₦airaland Forum

The Governor of Bayelsa
State, Mr. Seriake Dickson,
has cautioned the new
Commander of the Federal
Government security outfit in
the Niger Delta, Operation
Delta Safe, to be
professional in addressing
security challenges in the
region.
The Governor gave the
warning when he received
the new commander of ODS,
Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie,
a statement in Yenagoa on
Friday by his Chief Press
Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-
Markson, has said.
Dickson emphasised the need
for the law enforcement
agents to be neutral in
dealing with criminal
activities.
While commending the
Federal Government for
retaining the headquarters
of the Operation Delta Safe in
Bayelsa, Dickson said the
security outfit, especially its
maritime component, had a
crucial role to play, as the
state is predominantly
riverine in nature.
Dickson, who expressed
confidence in the ability of
the officers and men of the
new command, called for
non-interference in their
activities in the interest of
national peace and stability,
saying the Niger Delta
occupies strategic position in
the country.
He said the state
government on its part would
continue to support security
agencies in the fight against
criminality and brigandage
such as kidnapping, piracy
and the wilful destruction of
strategic national assets,
with its attendant
degradation of the
environment.
Paying tribute to all the
commanders of the defunct
Operation Pulo Shield for
their contributions to the
peace in the region, Dickson
said dialogue remained the
best option to resolving the
security issues in the area.
In his remarks, Okojie said
the Federal Government
deemed it necessary to re-
engineer the security outfit
as part of the efforts to
tackle insecurity effectively
in the country.
According to Okojie, the task
of achieving enduring peace
and stability, remains a joint
effort involving the
governments, community
leaders and other
stakeholders of the affected
states, particularly in the
maritime areas covered by
ODS mandate.
The new Commander, who
resumed duty on June 26,
2016, allayed people’s fears,
saying that the outfit would
adopt a holistic approach in
maintaining law and order
rather than use brute force.
He, however, warned
criminal-minded individuals to
steer clear of the region as
the ODS has acquired
adequate resources to deal
decisively with those bent on
sabotaging the government’s
efforts towards promoting
economic growth and
prosperity.

The Secretary to the
Nigerian Government,
Babachir Lawal, has said the
Attorney General of the
Federation, Abubakar Malami,
acted right in arraigning top
officers of the Senate for
alleged forgery of Senate
Rules used in electing them
to office.
He however denied that the
President Muhammadu
Buhari-led federal
government had a hand in
the current trial of President
of the Senate, Bukola Saraki
and his deputy, Ike
Ekweremadu.
A former Clerk of the
National Assembly, Salisu
Maikasuwa, and a Deputy
Clerk of the National
Assembly, Ben Efeturi, are
also on trial over the matter.
Mr. Lawal, who said he was
familiar with the issue for
which Messrs Saraki and
Ekweremadu were being
tried, said the AGF merely
acted on a petition forwarded
to his office about a year
ago when the two senate
leaders were elected.
The SGF, who made this
remarks in Yola on Saturday
while fielding questions from
journalists, said instead of
turning the federal
government into a punching
back, Messrs Saraki and
Ekweremadu should rather
allow justice to take its
cause.
He advised the lawmakers to
stop making their trials
appear as if it was a battle
between the executive and
the legislative arms of
government.
“The Federal government is
now everyone’s punching
bag,” Mr. Lawal said. “But I
don’t know why are they
blaming the Federal
Government or any person
for this.
“When this issue started, I
was in the party as the
National Vice Chairman, that
was in June. After the
election and emergence of
the leadership of the senate,
some senators petitioned the
police that the document
used to conduct such election
was forged.So the police
received the petition and
sent their recommendation to
the Attorney General of the
Federation who in turn
decided that a prima facie
case of forgery was
established and decided to
prosecute those involved.
‘’It’s the duty of the
attorney general to
prosecute where a crime is
committed. So,where is FG
role in this?
He expressed concern that
since their arraignment and
subsequent granting of bail,
Messrs Saraki and
Ekweremadu had issued
separate statements that
contained messages “far
from being complementary to
the person and government
of President Muhammadu
Buhari.”
“From their statements, the
two leaders of the Senate
also gave this erroneous
impression that by their
arraignment, it is the entire
Senate and indeed, the
legislative arm of
government that is on trial.
They want the public to
believe that their
prosecution by the FG is in
utter disregard for the
constitutional provisions of
separation of powers and
that preferring the forgery
case against them is a
vendetta exercise.

