen from N1.8 trillion to N2.1 trillion, even without the full implementation of the payment of the new minimum wage, BudgIT, a public finance data mining hub, has revealed.

Personnel cost is the total remuneration for public officials in cash or in kind, payable to them in return for work done during a reference period.
BudgIT also disclosed that a total of N2.09 trillion spent by the federal government on debt service in 2018 was the highest ever spent on such line item, adding that “this is getting scary.”

In series of tweets on its official Twitter handle ‘@BudgITng’, the organisation said: “In 2018, FG (federal government) spent N2.09tn on servicing public debts. This grew from N1.63tn in 2017. FG is spending so much on servicing debt and it plans to borrow more.

“Total recurrent expenditure shot up to N5.39tn in 2018, a N800bn growth in a year without new minimum wage implementation.

“FG claims spending N1.65tn on capital expenditure in 2018. However, we will be asking for details for public accountability.

“FG borrowed N1.74tn in 2018 and sources for additional deficit (borrowing) of N1.90tn were not stated. Who is your guess that has covered the shortfall?”
The federal government, it added, spent N7.51 trillion based on a revenue of N3.86 trillion, creating a deficit of N3.64 trillion.

According to BudgIT, although the government recorded a revenue of N3.86 tn, it spent N5.86 tn on recurrent expenditure, meaning that N2 tn was borrowed to fund recurrent expenses.

“A sum of N329bn was utilised for Power, Works & Housing projects, N139bn for transport projects, N52bn for health projects, N47bn for education projects, N71bn for water resources and N135bn for agriculture projects. Health and education still poorly invested in.

“It is clear that Nigeria has a huge revenue problem and the current pace of recurrent expenditure is not sustainable.

“We need more details on N1.65tn capital expenditure in a year. We will follow up with FOI.
“It’s abnormal for a country to spend 50-60 per cent of revenue on debt servicing. Our revenue is abysmally low and we are not efficient on the expenditure side,” BudgIT added.

Providing further breakdown of the 2018 fiscal plan, it noted that recurrent expenditure (including statutory transfers) hit N5.85 trillion in 2018 while total revenues earned by the federal government stood at N3.86 trillion
This showed that oil revenue was N1.96 trillion; non-oil revenue- N1.12 trillion and federal government independent revenues, N395 billion.
BugiT wondered what constituted “other financing sources” as explained in last year’s fiscal plan, which stood at N385 billion.

On whether the federal government met its revenue target for 2018 or not, the data mining hub said while the government plan was to earn N7.16 trillion in 2018, it was only able to reach N3.85 trillion, a 54 per cent revenue performance.

Although there was a revenue growth from N2.66 trillion in 2017 to N3.86 trillion in 2018, BudgIT attributed this mainly to growth in oil revenue.
It added that higher oil prices and stable production shot up federal government’s share of oil revenue from N1.12 trillion in 2017 to N1.96 trillion in 2018.

BudgIT said: “FG did not record any earned income from recovered assets or sales of oil and gas assets. FG personnel cost has risen from the N1.8tn mark to N2.1tn, without the full implementation of the new minimum wage plan.”
For the Special Intervention Programmes (SIPs), it stated that N144 billion was spent on recurrent and N59 billion on the Presidential Amnesty Programme while N305 billion was deducted from its special accounts.

Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja




As the $9.6 billion arbitration award and United Kingdom Court enforcement judgment against Nigeria in favour of an Irish firm, Process & Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID), continue to generate controversy, presidency hawks are urging the federal government to take stern actions to protect the country’s assets threatened by the hefty award, THISDAY learnt last night.

According to impeccable presidency sources, the actions being proposed include the seizure of Bonga Deep Water Oil Field in which a British company, Shell, has substantial interest as well as other British and Irish businesses.

THISDAY learnt that those businesses would be targeted if the arbitral award is levied against Nigeria’s assets in the United Kingdom.

The paper also found that a status report by the Ministry of Justice written for the federal government revealed how efforts by both President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to negotiate the award with the company failed.

The report said following presidential intervention after the award, P&ID agreed with a delegation of the federal government to accept $600m as settlement but later reneged on the deal.

Presidential sources told THISDAY last night that the hardliners are pushing for a punitive response because they felt that the failed gas to power project signed in 2010 was a fraudulent deal and ought not to stand.
They drew strength from the interim report of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an investigation it launched on the bad deal in 2015, which found that the contract was neither authorised by President Umaru Yar’Adua nor approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that have the power to seal such a deal.

Besides, the EFCC found that there was collusion between some officials of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and P&ID to defraud the country.
“Given this background, senior officials at the presidency are shocked that the British Commercial Court could allow its high position to be used to obtain a judgment that could undermine the economy of a developing country,” a source said.

He said for the hardliners, because of the quantum of the award and its likely effect on the country’s foreign reserve, the matter had become a national security issue, which the federal government must take concrete steps to protect.

“They feel that if $9.6bn worth of assets of Nigeria is seized, it has the real potential of adversely affecting the country’s economy and could lead to so much social dislocation that could force many young Nigerians abroad,” another source said, adding: “That is a prospective they feel the federal government must prevent by all means.”

Consequently, he said, the hawks argued that the federal government must take actions that would deter the British government from encouraging the attachment of Nigerian assets by demonstrating its willingness to retaliate any unfriendly action, which could include targeting British and other business interests in the country for takeover.

The presidency, the source said, had consequently directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to liaise with the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice to take all measures to protect Nigeria’s interests, including renegotiation of the award and appeal of the enforcement judgment.

If these fail, said the source, then Bonga and other British as well as Irish business interests in the country that are commensurate to any Nigerian asset attached would be seized.


Report Shows How P&ID Repudiated $600m Settlement Deal

THISDAY also gathered yesterday that P&ID had agreed with the federal government to accept $600 million as final settlement but later reneged on the deal.

The status reported seen by the paper revealed that upon being served with the final award in February 2017, with the tribunal awarding the claimant $6. 597Billion plus interest at the rate of 7% from 20th March 2013, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN, on March 17, 2017 sent a letter to the vice president listing recommendations that he felt could resolve the matter.

The vice president, on April 18, 2017, approved the recommendations of the minister, which included a negotiation of the award with the P & ID.

Based on the vice president’s approval, the then Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, and their delegations along with the federal government counsel, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde SAN, on May 16, 2017, were said to have met with representatives of P & ID and its counsel to negotiate the award.

According to the report, ‘’The negotiation meeting was very successful given that the federal government team was able to negotiate the award from USD8.4Billion to USD600Million on the following terms: USD100Million will be paid to P&ID within 14 days by the federal government after execution of the Stay of Enforcement of Award Agreement; while the outstanding sum (USD500Million) will be paid through an asset that will be determined by the MPR.’’

In line with the terms, the P&ID forwarded a draft Stay of Enforcement Agreement through the federal government counsel, Ayorinde, which in turn was forwarded to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources for necessary action.

The reason for the foregoing decision, according to the report, was arrived at, considering the fact that the Ministry of Petroleum was supposed to make available the money and assets mentioned in the negotiation.
However, when the ministry forwarded its comments to the P&ID, the company was said to have totally rejected it on the ground that what was agreed on to be executed was a draft Stay of Enforcement Agreement and not a Settlement Agreement as proposed by the federal government.

The report added, ‘’Based on the rejection, a letter was written by the Minister of Justice on November 3, 2017 to the VP, seeking approval to re-negotiate the award with the P & ID. The approval of the VP was received on December 7, 2017 and same was communicated to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the federal government counsel.

‘’The federal government counsel responded on February 19, 2018 stating that its request to re-negotiate the award was communicated to the P & ID, which appears no longer interested in the negotiated settlement arrived at on May 16, 2017. He further stated that the P & ID had proceeded to instruct its counsel to approach the court without further notice to federal government to recover the judgment debt and would only consider a pure settlement of the award.’’

According to the report, detailing what the federal government did to reduce the award, the P&ID was said to have further proposed another option as follows: that the federal government should accept service of court processes in respect of the enforcement proceedings. And that upon acceptance of the court processes should make a substantial down payment against the outstanding sums due under the award, and in return P & ID would agree to a temporary stay of such court proceedings to allow for a chance for a full resolution of the matter.

