₦airaland Forum

Rivers State Governor has been tagged the centre of a soaring tension in Rivers state as his verdict has left no fewer than 344 newly recruited staff, including lecturers of the State Polytechnic, Bori without jobs.

PM News earlier reported that Governor Wike may likely layoff the 13,200 teachers employed by his predecessor, Rotimi Ameachi after a resolution passed on Tuesday by the State House of Assembly gave him the right to do so. It was gathered that Governor Wike may sack the teachers after the board of the State Civil Service Commission was accused of breaching rules and illegally employing workers into the state service.

However, following the right issued to him (Wike), 344 newly recruited staff were shown the way out of service after they fell into the category of workers adjudged to have been wrongly employed, Leadership reports.

Speaking with newsmen, the public relations officer of the institution, Innocent Ogbonnaya Nwanwo , said the government also directed the Rector of the polytechnic, Sir Obianko Worlu Elechi to proceed on compulsory leave.

Nwanwo said the sack of the newly recruited staff, as well as the directive on the Rector to proceed on compulsory leave was contained in a directive sent to the Polytechnic by the State Ministry of Education.

He said, “The recent employment exercise we had at the Rivers State Polytechnic, Bori has been cancelled. The reason is that the government needed to review the process of their employment. The process that brought in the newly employed people; don’t forget, they have not started work, has been called off; it has been terminated by the state government.

“Right now, they don’t have a job here in the Rivers State Polytechnic. Technically speaking, that is the truth. The Rector is on leave; he was asked to proceed on leave.” The sack of the 344 newly recruited staff comes days after Governor Wike relieved the state’s Independent Electoral Commission Chairman (RSIEC), Prof. Augustin Ahiaozu, of his duties.

How come everyone is on Buhari to present ministerial list? Every quarter you go, you hear people mumbling about the ministerial list like as if once the list is out, our problems as a nation will be solved. I ask, are these mumblings because we are truly eager to see the new government kick into action and begin to address our numerous problems or because guys are arranging their hookups and connections. I am of the opinion that who makes the list or not is not as important as what they plan to bring to the table because that's what will guarantee the change we are all looking for.

I trust the president has a mind of his own, at least events seem to bring that home so no fears of impositions. It is time to wait patiently as the president kick starts his agenda. Be rest assured that if your father or someone you know makes the list, it might not be a good time to rejoice and draw out those lists of miserable yet money gulping projects that sign off government money in the name of contracts to family and friends because this time, Buhari will be watching and acting and hmmnn...

I, CharlyBoy will be watching even more. O yes! We must get it right this time, bad belle people of not.

A bag filled with improvised bombs discovered by operatives of youth vigilante at a deserted camp of Boko Haram near Monguno village in Borno state accidentally exploded, killing at least 63 persons, witnesses and security sources said.

The explosion, which occurred at about 5pm on Tuesday also left many persons injured.

An eyewitness and operative of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Haruna Bukar, told journalists on phone that a group of Civilian-JTF on patrol along Monguno-Marte route stumbled upon a bag containing metallic substances at an area where Boko Haram terrorists had once camped.

“When they found the bag containing what later turned out to be improvised explosives, they brought it to Monguno town where people gathered to take a looks at it. As they were busy fiddling with the content of the bag, the bombs went off with a massive blast that killed about 63 persons and injured dozen others”, said Haruna.

“It was really a very sad incident that affected many families. Most of those affected are young men and a few number of females”.

An officer of the VGN in Maiduguri, Abbas Gava, had also confirmed the incident to journalists.

“Initially we thought it was a Boko Haram attack as it was being rumored in the town of Maiduguri”, he said. “But when we later checked, we discovered that it was somehow an accidental explosion caused by the foolishness of the Civilian-JTF operatives who discovered such a dangerous device and refusing to call on the police of military that has the expertise to handle such things”.


A source at the state specialists hospital in Maiduguri, who spoke with Our Correspondent has confirm that they received so far, 29 corpses at the hospital while more are expected as ambulances have been dispatched for evacuation.

Offices of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are trading blames in court over which one of them is in custody of what was recovered from the money looted from the nation’s treasury by the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

While the EFCC said the recovered funds could be accounted for by the offices of the AGF and the NSA, they have both denied knowledge of what has been recovered and where it is being kept.

The claim among the three Federal Government’s offices is captured in the court processes they filed in reaction to a suit filed by a group, the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), seeking information about the state of the recovered loot.

LEDAP, in 2011, instituted the suit under the Freedom of Information Act after the EFCC (earlier named as the sole defendant) refused its request for the information.

It later joined the AGF and the NSA when the EFCC, in a counter-affidavit, said it was only offices of the AGF and NSA that could account for the recovered looted funds.

An EFCC official, Austin Emmumejakpor, said in the counter-affidavit of March 5, 2012, that he was “informed that remittances relating to the estate of the late Gen. Abacha were coordinated by the offices of the National Security Adviser and the Attorney-General of the Federation and not the respondent (EFCC) as erroneously thought by the applicant.”

The offices of the AGF and NSA, in separate counter-affidavits filed by their lawyer, Godwin Onwusi, denied knowledge of details of the recovered loots. They urged the court to excuse them from the suit.

In a counter-affidavit dated March 25, 2014, both offices denied custody of the requested information on behalf of both the AGF and the NSA, stating: “That the 1st and 2nd parties sought to be joined (AGF and NSA) did not coordinate the remittances relating to the estate of late Gen. Abacha.”

In another counter-affidavit of January 28, 2015, it was stated that the 2nd party sought to be joined (NSA) did not coordinate the remittances relating to the estate of the late Gen. Abacha.

“The 2nd party sought to be joined is neither in custody nor in possession of information relating to the remittances referred to in paragraph 5 above. The 2nd party sought to be joined is neither a necessary party nor an indispensable party in this suit.”

Lawyer to the plaintiff, Chino Obiagwu, has, in a reply on point of law, argued that both the offices of AGF and the NSA are parties necessary for the just determination of the case.

He argued that by virtue of the provisions of Section 21 of the FoI Act, 2011, “the onus is on such body to prove that the information is not within its control”.

Justice Mohammed has adjourned hearing on the applications to October 8.