Amidst renewed violence in the Niger Delta, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday appealed to traditional and opinion leaders in the troubled area to appeal to the people of the region to be patient with his administration. He promised that his government would properly utilise the nation’s resources to rebuild the country, including the region. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving a delegation of the Niger Delta Dialogue and Contact Group led by the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass, Bayelsa State, King Alfred Diette-Spiff, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Buhari promised that under his watch, Nigeria would witness judicious utilisation of resources. “We intend to rebuild this country so that our children and grand-children will have a good place they can call their own. A lot of damage has been done, so I want you to tell the people to be patient. “When you get together with other leaders, please pacify the people. We will utilise the resources of Nigeria with integrity and rebuild the country,” the President told his guests. Buhari also said the gazette on the Niger Delta amnesty programme by the Umaru Yar’Adua administration was being studied with a view to determining what had been fulfilled, promising that whatever is left would also be addressed. “I want to get as much intelligence as possible on the situation in the Niger Delta. I have encouraged law enforcement agencies to contact leaders like you in order to have enough information to deal with the issues once and for all, “the President said. He sympathised with investors who borrowed money to invest in the Niger Delta and have not recouped their investments due to insecurity. He reiterated his appeal to those who perpetrate violence to embrace peace and give government a chance. Diette-Spiff said the group was made of peace builders, dedicated to peace and stability in the region.

The deputy clerk of the
National Assembly, Benedict
Efeturi, confirmed to police
investigators that the
senate’s standing orders
used for the 2015 elections
of Bukola Saraki and Ike
Ekweremadu as senate
president and deputy
respectively, were different
from the 2011 version which
should have been in use at
the time, details of police
investigation seen by
PREMIUM TIMES show.
Mr. Efeturi made the
disclosure to the Criminal
Investigation and
Intelligence Department of
the Nigerian Police, which
investigated allegations that
the rules were forged to help
Messrs. Saraki and
Ekweremadu to their posts.
He however said the
alteration, which some
senators denounced as
illegal as lawmakers were not
informed about, was based
on the directive of the
former senate leadership,
led by its president, David
Mark.
He said the amendment was
done “by convention and
practice” and not be
“procedure”, as previous
versions of the rules were
amended by the same
method.
Messrs. Saraki, Ekweremadu,
Efeturi and a former clerk of
the National Assembly, Salisu
Maikasuwa, have been
charged with forgery. They
were arraigned on Monday
before a High Court in Abuja.
They deny wrongdoing. The
senate president and his
deputy accuse President
Muhammadu Buhari of bias,
and argue that the case is a
violation of the independence
of the legislature.
In his statement to the
police, Mr. Efeturi, who is
also the Clerk of the Senate,
said the leadership of the
seventh Senate under Mr.
Mark ordered the 2015
Standing Rules be amended
“not necessarily by
procedure” but “by
convention and practice”.
According to the report, he
“stated that the leadership
of the National Assembly of
the 7th Senate ordered the
2015 Standing Rules as
amended by their convention
and practice. (He stated) that
the Senate Standing Orders
2003, 2007 and 2011
followed the same procedure
as that of 2015. He
emphasized that in the
Parliament, amendment of the
Standing Orders is by
practice not necessarily by
procedure.
“He further stated that
during the ruling of the
Senate President on the 24th
of June 2015, that the
Senate Standing Orders of
the Senate 2015 is authentic,
final, relevant and cannot be
challenged. He attached a
copy of the debates of the
Senate on Wednesday, the
24th of June where the
Senate President ruled (that)
the Senate Standing Order
2015 as authentic Standing
Orders of the 8th Senate.”