Consequently, the P&ID in April 2018 was said to have began enforcement proceedings in the United States of America against the ministry of Petroleum Resources and the federal government, claiming an amount above US$9Billion.

In response, Malami engaged the American law firm of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP to represent the interests of the federal government and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources with regards to the Arbitral Award Enforcement Proceedings involving P&ID and ensure the matter is diligently defended.

In the US proceedings, the P&ID had filed for entry of default on June 4, 2018, which was entered as a clerk’s entry of default on June 5, 2018. But the clerk’s entry of default was not a default judgment but a mere notice of an application for a default judgment.

According to the report, ‘’In response to the Petitioners application for default judgment, the federal government counsel (Law Firm) on 12 June, 2018 filed a motion to set aside the clerk’s entry of default for defective service, which was conceded to by the Petitioner (P&ID) and it applied to the court to cure the deficiency by serving a fresh process on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Petroleum Resources through courier or normal mail.

‘’The law firm engaged in discussion with the P&ID Counsel (Kobre & KIM LLP) and proposed that a meeting should be held with the P&ID counsel and federal government delegation so as to discuss the settlement of the matter.’’

It said while the federal government proposed 12 and 13 of July 2018 for the meeting with the P&ID counsel in New York, which was approved by the P&ID counsel, the president directed the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the Attorney General of the Federation to ensure strong efforts were made by the federal government engaged solicitor, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, to seek ways of protecting the interest of the federal government in enforcement proceedings.

Buhari, the report added, further directed government officials to reopen negotiations with P&ID, with a view to arriving at a settlement in the neighbourhood of $250million in line with the recommendation/dissenting view of the Nigerian appointed arbitrator, Chief Bayo Ojo SAN, and that the settlement could be in the form of cash and Marginal Oil and Gas Field or cash only.

While Buhari was expecting the draft settlement agreement with P&ID for his consideration before it would be finalized, the Minister of Finance was to pay the sum of $100million into an escrow account to indicate the seriousness of the government to negotiate a settlement.

According to the report, “In line with the directive and approval of the president, the federal government delegations were in New York, USA to meet with the counsel to P&ID (Kobre & Kim LLP) between 12 and 13 of July, 2018 to discuss the settlement of the matter.

“Prior to the meeting with the P&ID counsel on July 13, 2018, the delegations had a meeting with the federal government counsel handling the matter, Messrs Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, on the 12 July, 2018 to discuss the strategies of proceeding with the settlement with the P&ID.

“At the meeting P&ID was of the opinion that the settlement offer by the government in May 2017 at the settlement meetings in London was not mutually agreed by the parties and does not represent the collective intention of the parties, saying it was no longer looking to accept marginal field assets as part of the settlement but would rather expect monetary payments.

“P & ID was also looking for a sum in excess of USD2 Billion in the settlement of the claim, stating it may consider a stand-still agreement backed by a part payment and specific arrangements on payment of the balance.”

On its part, said the report, Nigeria was favourably disposed to a settlement of the dispute at a reasonable sum, while maintaining that it would not consider a stand-still agreement, but would rather favour payment of a reasonable sum in full and final satisfaction of the claim.

Nigeria further said that it would only consider monetary payments to P&ID, and in this regard offered a sum of USD250Million to the company which it rejected.

The report further stated: “After the breakdown of negotiations, the P&ID continued with the enforcement action and simultaneously filed an action in the United Kingdom (UK) court for the recognition and enforcement of the arbitral award in the UK, which led to the recent judgment against Nigeria.”

Abians disagree over Ikpeazu’s 100 days

Abians have expressed worries over the inability of the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu led government to formally constitute his cabinet after 100 days in office.

While a cross-section of Abians who spoke to our reporter in Umuahia and Aba said that nothing has been achieved by the incumbent administration in the state, others believed that the government of the day has fared beyond their expectation especially in the area of infrastructure.

According to some of the respondents, the inability of the governor to constitute his cabinet shows that the government is not yet ready for serious business.

A resident Mr. Gilbert Ofor said: “This is his second term and the final lap of his 8years in office as the governor of the state and should not toil with it. This is not a time to compensate people for the roles that they played in his re-election for second term.

“Ikpeazu should shop for the best hands; people who understand where his visions for the state. People that will help him leave his footprints in the sands of time.

“Ikpeazu should understand how hard the Ngwa nation fought to get the opportunity to govern the state. It might not be that easy again as far as I am concerned. What are the areas that he hasn’t performed better? He should look at the areas that he has equally performed well and see how he can consolidate on the gains recorded.

But for Ifeanyi Magnus, the Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration doesn’t have anything to show within the last 100 days.

He said: “What are we celebrating? I am sure that if the government in the state will be fair enough to themselves and stop brandishing all the lies that they have been dishing out, it will serve them a good deal.

The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Abia State chapter in a statement by its Publicity Secretary Eeber Uzoukwa, lambasted Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu on the first 100 days of his second tenure, accusing his government of celebrating backwardness and failures of first tenure that include projects abandonment, non-payment of workers emoluments and pensions.

According to Uzoukwa some of governor’s failures include “the abandoned Osisioma Fly-Over, a conduit pipe with which the governor and his surrogates have so far used to siphon about 5 Billion Naira from the treasury of Abia State, the destruction rather than construction of Obikabia-Umuobiakwa-Ururuka Road (the road leading to the governor’s house/village), the invisible Enyimba Economic City, the non-existent Abia Shoe Factory and the destroyed but abandoned Abiriba-Nkporo road.


El-Rufai hits the ground running

Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna State wasted no time in pursing his second term agenda.

That is however not to say that, the journey has been smooth, but the challenges seem surmountable.

Exactly 44 days after returning to office, El-Rufai constituted his cabinet and warned the commissioners that any of them that fails to perform would be fired.

El-Rufai also commenced the implementation of his administration’s plan to rejuvenate and strengthen the public service, through recruitment, to inject competent, young people to drive the public service.

The recruitment according to him, seeks to advance the goals of the public service reform and revitalisation programme, which include injecting younger and more competent persons into the public service.

“One of the most important reforms we started in the first-term is the Public Service Reform and Revitalisation Project. One of its major objectives is to strengthen the public service by injecting into its ranks our younger, well-educated, IT-compliant and competent personnel. This goal will be actualised, by the grace of God.

“We shall be recruiting more teachers, health workers, administrative officers and other professionals into the public service. Vacant positions in the public service will continue to be advertised. Public service jobs will be available, but only on merit, not ethnicity, religion or as a result of cronyism.” He said.

Aside recruitment, Governor El-Rufai has equally flagged-off Urban Renewal Project, which has construction of new roads and upgrading existing ones as its core idea. The project which was kicked off with the ground breaking and signing of contract for the construction of a N3.9bn Kaduna Galaxy Mall, has 14 components including roads, mass transit, housing, improved land use, street lights, parks and recreational centres, markets, neighbourhood centres and waste management.

by Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba/Chris Orji, Enugu/Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta/Bisi Oladele, Ibadan/Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki/Nicholas Kalu, Calabar/Kolade Adeyemi, Kano/Okodili Ndidi, Owerri/Sunny Nwakwo, Umuahia/AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna





Varying degrees of kudos, knocks and controversies are greeting the state governors, old and new, as they mark their first 100 days in office on Saturday after their inauguration on May 29.

Of note is the unceasing public spat between Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State and his predecessor, Senator Rochas Okorocha which took a twist last week after the governor called for the senator’s arrest of the senator.

Ihedioha, a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, had been miffed by the assault of the Chairman of the Recovery of Government Properties in the state, Mr. Jasper Ndubuaku, by some youths while trying to invade a property of the former governor.
The State government believes the youths were instigated by Okorocha.

But the former governor declared that his successor would be inviting anarchy if anyone arrested him.

The duo has been locked in a battle from day one when Ihedioha assumed office.
The governor accused Okorocha of plundering the state and wanted the public assets allegedly stolen returned but the senator denied the allegations.

He accused Ihedioha of vendetta.
The state has been polarized along the pro-Okorocha and pro-Ihedioha lines. Youths, women and even traditional rulers have all joined in the political melee.

The first action of the state government barely 24 hours after the governor was inaugurated, was the demolition of the Akachi Tower, built by the Okorocha’s administration as a tourist attraction centre.

The action drew widespread condemnation from within and other side of the state and the government was forced to suspend further demolition of the structure and subsequently denied knowledge of the demolition.

The state government also within its first three days constituted the Committee of Recovery of Stolen Government, which has running after Okorocha and his family.

Another sore point for the state government is the destruction of some of the legacies of the former administration. On assumption, all landmarks and signage built by the previous administration were destroyed and replaced with new ones, street lights and iron crossbars used to beautify streets which dotted Owerri, the State capital were all removed amidst public outcry.

Another action taken by the state government which attracted the ire of the people mostly were the sacking of elected Council Chairmen and Councillors, suspension of the salaries of workers recruited by the former governor at the twilight of his administration, as well as the revocation of all the land deals approved by the immediate past government.

Although the state government is yet to commence full implementation of its programme and policies, as it claims to be clearing the mess of the previous administration but it has taken few steps that have been lauded by the people.
Recently the state governor, flagged off N13 billion rural road project under RAMP, a World Bank assisted project, which has thrown the state into jubilation.

Another high point of the incumbent government is the award of contracts for the construction of the critical roads across the state which is supposed to commence immediately after the rains.

The state government has also received kudos for taken concerted steps to address environmental challenges in the state under its ‘Go Green, Stay Clean Initiative’.

Under this initiative, the state government has commenced planting of trees and flowers and opening of blocked underground drainages and water channels.


Okowa under pressure to meet voters’ expectations

Some of the strident criticisms of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State have come from his own supporters in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
One of them, Mr Godsday Orubebe, ex-minister of Niger-Delta Affairs, accused Okowa of marginalizing the Ijaw ethnic nationality in his government.

He asked the governor to account for about N11.1 trillion which had accrued to the State’s coffers since his assumption of office in 2015.
Okowa said Orubebe’s outburst stemmed from his refusal to appoint his nominee. He has also been faced with the protest of civil servants suspended from the Delta civil service in June 2015.

The suspended civil servants gave the government a one month ultimatum
The suspended worker’s vowed to shut down the state should Okowa fail to fulfill his promise of re-engaging them.

Insecurity Enugu governor’s topmost priority
The deteriorating security situation in Enugu State is top most in priority list of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi after his swearing on May 29 for his second tenure.

The situation has made the governor become so restless and to constantly be on the road, visiting either the victims or the families of such dastardly acts, to sympathize or condole with them.

Although overwhelming, the governor remains undaunted and tackles it with all his gubernatorial paraphernalia.

Despite the media hype of rise in crime in the state, a critical assessment of Enugu State still places it as the safest state in Nigeria.

Ugwuanyi recently gave to the police not fewer than 70 Hilux vehicles, Sienna SUVs and other brands for decoy operations. He as well pays monthly allowances to the operatives, provides fuel and other logistics requirements for the agencies to perform.

Worthy of note is that the governor himself sometimes leads patrol raids on criminal hideouts and dark spots at Obiagu Road, Ogui and Asata, notable homes for drug dealers and users as well as other criminals.

The governor had also packaged an anti-kidnapping bill, which he sent to the State House of Assembly for legislation. He followed it up by giving directive for the recruitment of 1,700 forest guards to begin to patrol the bushes and thick forests of the state, to fish out these criminals from their hideouts.

He had equally given directive, and had personally supervised, the clearing of bushes, particularly along the Awgu axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Express Way, identified as rendezvous for the criminals, and where killings and kidnappings had taken place in recent weeks.


Hope dampens in Ogun without cabinet team

Just 100 days in office, Governor Dapo Abiodun, the successful entrepreneur and oil magnate has continued to govern Ogun State without assembling his cabinet team or send the nominees to the Ogun State House of Assembly.
The cabinet members are the executive officers of the government. They are to help formulate and drive the policy thrust of the government.

At his inauguration on May 29 and shortly after, Governor Abiodun made many promises which include giving the state a focused and qualitative governance that would be responsive, open and accountable to the people by pro – actively creating and promoting enabling environment for a public private sector partnership(PPP) required for rapid industrialisation and infrastructural developments.

He also pledged to rehabilitate tens of roads across the state within the first 100 days.
It is believed that the absence of cabinet members since May 29 could account for the drab and slow down of the pace of governance, and hampers all efforts at pushing Governor’s agenda for the state through within target.

Abiodun did declare that he would focus on development of agriculture and rural roads in order to increase the output of food and cash crops, create wealth for real farmers and ease the movement of farm produce to the markets within and outside the state while generating revenue but it is left to be seen how far this can come to reality in his first year with a commissioner not yet in place.

Four days ago, the Governor inaugurated 17 – man steering Committee on Anchor Borrowers Scheme on Agriculture with Prof. Peter Adebola Okuneye as its Chairman, declaring that his administration’s quest for food security, food sufficiency and poverty alleviation could only be achieved through joint efforts in agriculture between state government and the people.


Makinde making his mark already

Governor Seyi Makinde was welcomed with a rousing support and massive goodwill when he was sworn in as the seventh civilian governor of Oyo State on May 29, 2019. He had won in 28 of the 33 local governments in the state in the March 9 election. In his first 100 days in office, the new governor has enjoyed largely good moments with some low moments.

Before settling down, Makinde cancelled the N1,000 per term levy paid by public school pupils in the state. The decision, which was in fulfilment of his campaign promise, drew huge applause from many parents who had looked forward to his lofty ideas that he promised during campaign. However, the idea is still facing a challenge as it has led to the sacking of teachers and other support staff engaged by the schools and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). But parents are still savouring the relief which the decision brought to them for now.
Makinde also wormed himself into the hearts of the public by ordering a revisit of cases of civil servants sacked by the previous administration. He set up a committee to review the cases of affected persons with a firm promise to reabsorb them if they are found to have been wrongfully sacked. The committee has since been working hard to deliver on its mandate.

If there is any area in which Makinde has excelled as governor, it is in the area of managing the coalition that produced his electoral victory. A lot of people had predicted failure for him in managing the gladiators in the coalition because all of them have public service experience unlike the governor. But Makinde has successfully managed the politicians to the level that every bloc in the alliance has been fairly rewarded. No discordant tune is coming from the coalition house as at now.

The governor is currently a hero to civil servants for paying their salary on the 25th of every month. In line with his campaign promise, Makinde has successfully paid salaries on 25th of his first three months in office. Teachers, civil servants and retirees have encomiums for the governor on this feat. Prompt payment of salaries enables them plan on their income and meet financial obligations at the right time.

Perhaps the action that has boosted Makinde’s fame most is his asset declaration which he made public. With his companies alone worth N48 billion and other highly priced properties and cash, Makinde caused a storm on Twitter and other social media when he made his asset declaration public. He was later adjudged the richest governor in Africa going by his declared assets. Based on the controversy his assets generated, the Director of the Code of Conduct Bureau in Oyo State, Mr Moses Atolagbe, had to make a public statement that the bureau was waiting for directive from the agency’s head office to verify Makinde’s claims.


Umahi hits ground running with new legacy projects

Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi after he was sworn in a second term hit the ground running immediately with his appointment of Principal Officers and Attorney General. This was quickly followed by the appointment of Special Assistants and some boards.

Commissioners were subsequently appointed in July, screened by the State House of Assembly and sworn in.

Even before the appointment of the Commissioners, government activities never slowed down even for a day as Umahi charged the Permanent Secretaries to ensure that work continued as usual on their different Ministries and Departments.

Construction work on numerous roads and other projects both new and ongoing ones have never stopped. Some of the projects include the Ebonyi Glass Tunnel, said to be the first of its kind in the state, the Ebonyi Shopping mall, the Eguhuo bridge in Ishielu Local government, the Author Eze fly over named after the popular Anambra Business man which will go and down on record as the fastest fly over to be completed in the country. Work on the flyover began in November last year and have already been completed as car have already started plying the road.

However, the State was hit by an outbreak of yellow fever in Izzi local government area. The outbreak reportedly claimed some lives in a remote village before it was detected.

The State Ministry of Health quickly moved in with support from the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to control the outbreak.

Infected persons were immediately evacuated to the National Virology Centre built by the State Government in Governor Umahi’s first term were they were treated.