Nigerian President
Muhammadu Buhari on
Wednesday vowed to
sustain the tempo in the
ongoing campaigns against
contemporary threats across
the country.
Speaking at the inauguration
of the Nigerian Army
Resource Center in Abuja,
the Nigerian leader
reaffirmed his support to the
Armed Forces of Nigeria in
ending the myriad of security
challenges plaguing the
nation, including terrorism
and militancy.
The president who was
represented by the Minister
of Defense, Brig.-Gen.
Mansur Dan-Ali, commended
the efforts of the Nigerian
armed forces in containing
the security challenges,
restating that security
remained top on his
administration's agenda.
"I want to emphatically state
that one of the top priorities
of this administration is the
enhancement of the Armed
Forces to discharge their
duties," he added.
"We will continue to provide
the much needed support to
the Armed Forces of Nigeria
to deliver efficient services
and to effectively discharge
their duties," he said.
"I also appreciate the
successes of the Armed
Forces of Nigeria in the
counter-insurgency
operation in the North East
and urge you to sustain the
tempo," the Nigerian leader
told his audience.
Buhari said the activities of
the security agencies in the
country would be further
enhanced to actualize the
objective of the present
administration in making
Nigeria a safe haven for
investment.
Earlier, the Chief of Army
Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai
said the vision behind the
establishment of the
resource center was
anchored on the need to
optimize the capability of the
Army.
He told his audience that
contemporary security
challenges in the country and
around its borders had
stretched the Armed Forces
close to its limits.
Buratai said the need to
optimize the capability of the
Army to meet emerging
security challenges could not
be over emphasized.
He assured citizens of the
Army's readiness in
conjunction with sister
agencies to rid the country
of criminal elements
operating in the guise of
militants, terrorists and
others. Enditem

*Claims allegations aimed at derailing counter-terrorism efforts

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The Federal Government has come to the defence of the embattled Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, concerning the acquisition of properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying he was transparent about it.

The Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen. Muhammad Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd), gave this backing on Monday in a statement signed by his Principal General Staff Officer (PGSO), Brig-Gen. Mohammed Sani Ahmed.

Dan-Ali noted that the Army Chief did not hide the properties, as he declared them on more than one occasion to both the Nigerian Army and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

“It is on record that Lt-Gen. Buratai has declared his assets as Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force and as Chief of Army Staff to the Code of Conduct Bureau. These facts are verifiable with the Bureau,” he stressed.

The Minister posited that the report was deliberately released to embarrass and tarnish the image of Buratai with the ultimate aim of derailing the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.

Dan-Ali noted that there has been a series of attempts in the past to soil the image of the COAS by those he described as “disgruntled and unpatriotic elements”.

He said: “The Ministry of Defence has observed with dismay the online media report of involvement of the Chief of Army Staff and his family over ownership of property in Dubai.

“It is noteworthy that there has been series of concerted efforts in the past by the same medium and its cohorts to tarnish the image of the person of Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai for the reason best known to them, which failed to achieve their desired ulterior motives.

“The Ministry of Defence views this as an attempt by some unpatriotic and disgruntled elements to distract the leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces from the successes of the war against terror particularly in the North East,” he added.

The Minister said that “while appreciating the role of the media in nation-building, it wishes to equally advise the media to exhibit a high sense of professionalism in the discharge of their duties ,especially when it comes to security and defence related matters”.

In an exclusive gotten by THISDAY Newspaper monday, the new acting Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, was said to have on Friday last week, allegedly written to the presidency to retire 30 senior officers.

The officers who are of the rank of Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of police, were said to have been penned down for immediate retirement.

The reason for his move might not be far fetched. Even though they are all coursemates, they are his senior in terms of promotion.

Already, some of the attempts made by some AIGs to meet and greet him was said to have proven abortive as they were blocked off.

A source who spoke to THISDAY said, “There is serious tension at the Police Headquarters in Abuja. We have heard that the new acting IG wants to retire both his seniors and coursemates.

” On Friday, he wrote to the presidency, through the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, and it was approved and forwarded to the desk of the President for final approval.

“According to what Idris wrote, his reason why he asked for their retirement is that he cannot work with them. He said he wants to in all sense of the world take charge of the police.

” He said since he has been given the responsibility to provide security, it was imperative that these AIGs be removed because they might be a clog in his wheel of progress.

“With this move, there is a tendency to make 14 Commissioners of Police AIGs since the available and compulsory vacancy for AIGs is 26.

“Already before now, 12 AIGs were promoted. From the 12, they will take seven of them to become Deputy Inspector General (DIGs) of Police and then they will be forced to go to the CP rank to fill up the AIG rank of 26.

” We wonder why they are removing experienced hands that would have helped him steer the police to greater heights.

“These officers that will be retired, are the last set of senior policemen that were trained abroad, or have gone for short courses.

“I don’t know why we are wasting manpower. By removing these old hands, we will have to expend huge amount of money to train the new crop of AIGs and CPs.”

Buhari’s Aides, Senators, Police To Testify As Witnesses
Legal fireworks begin today at the Abuja High Court as the Federal Government arraigns the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and two others over alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules.