Ayade completes 23 megawatts power plant
Within the first 100 days of his second term,Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State completed a 23 megawatts power plant, which according to him means 24-hour electricity for residents of Calabar. Unveiling the project in Calabar, he had described it as a dream come true, saying it would provide power to residents at an affordable cost.

Although many residents in the state are yet to see the electricity, it has still been commended as a good move. However, some people seem bothered that the details of the arraignment of switching from the national grid to a different source of power have not been properly explained.

Also despite the financial status of the state, it has still been consistent with payment of salaries in his second term.

Among some issues that have earned the governor some knocks, since beginning his second term, include his seeming unwillingness to conduct local government elections in the state.

Another issue that has been a low point for the governor has been his intention build a cargo airport in his home local government area of Obudu, as various persons have risen against what they described as arbitrary land grab for the proposed project.

Critics also feel that it was quite strange that he would want to embark on such a huge project that looks like a waste.

Similarly, the governor’s move to acquire 9000 hectares of land across the state had pitched him against the people. The governor who has already set up a committee to go about the acquisition had, quite vaguely, said the said land was meant for agricultural purposes.


Education topping Ganduje’s second term agenda

Within the past 100 days, Ganduje has made tremendous waves in the education sector, declaring free and compulsory education for primary and secondary school pupils and students.

He has, as well, succeeded in working out modalities to ensure that the Almajiri system of education is built into the conventional Western education learning curriculum, designed to take the Almajiris off the street as beggars and also give them sound and adequate education that can equal them to other school children in terms of access to quality and qualitative education.

To further ensure that parents allow their children to enrol in school. Ganduje has sent a bill to the State House of Assembly, seeking for a law that will back up to arrest and prosecution of parents who refused to take their children to school. The bill also supports the arrest of school-age children roaming the streets begging or hawking during school hours.

Ganduje directed the First Class Emirs across the state to take record of parents and guardians who refused to send their wards to school and forward their names to the State government for appropriate action.

His efforts have attracted interest from the governments of Egypt and the United States of America which recently indicated interest to partner with Kano state government to make the project a huge success.

Within the last 100 days, Ganduje has also been able to set up a Committee that will see to the establishment of one of the largest RUGA settlement in Africa. He said he took the step to contribute his quota in putting to rest the controversy generated by the Federal Government RUGA proposal across the country; make the Fulani herdsmen economically viable; boost Kano’s economic potentials; end the farmers/herders clash and as well modernize the cattle rearing and insemination business.

Ade Adesomoju , Abuja



The recent death of Justice Valentine Ashi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has compounded the inability of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to execute its planned move to have a former Minister of Petroleum Resources , Mrs Diezani Alison -Madueke , extradited from the United Kingdom.

This is in addition to the inability of the anti -graft agency to obtain the consent of the Office of the Attorney - General of the Federation, which is the only body with the powers to file an extradition request in the country where the wanted person is located .

In December 2018 , the anti-graft agency applied for a warrant of arrest against the ex -minister and filed corruption charges against her, as a condition precedent to commence the process of extraditing her from the UK where she has been since 2015 when she left office.

Granting the arrest warrant on December 4 , 2018 , Justice Ashi ordered the EFCC and other security agencies , including the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force to arrest Diezani within 72 hours .

The court also fixed February 25 for the arraignment of the ex -petroleum minister and her co - accused Jide Omokore , who is a former chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Company .

But the case has continued to suffer successive adjournments as the EFCC fails to execute the arrest warrant issued by the court against the former minister on the foreign soil .

Saturday PUNCH learnt that EFCC ’s inability to make any progress in the case was largely due to lack of AGF Office ’s cooperation.

To worsen the problem , Justice Ashi, before whom the EFCC had filed some of the documents required at the preliminary stage of the extradition process, died suddenly on June 27 , 2019 .

Our correspondent , on Thursday , visited the Apo Division of the Abuja High Court where Justice Ashi was sitting until his death , and found his courtroom filled with dust and dilapidated furniture , giving an impression of a place that was not set for business in the nearest future .

Inquiries by Saturday PUNCH from court officials showed that Justice Ashi had already adjourned the case until October 10 , 2019 before his sudden death .
Findings also showed that the case had not been re - assigned to another judge.

“ The case has not been re -assigned . For cases to be urgently re - assigned under a circumstance like this , those interested in the case have to write to that effect. But as we speak that has not happened . But mind you the court is on vacation , ” a court of official told our correspondent .

Meanwhile, our correspondent, on Friday , contacted EFCC ’s spokesperson , Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, to ask if the commission had lost interest in extraditing Diezani.
Responding through a text message , Uwujaren, said, “ Kindly direct your inquiry to the Office of the Attorney -General of the Federation and Minister of Justice which is the competent authority in charge of extradition . ”

The AGF , Mr . Abubakar Malami ( SAN) , did not respond to our correspondent ’s inquiries about Diezani ’s extradition issues on Friday .

The Acting Chairman , EFCC , Ibrahim Magu , had also on different occasions expressed regrets that the UK had not demonstrated any interest in prosecuting Diezani and had blocked moves by the commission ’s operatives to interrogate her in the UK .

The EFCC said it had investigated the former minister along with co - accused , Omokore , following a petition dated October 2 , 2013 , from Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, bordering on money laundering and official corruption .

Currently , Omokore is standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges involving about $ 1 . 6 bn alleged to be part of proceeds of sales of petroleum products belonging to the Federal Government under Diezani ’s tenure as petroleum minister .

But the commission said its fresh investigations revealed that Madueke as supervising minister of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation , was found to have engaged in “ illicit and monumental fraudulent dealings in oil transactions , which she entered into on behalf of the Federal Government ” .

The 9th National Assembly was inaugurated on June 11, 2019 and Senator Ahmad Lawan of the majority All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged the President of the Senate. While many Senators of the 8th Assembly found their way back to the Red Chamber, others didn’t make it, hence they are conspicuously absent on the floor of the current Senate session. In this report, BODE GBADEBO and SUNDAY ISUWA write on senators who were active in the previous Assembly and are already being missed.

Apart from their contributions on matters of importance inside and outside the Senate chamber as lawmakers, these Senators of the 8th Assembly registered their presence on the national psyche either for good or bad reasons. Although many senators lost re-election in 2019, the ten below stand out because they are currently missing in action:


Bukola Saraki

The immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki, was an influential figure in the 8th Assembly by virtue of his position and the followership he commanded.
Against all odds and permutations, Saraki, who represented Kwara Central, remains the first and only Senate President in the history of the country’s democracy to have left a ruling party for the opposition and held on till the completion of his tenure.
As a former governor and two-time lawmaker, many fresh Senators will miss Saraki’s wealth of political experience and charisma.


David Mark

David Mark, a retired Brigadier-General of the Nigeria Army, was the longest serving President of the Senate in the history of Nigeria from 2007 to 2015.
He declined the senatorial contest in the 2019 elections after serving for a record 20 years in the National Assembly as Senator representing Benue South senatorial zone.
Mark will be missed for his wealth of experience as a father-figure and for his calm and mature disposition.


David Umaru

Umaru represented Niger East in the Red Chamber until 2019. In fact, he was among the re-elected Senators inaugurated on June 11, 2019 but was removed almost immediately following a Supreme Court judgement in favour of his opponent within the same APC.

As a reputable lawyer, Umaru served in various committees both ad-hoc and standing ones and his contributions to the 8th Assembly were outstanding as a lawyer and lawmaker.

After the 8th Senate observed that many of its passed Bills were declined assent by President Muhammadu Buhari, Umaru was chosen to be the chairman of a Technical Committee to look into the discrepancies and advise the Red Chamber on the way to go.
While presenting his report, his colleagues commended him for a thorough job. In the report, Umaru suggested that the president was right to have declined assent to most of the Bills and advised the Senate to reintroduce some of them and veto the president on two Bills.


Shehu Sani

Before his election to the Senate in 2015 to represent Kaduna Central, Comrade Shehu Sani was well known in the human rights community.

He became more popular as a Senator with an Afro hair style and his metaphorical contributions on the floor of the 8th Senate. Not a few will easily forget the story of the hyenas and the jackals when President Buhari was on sick leave in the United Kingdom.

Senator Sani was elected to the Senate under the platform of the APC but ended up contesting the 2019 poll under the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), after months of altercations with Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state.

No doubt that Sani added colour to the deliberations and proceedings of the 8th Senate so much that he dared to reveal the package that each Senator received as salary and allowances every month, a development that threw the media space into frenzy at the time , for the topic was a well guarded secret.

Sani went to the Red Chamber for the first time in 2015. It was the first time he contested an election after many years of activism. He will greatly be missed for his ardent fight against human right violations and for being outspoken.


Kabiru Marafa

Senator Marafa was one of the few most outspoken members of the 8th Senate. Very eloquent and fearless, Marafa, who represented Zamfara Central senatorial district, ensured that victims of bandit attacks in Zamfara State got N10 billion support from the federal government through a legislative intervention of the 8th Senate.

His membership of the Senate was interesting and dramatic especially on one occasion after he secured the payment of compensation for victims of banditry in his constituency, he, in his usual jocular manner, on the floor of the Red Chamber, told the then Senate President, Bukola Saraki, that a lady in Zamfara had offered to marry him if he so wished as a reward for the Senate intervention on the Zamfara security challenge.

Marafa failed to return to the Senate due to intra-party squabbles in his home state. He is an engineer by training and was Commissioner for Water Resources in Zamfara State.


Olusola Adeyeye

Senator Adeyeye is a professor of biology and politician who was first elected asenator for Osun Central in 2011.

The outspoken lawmaker had during plenary, in the wake of killings and kidnappings in the country, said Nigeria’s problem was the 1999 constitution.
Adeyeye, who was a Principal Officer in the 8th Senate, publicly declined to contest the 2019 general elections because, according to him, he wanted to be out of the political scene.

Always blunt in his contributions, Adeyeye would always chide his colleagues for lateness to plenary sessions.


Ben Murray-Bruce

The Commonsense Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, was one of the most outspoken senators of the 8th Assembly, who also took out time to run a series on his media outfit, the Silverbird Group.

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PPD), Bruce was elected to the Senate in 2015 and represented Bayelsa East zone, but could not return as a result of the zoning arrangement in his area, where one only serves one term.

He sponsored two Bills to phase out petrol cars in the country and another seeking to grant Nigerian citizenship to persons of African decent that are doing well abroad, which were all rejected by his colleagues.
The senator was, however, angry about the rejection of his Bills and expressed hope that the next Senate will talk about such issues as green energy, electric cars, diaspora voting laws, etc.


Binta Masi Garba

Senator MasiGarba was the only northern female Senator in the 8th Assembly.
Before breaking that jinx of coming to the Senate as the only woman from the North, Binta was in the House of Representatives and, interestingly, she was not representing her native Adamawa State constituency, but Kaduna State, her then husband’s state. She later contested for Senate in Adamawa State and won.

She will be missed for advancing gender issues and the plight of the Nigerian women in the Red Chamber. She lost her reflection bid to the now controversial ‘slapping’ senator,Elisha Abbo


Isah Hamman Misau

Misau represented Bauchi Central between 2015 and 2019.
Misau, an ex-police officer, was one of the most vocal senators of the 8th Senate, who did not mince words in speaking out on matters of national importance no matter whose ox was gored.

At a point, he accused a serving Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, of various misdemeanours bordering on corruption to the amazement of many.
Consequently, the Police accused Misau of deserting the Police Force and forgery and was subsequently charged to court.

He left the ruling APC for the opposition PDP and consequently lost his re-election bid.


Abiodun Olujimi

Senator Olujimi was a Deputy Governor of Ekiti State before her voyage to the National Assembly, first as a member of the House of Representatives.
Years later after leaving Ekiti Government House, she was elected Senator to represent Ekiti South senatorial district in 2015.

Being member of the PDP Caucus, she was initially appointed Deputy Minority Whip in 2015 and in 2018 she became the Minority Leader after the then occupant of the office, Senator Godswill Akpabio, defected from the PDP to the APC.

She was the only female among the principal officers of the 8th Senate and the first to be appointed so in the history of the Senate.
Olujimi is regarded as one of the most experienced female politicians in Nigeria.

The Peoples Democratic Party, Ekiti State chapter appointed her as the state party leader in November, 2018 in order to strengthen the state party in preparation for the 2019 elections, a development that pitched her against the immediate past governor of EkitiState, AyodeleFayose.

The intra-party squabbles that ensued cost her, her re-election bid at the 2019 polls.

Olujimi will be remembered for many things. For instance, in 2016, she sponsored a controversial Bill called ‘Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill, 2016’.
The Bill attracted public reactions across religious lines, leading to controversies, a development that forced the 8th Senate to dump the Bill.

Gibson Mhaka


HILARIOUS or ridiculous, you decide!


If you’ve been with the same person for a long time, the smallest annoyances can suddenly seem insurmountable.

And that’s how seemingly trivial things can sometimes be the spark that leads to two people finally separating.
In a matter yet to be heard at the Bulawayo Customary Court, a man from Hope Fountain on the outskirts of Bulawayo is seeking divorce after suspecting that his wife was cheating on him because she was constantly calling out her ex-lover’s name during sex.

For Felix Dube, his wife Nombulelelo Moyo’s habitual actions of repeating her ex-lover’s name when in the throes of passion may seem like the sort of blunder which is better suited to a bad film.

This came to light when Dube filed for divorce at the Bulawayo Customary Court claiming his wife always calls out her former boyfriend’s name whenever they are making love.

In his suit he stated that there was no love anymore between him and Moyo reiterating that their customary marriage had irretrievably broken down and there were no prospects of a restoration to a normal relationship.

The main reason being that his wife was constantly shouting another man’s name while the action was going on.

“I am customarily married to Nombulelelo Moyo and our union has irretrievably broken down as I suspect that she is still dating her ex-lover because, whenever we are in bed, she calls out his name.

“As a result there are no prospects of restoration to a normal relationship because we now have irreconcilable differences which render the continuance of the relationship impossible. As a couple we have also lost love and affection for each other,” read the papers in part.

He further claimed whenever he confronted her about the issue; she became violent and started verbally and physically abusing him.

Dube, who said he would take care of their two children‘s upkeep upon the dissolution of their marriage, wants to have their property mostly household items and livestock to be shared equally.
Moyo’s response is set to be heard when the parties appear in court.

A Zimbabwean man, Felix Dube, has dragged his wife, Nombulelelo Moyo, to a divorce court, for habitually shouting her ex-lover’s name during sex with him.

According to iHarare, Dube had approached the Bulawayo Customary court, claiming he suspects Moyo was still dating her ex, given the frequency, with which she calls out his name during their intimate moments.

He told the court, “I’m customarily married to Nombulelelo Moyo and our union has irretrievably broken down as I suspect that she is still dating her ex-lover because, whenever we are in bed, she calls out his name.

“As a result there are no prospects of restoration to a normal relationship because we now have irreconcilable differences which render the continuance of the relationship impossible. As a couple, we have also lost love and affection for each other”

Moyo also told the court that he had tried to resolve the issue but his wife verbally and physically assaulted him.

A newly released report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has ranked Lagos as the world’s most dangerous city.

The report, named Safe Cities Index, ranked 60 cities across the world based on digital security, health, infrastructure and personal security.

Tokyo, Japan’s capital city, was ranked the world’s safest city.

Singapore, Osaka, Amsterdam and Sydney occupy the second to fifth spots on the ranking.

“Urban management will play a fundamental role in defining the quality of life of most human beings in the coming years. A key element of this will be the ability of cities to provide security for their residents, businesses and visitors,” the report read.

“A look at the top five cities in each pillar—digital, health, infrastructure and personal security—yields a similar message. In each area, leading cities got the basics right, be it easy access to high-quality healthcare, dedicated cyber-security teams, community-based police patrolling or disaster continuity planning.”

Lagos occupied the 56th spot on the digital security ranking and placed 58th on the infrastructure security ranking.

Nigeria’s most populous city ranked the least on the health and personal security tables.

Some of the items which cities were ranked on are:


Digital security: Privacy policy, citizen awareness of digital threats, public-private partnerships, level of technology employed, dedicated cyber-security teams, percentage of computers infected, percentage with internet access.


Infrastructure security: Enforcement of transport safety, pedestrian friendliness, disaster management/business continuity plan, road network, power network, rail network, the percentage living in slums, air transport facilities.


Health security: Environmental policies, access to healthcare, number of beds per 1,000 population, number of doctors per 1,000 population, access to safe and quality food, quality of health services, air quality, water quality, emergency services in the city.


Personal security: Level of police engagement, community-based patrolling, available street-level crime data, use of data-driven techniques for crime, the prevalence of petty crime, gender safety (female homicide), level of corruption, rate of drug use.

The cities who did not factor in disaster risk in their city-level urban plan were listed as Cairo, Riyadh, Lagos, Bogota, Caracas, Baku.

The report also estimated that more than half of Lagos’ population live in slums; a development that Alioune Badiane, president of the Urban-Think Tank Africa (TUTTA), says is due to poor or insufficient planning.

“The main driver of insecurity is the extent of informal settlements. This arises not from a growing population per se, he adds, but poor or insufficient planning. It is not acceptable,” he said.

“We have a lot to do, but the number one priority is improved urban planning and better city management.”

This is the first time Lagos is featuring on the index.

A former senator, Shehu Sani has reacted to a comment credited to the governor of Kaduna State, who on Thursday said Mr Sani had been reduced to a mere “blogger” since his defeat in the last general elections.

In his reaction on Thursday, Mr Sani mocked Mr El-Rufai saying the Kaduna State governor was busy focusing on his presidential ambition while kidnappers had taken over his state.

Mr Sani, who recently lost senatorial election, said Mr El-Rufai has been reduced from “dwarf” to a leper after being abandoned by President Muhammad Buhari and his men.

He said; “I’m pleased to have reduced the height of El-Rufai from a dwarf to a leper who was rejected by the Governors forum.

“Mr El-Rufai, I’m not responsible for removing your name from the entourage of those who traveled to Japan with Mr President after wasting your three days in Abuja. Eat Yahuza Suya, since you missed the Sushi.

“El-Rufai is more focused on his presidential ambition, while his state is under the siege of kidnappers”.

Mr Sani advised El-Rufai to face those who threw away his list of ministers and also threw out his luggage from President Buhari’s Japan trip.

“He is still obsessed with the World Bank Loans and using it as an excuse to justify his incompetence, while his counterparts in other states are busy commissioning and executing projects.

“Since you are still angry for not getting the loan, I can help you with some high heels shoes to increase your height,” added Mr Sani.

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Thursday declared federal government’s plan to introduce solar-powered vehicles as well as vehicles capable of driving on water.

This is even as the minister said the Federal Executive Council has given a nod of approval of checkmating emissions from vehicles in the country owing to the resultant health implication for the people.

Amaechi who was represented by the Director, Mass Transit and Road Transport in the Ministry, Dr Anthonia Ekpa at the 9th quadrennial delegates conference of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, added that the ministry will stop at nothing to implement government’s directive on the reduction of pollutants across the country.

“Government has given the Ministry of Transportation a mandate to deliver on emission control, the reduction of a pollutant from vehicles and we are beginning that immediately.

“The federal ministry of Transportation has introduced in the 2018/2019 budget what we called the solar-powered vehicles and this is coming to you. We have also introduced vehicles that can drive on water and land.

“One of the challenges that the Ministry has observed is that safety is a priority and the Ministry wants you to collaborate with it and the Federal Road Safety Commission to ensure that road safety is a priority and apply the code and norms to ensure safety on our roads,” Amaechi said.

Declaring the conference open, Secretary to the Government of the federation, Boss Mustapha lauded the union for their contribution to the success of the 2019 election even as he tasked the new leadership to build on the successes of its predecessor.

Represented by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Senator Tayo Alaosuadura, the SGF told the union that the federal was putting in place, policies and programmes aimed at ensuring road safety at all times.

“As pioneers in transport unionism, it is heartwarming to know that your union has so far followed a healthy part in changing its leadership at all levels without rancour. I wish to also acknowledge the enormous contribution of NURTW to our national development especially in providing employment to our teeming youths, sensitizing commercial drivers on safety and organizing other vehicular activities in our motor parks across the country.

“The union has also fought poverty by providing loans to small and medium transport operators which are second to none. I am glad to inform you that the government is doing all that is necessary to give policy direction and guideline as well as provide a conducive environment for the transport industry to smoothly operate and thrive.

“You will observe that the Muhammadu Buhari administration has invested so much on road construction and rehabilitation across the country. This effort is to reposition the transportation sector for inclusive socio-economic development, peace and security of the country.

“I want to also assure that this administration will continue to commit a reasonable chunk of our income to save, smooth world-class road network. You are also enjoined to partner with the Federal Roads Safety Commission in ensuring that all drivers obey road signs and regulation as this will bring safety to all road users.

“I want to assure you that the President has continued to strengthen the unity of trade unions through constant consultation and collaboration. Let me use the opportunity to express Mr President’s appreciation for the role the Road Transport Union played in the successes of the 2019 general elections,” he stated
On his part, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba commended the leadership of the union for their sense of togetherness, adding that in the past few years, the union has been contributing meaningfully to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP.

Awka – The traditional ruler of Umueri kingdom in Anambra-east local government area of Anambra state His Royal Majesty Igwe Sir Ben Izuchukwu Emeka has said he would institute a court action on an online news medium called Sahara Reporters for the wrong use of his personal picture in an indicting report of financial improprieties and embezzlement of public funds amounting to N150 million.

Sahara Reporters was said to have allegedly reported a missing N150M and that Anambra youths wanted one Igwe Alex Edozieuno arrested and prosecuted over the missing money but the online news medium was said to have published the report with the photograph of the traditional ruler of Umueri.

A press release signed by the palace secretary Mr.Tochukwu Chidebelu and made available to newsmen yesterday in Umueri, demanded an unreserved apology to the traditional ruler and people of Umueri from Sahara Reporters for the wrongful inclusion of the monarch’s personal photograph in what they described an as incriminating report capable of destroying the image and reputation of His Royal Majesty, Igwe Sir Ben Izuchukwu Emeka .

The release, however, reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to the online publication of 28th August 2019 and titled:
“Alleged missing N150 million: Anambra Youths want Igwe Alex Edozieuno arrested, prosecuted…”

Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered responding to this publication, after all, Mkpunando Aguleri is a different community from Umueri community, but for the inclusion of the picture of HRM Igwe Sir Benneth Emeka JP (Oke-ebo II of Umueri) in that publication by Sahara Reporters, an online news media.

We have observed with total dismay the unfortunate/deliberate use of Igwe Benneth Emeka’s picture to mean that of Igwe Alex Edozieuno in that publication by Sahara Reporters.

We know that the enemies of the Umueri community are still at work, and this being their latest antics/attack on the good people of Umueri and Igwe Benneth Emeka in order to achieve their selfish but failed ambition.

But we want to categorically state without mincing words – that the picture being circulated in that publication by Sahara Reporters is a total falsehood, and a deliberate act to malign HRM Igwe Sir Benneth Emeka (JP) and the good people of Umueri community.

In one breath, we imagine that it was a case of mistaken identity, and in another breath, we are forced to believe it was a shared deliberate conspiracy and a well-thought-out intention to malign the Traditional Stool of Umueri by faceless individuals who have been in the business of peddling falsehood against Umueri community.

In any case, we demand an immediate retraction of that deliberate placement of the picture of HRM Igwe Sir Benneth Emeka JP (Oke-ebo II of Umueri) in that publication. A media outfit like Sahara Reporters should have verified their pictures before using them.

His Royal Majesty and the Good people of Umueri hereby demand a total retraction and official apology to Igwe Benneth Emeka and Umueri people which should be published in all the major daily newspapers including Sahara Reporters within 3 days or face legal actions. Our legal teams have been contacted in this regard.

An official of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) said Nigerians pay an estimated N400bn annually as bribes to obtain public services.

The Principal Investigator at the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the research and training arm of ICPC, Suleiman Suleiman, said this on Tuesday.

He spoke at the stakeholders meeting on Nigeria Corruption Index (NCI), and presentation of a policy brief on Eradication of Electoral Corruption Awareness Survey in Abuja.

Mr Suleiman, who is also a research fellow at ACAN, said 32.3 per cent of Nigerian service users pay a bribe across key sectors/services and regions.

He quoted the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) 2016 data that estimated that corruption will wipe off 37 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP by 2030.

He further quoted PWC findings that Nigeria’s GDP would rise as high as $534 billion if it reduces corruption to a minimal level.

According to him, many Nigerians do not have any direct contact with many public institutions where a lot of corruption occurs.

The latest Nigerian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) report by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that the Nigerian economy grew by 2.01 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms.

Compared to the growth rate of 1.89 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2018, the NBS said real GDP in the first quarter of 2019 grew by 0.12 per cent points.

”In 2016, PWC conducted research with the aims of finding what Nigeria’s GDP would be by 2030. Based on their forecast they discovered that Nigeria GDP would be around $1,457billion.

”Also, they wanted to know what would be the cost of corruption during that period. That is, if they did the research in 2015, that is 15 years ahead. They found that if Nigeria is able to reduce corruption by that 2030, it would even be higher than that $1457 billion by up to $534 billion.

”It is like saying if you spend money unwisely you would have N20 but when the money is spent carefully, you would have N35. So the figure of $534billion is what Nigeria can have if we reduce corruption.

”The PWC found that 32. 3 per cent of service users are asked to pay a bribe, which is quite high. If the average bribe is N5,300 and you have up to 83 million bribes a year, multiplied by N5,300 and it gives you 4000billion,” Mr Suleiman explained.

Corruption is endemic in Africa with more than one in four people across 35 African countries paying bribes in 2018 to access public resources, a 2018 report by Transparency International said.

According to the TI reports, out of the 35 countries surveyed, more than half of all African citizens think corruption is getting worse in their countries, with 59 per cent of people thinking their government is doing badly at tackling corruption.

Sola Akinrinade, a professor, and former Vice-chancellor of Osun State University who is the provost of ACAN, said the commission was working with other agencies of government to fight corruption in public service.

He said lack of accountability remains a major concern in many states in Nigeria.

”We are working with other agencies of government who can help us to implement the findings and outcomes; which can also lead to preventive measures that we have the statutory power to focus on.

”So if we find out that one sector is very vulnerable we can take steps to give directives that … certain thing should change there. We have the power to do that.”

The second is the policy reforms, it would help us to look at existing government policies that are designed to challenge corruption but are not working well right now.”

Ndubuisi Orji , Abuja



Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State are on warpath over alleged plot by Governor Serieke Dickson to install a senator, representing Bayelsa Central, Diri Douye, as his successor.

Daily Sun gathered yesterday that in the run-up to the November 16 governorship election, Dickson may have settled for Douye, as his preferred choice as the PDP candidate and ultimately his successor.

Sources say the development is generating ripples in the Bayelsa PDP as it has pitted the governor’s political family, the Restoration Group, against some governorship aspirants in the opposition party, who are not favourably disposed to Dickson’s succession plan.

There are 21 governorship aspirants, many of whom are said to be members of the Governor Dickson’s-led Restoration Group.

The aspirants, who are not part of the Restoration Group, which include the former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, are alleging that there is no level playing field for all the contenders for the PDP ticket, ahead of the party’s governorship primary scheduled for September 3.

Incidentally, Douye, who was a member of the House of Representatives in the Eight Assembly, used to be an ally of the former NDDC boss.
Spokesman of the Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation, Philips Okolo, told Daily Sun that most of the returning officers used during the ward congress to elect ad-hoc delegates that will participate in the governorship primary, were either members or relatives of the Restoration Team.

Okolo said Alaibe and other PDP governorship aspirants, who are not members of the Restoration Team, have already petitioned the party’s Ward Congress Appeal Panel, requesting the panel to set aside the congresses held last weekend.

“Our concern is that the list of people submitted for the congress as returning officers are relations, in-laws, friends and associates of the Restoration Group.

“There are neutral people that could have been used for the exercise. That is the main concern,” he said.

Regardless, the campaign spokesman noted that they are confident the panel will upturn the ad-hoc delegates ward congress.

When Daily Sun sought to know what would be Alaibe’s next line of action, in the event that the appeal panel upholds the ad-hoc delegates ward congress, Okolo said: “We are not at that bridge yet.”

However, an aide of the governor, who declined to be named, simply told Daily Sun “we are not aware. It is a sensitive issue and the governor has never told anybody he has a preferred candidate.”

When contacted, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, told Daily Sun that the party is still awaiting the report of the appeal panel before it can make any comment on the issue.

“We are waiting for the outcome of the appeal. The appeal committee has not brought its report.
“Until the committee brings its report, there is nothing I can say,” Ologbondiyan said.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on Monday, warned the correctional officers of the Nigeria Correctional Service to ensure that the inmates are comfortable, clean, hygienic and of good health.

Mr Aregbesola gave the warning in Abuja when the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Georgina Ehuriah, officially handed over to him.

According to him, although the correctional service is not intended to be a “five-star hotel”, it should, nevertheless, be made comfortable for inmates.

“No one is advocating that it must be Transcorp Hilton but it must be comfortable, clean, hygienic and promote good health.

“Inmates should be well fed and taken care of, their dignity should be protected and should not be abused,” he said.

He added that an abused and brutalized inmate was a potential threat to the society which should not be allowed to happen.

The minister explained that the correctional facilities were intended to reform inmates for proper reintegration into society.

”An inmate must leave the correction centre, a better person, an abused and brutalized inmate is a threat to the society and a bad social missile that should not be allowed to happen. So henceforth, this should stop,” he said.

Also, he expressed commitment to delivering on the three core mandates of the current administration for the ministry.

While identifying these as security, economy, and transparency, he urged all agencies under the ministry and staff to key into the mandate.

Adelani Adepegba , Abuja

A Federal High Court judge, Idrissa Saleh , has been declared missing after he went out in a taxi and did not return home since Saturday .

It was gathered that the worried family members of the judge reported the incident to the Police after Saleh failed to come back after allegedly discharging himself from a hospital at the Central Business District , Abuja .

A family member said the judge left the hospital where he was being treated for an undisclosed ailment without informing the management .

He said, “ Justice Saleh was admitted in the hospital and he left in a taxi without disclosing his whereabouts to anyone.

“ Even the management of the hospital was not aware of his movement .

“ I think he has a problem , which he didn’ t share with anyone ; but the Police are treating it as a case of missing person and they are actively searching for him as we speak . ”

Our Correspondent learnt that the judge was not with his phone , making it difficult for investigators to track him down .

The Commissioner of Police , Federal Capital Territory , Bala Ciroma , confirmed the incident , noting that an investigation has been launched into the matter.

Asked if he believed the judge was kidnapped , he said it was too early to arrive at such conclusion .

The Chairman of the Ekiti State Chapter of the NLC, Mr Kolapo Olatunde, announced on Monday that the Federal Government would commence payment of the long-awaited new wage from next month.

Olatunde made the disclosure in an interview with the Labour Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado-Ekiti on Monday.

“I speak to you as the right source that nothing will stop the implementation of the N30, 000 minimum wage next month.

“Government will pay the new minimum wage in the first week of September.

“After the National Executive Council meeting of the NLC in Kano, we have streamlined everything that can cause any further delay of the payment.

“Now, we are waiting for the outcome,’’ Olatunde stated.

He said that the issue of consequential adjustment raised by labour, to properly harmonise payment of the new wage had delayed the payment.

The labour chief said the payment could start from early week of September when he was asked to state the exact date workers should expect the payment.

He noted that the reappointed Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, had taken it as his priority to ensure that the minimum wage issue was finally resolved.

Organised labour and the Federal Government have been locked in endless bickering on the modalities for the payment of the new minimum wage which was approved by the government earlier this year.

On April 18, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Minimum Wage Bill into law, to bring relief to Nigerian workers but payment of the wage has remained a problem.

Labour had asked for consequential adjustment but the government argued that it had already made budgetary provision for an adjustment of N10, 000 across the board for those already earning above N30, 000 per month.

The development resulted in a logjam on the issue, delaying the payment of the wage since April.

Review of the minimum wage in Nigeria was effected last eight years ago, leaving civil servants at the receiving end of economic hardships.

Public sector workers in oil-bearing Nigeria receive meagre salaries, while political office receives some of the biggest paycheques in the world, according to analysts.

The retreat organised for members of the Lagos State Executive Council and Permanent Secretaries ended at the weekend with participants resolving to apply their expertise and energy towards achieving the vision of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration.

The retreat, which held at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos, aimed at fostering teamwork and unity of purpose among administrators who will be implementing key items in the governor’s development agenda in the ministries, departments, and agencies of government.

While former governors Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola participated in the retreat, their successor, Akinwunmi Ambode, was conspicuously absent.

Mr Ambode’s spokesperson, Habib Aruna, told PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday that he does not know why his principal was left out of the retreat.

“You should ask them why they did not invite Mr Ambode,” Mr Aruna said over the phone.

“They are in the best position to know why they didn’t invite him.”

Mr Sanwo-Olu’s spokesperson could not be reached on Sunday as his phone lines were switched off.

The governor is currently attending the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) in Japan.



Solving Lagos’ problems

Earlier, during the four-day retreat, Mr Tinubu urged Governor Sanwo-Olu and his team to make the welfare of the people the cornerstone of the administration’s social development programmes.

Mr Tinubu, who was governor between 1999 and 2007, reminded the cabinet members of the “difficult task” they had in hand and challenged them to deploy their expertise for the realisation of the APC programmes for the state.

“Many books on leadership and administration have been written by great thinkers which focused on talent of individuals,” he said.

“But, is leadership about talent alone? I say no. Talent can only give you the opportunity to shine and get recognition among your peers. But it cannot pave the way for success. Talent without character is an effort to nowhere.”

Mr Tinubu said although Lagos still confronts some challenges in key sectors, the challenges should be converted to opportunity to drive the development of the state.

The APC national leader observed that successive administrations in Lagos had been implementing a development masterplan initiated by his administration, but he said the blueprint was not inflexible. He urged Mr Sanwo-Olu and his team to tinker with the masterplan in driving more development in the state.

In his speech, Mr Fashola, who was governor between 2007 and 2015, saluted the courage of the commissioners and special advisers to accept the roles, and added that the appointees had signed up for “a tough task.”

Mr Fashola, who spoke on Personal Perspective on Leadership, said public office was created to solve problems facing the people and not to show off. He said the Sanwo-Olu administration must design a public communication strategy that would make citizens defend the government before becoming agitated.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who also spoke at the retreat, noted that the new cabinet members had a rare opportunity of receiving hands-on training from two most experienced and highly qualified administrators in Messrs Tinubu and Fashola.

He charged the Executive Council members to utilise all that had been learned for the betterment of the average citizen of Lagos.

At the end of the retreat on Saturday, the cabinet members came up with a communiqué indicating their resolution and expectations as they prepared to fully resume at their respective positions on Monday.

Giving a summary of the communiqué on behalf of the cabinet, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, noted that the participants had intensive sessions with all the facilitators, who, he said, shared practical thoughts on governance and measuring performance.

“We have just concluded a four-day intensive, energy-sapping and intellectually fulfilling retreat,” said Mr Omotoso, the former editor of The Nation newspaper.

“We have been fully equipped and prepared for the task of governance. It is just a springboard for us to take up our programmes.

“Now, Lagosians are going to be seeing a lot of actions from this government, because everything that has been planned will now be put into actions.

“We have been told all that could bring about bottlenecks implementation stages, programmes and policies. We are fully armed and energised to engage our duties for the realisation of better Lagos that would be the pride of everybody.”

Mr Omotoso said the cabinet members made a commitment to work together and complement one another’s efforts towards achieving the governor’s vision.

The Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Samuel Egube, observed that each member of the Executive Council had made a commitment to a joint responsibility of tackling the challenges facing the state, stressing that the government would give no excuse to the residents.

“We also discussed the need to drive a performance evaluation mechanism that would enable us to measure our progress in a transparent manner. This, we believe, will make us fulfil all the promises we have made,” Mr Egube said.

The Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said the retreat set the tone for the implementation of the administration’s plan for a “Greater Lagos”. He said each session of the programme was facilitated by “highly resourceful” leaders that shared their practical experience about administration and leadership.

“Part of the highlights of the retreat was to devise a mechanism that would create synergy between the Permanent Secretaries and Commissioners in their ministries,” he said.

“We also looked at ways of strengthening the relationship between all arms of government and bring them on common platform for the purpose of taking Lagos to greater heights.”

Some of the speakers that graced the retreat included Ben Akabueze, Director-General of the Budget Office; Fola Arthur-Worrey, former Executive Secretary of Lagos State Security Trust Fund; Fola Adeola, founder of FATE Foundation; and Wale Edun, former Lagos Commissioner for Finance.

By Seye Olumide




Barely 48 hours after he allegedly emerged the new leader of the Yoruba race, emeritus Professor of History and Second Republic Senator, Seth Banji Akintoye has denied knowledge of such happening.

Akintoye was said to have thrashed the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by 73 to three votes, at an event coordinated by some Yoruba self-determination groups in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday.

But the retired scholar insists he knows nothing about the election of a new leader, and was not at the venue of the election, but only heard the news on the radio, television and read it in the newspapers just like everyone.

In similar vein, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State Fayemi has described as fallacy, claims that he backed Akintoye’s candidacy, and also sponsored the meeting, where he was elected.

Groups and individuals that participated in the election include the Baale of Ekotedo, Chief Taye Ayorinde; Chief Deji Osibogun; members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (New Era); Oodua Redemption Alliance; Majiyagbe Oodua Vanguard, and Awari Omo Oduduwa; among others.

At the event, the Second Republic senator was adopted as the fourth Yoruba leader after the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Pa Adekunle Ajasin and Senator Abraham Adesanya, with no mention of incumbent Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, who is currently considered the Yoruba leader by virtue of his position.

But in a telephone chat with The Guardian, yesterday, Akintoye said, “I wasn’t at the venue, neither did I get privy knowledge of the election. I heard, and read the news in the media. I also want to clear the air that Governor Fayemi does not know anything about it and he is not sponsoring me.”

The professor ascribed the development to the impatience of some young men and self-determination groups, who were as worried as we the older generation about what is happening to Yoruba land in terms of insecurity, politics and economic downturn.

He stressed: “They are in a hurry and I cannot blame them; neither should we disparage their actions. Those alleging that Fayemi is the one behind it are wrong. The Governor is like a son to me, just as we are from the same state, but I can say clearly that he is not sponsoring me or any group to elect a new Yoruba leader.”

Akintoye, however, said he would make a statement on the development after due consultations, cautioning the younger generations against dishonouring the efforts of elders, who have spent their lives fighting just courses, and seeking the good of Yoruba nation and the country.

Fayemi, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Yinka Oyebode, denied sponsoring the event and doing anything to prepare grounds for his alleged 2023 presidential ambition, as some people are already assuming.

Oyebode said: “There is iota of truth in the allegation that Governor Fayemi backed Prof. Akintoye’s candidacy, and also sponsored the meeting.

Those saying that are not being fair to the renowned scholar. Prof Akintoye is an eminent personality with very outstanding credentials and contribution to national development. He is eminently qualified for any leadership role and to lead any organisation. The Governor doesn’t have to push prof’s credentials before he is recognised; he is eminently qualified for any leadership role.”

On the issue of 2023 presidency, Oyebode said, Fayemi has made it clear that he has a job as the Governor of Ekiti State and he is putting his best in terms of focus, attention and energy into the task of rebuilding the state and making life better for the people, as well as, building a truly prosperous state. While doing this, he is also working with the various organs of government at the various levels to ensure that the APC government led by President Muhammadu Buhari succeeds in taking the country and its people to the next level of development and prosperity.”

He added that the noise about Fayemi’s presidential ambition is from the figment of the imagination of those peddling the rumour. “The primary assignment before the Governor now is to ensure good governance in Ekiti State and to deliver the dividends of democracy to those that elected him.

A close source to Tinubu, who asked not to be named also distanced the national leader of the APC from the Yoruba leadership tussle.

He told The Guardian that the national leader is not struggling the leadership of Yoruba nation with anybody.