The Federal Government had, last week, filed a two-count criminal charge against Saraki, Ekweremadu, a former Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa and his deputy, Benedict Efe turi, bothering on criminal conspiracy and forgery. In the charge, Maikasuwa is listed as the first defendant, Efeturi (2nd defendant), Saraki (3rd de-fendant) and Ekweremadu (4th defendant).

Justice Yusuf Halilu had, last week Tuesday, fixed today for arraignment after ordering substituted service of the charges on the defendants. The order, made by the court, followed the complaint by the prosecution that several attempts of personal service on the defendants had failed.

While granting prosecution’s request for substituted service on the defendants, Justice Halilu ordered that the charges be pasted on the notice board of the National Assembly. However, the central government had listed among its witnesses against Saraki, two aides of President Muhammadu Buhari – Senators Ojudu Babafemi and Ita Enang.

Others listed, as witnesses are Senators Solomon Ewuga, Ahmed Lawan, Abdullahi Gumel, Kabiru Marafa, Gbenga Ashafa, Robert Borrofice, Abu Ibrahim and Othman Hunkuyi. There were indications last night that Saraki and Maikasuwa may not attend the court session today for the arraignment.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, stated that Saraki’s absence in court will be as a result of an application filed by his counsel last week which the court has not sat on. For Maikasuwa, the source stated that the order of substituted service made by the court cannot catch on Maikasuwa as he is no longer a staff of the National Assembly, and as such it is deemed under law that he has not been served.

Saraki, in his application filed by his counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN) last week, asked the court to set aside the charge, describing it as unnecessary distraction. If the two defendants are absent in court, then it follows that the arraignment will be stalled, as the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act ACJA did not provide for separate trials of defendants charged together. But, Saraki’s Media Adviser, Alhaji Yusuf Olaniyonu, simply told New Telegraph that: “When you come to court, you will report what you see.”

In a motion on notice filed at the registry of the court, Saraki is challenging his physical appearance at the court, thereby praying for an order of court dispensing with his physical appearance and arraignment. He also prayed the court for an order setting aside the service of the Charge/ Information Sheet, which was effected by substituted means on him.

In addition, he is praying the court to strike out or quash the charge against him in the Charge No. CR/219/16 between FRN v. SALISU ABUBAKAR MAIKASUWA & 3 ORS. He premised his prayer on ground that no prima facie case was established against him.

Furthermore, Saraki is asking the court for an order suspending or adjourning sine die all the proceedings against him in the case. He submitted that the notice of trial and information ought to be served on him personally.

He also submitted that there is no link between the proof of evidence and the allegations made against him in the charge. The charges are: Count 1 reads: “That you Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arm Zone, Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired among yourselves, to forge the Senate Standing Order, 2011 (as amended) and you thereby committed the offence of Conspiracy, punishable under Section 97(1) of the Penal Code Law.”



Count 2 reads: “Forgery contrary to 362 of the Penal Code Law” while the particulars of offence reads, “That you Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arm Zone, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with fraudulent intent, forged the Senate Standing Order 2011 (as amended) causing it to be believed as the genuine standing order, 2015 and circulated same for use during the inauguration of the 8th Senate of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, when you knew that the said Order was not made in compliance with the procedure for amendment of the Senate Order, you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Law.”

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome had condemned the charge filed against Saraki and Ekweremadu. His words: “I do not think that they have even looked at Section 3, Legislative Houses Privileges Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria which grants total immunity to legislators in act conducted on the floor of the house within the precinct of the National Assembly, whether in spoken form, in written form, by motion, bills, amendments,all of them spectacularly and completely privileged.

“Under Section 3 of that law, they also perhaps do not know that what they regarded as amended rules which provoked the whole of this political maneuvering is always the way it has always been done.

In 2003, you have 2003 amended rules, which is normally amended by the bureaucracy during the period of interregnum, when the National Assembly is on break and politics are going on.

“Neither the Senate President, nor his deputy nor the clerk amends the rule; it is done by the National Assembly bureaucracy, the civil servants who amend the rules to await the National Assembly.

“So after 1999, the one of 2003 was called amended rules, 2007 amended rules, 2011 amended rules, then you have 2015 amended rules. These rules are normally amended by the bureaucracy when the members of the National Assembly are being elected. It is that laws that guide the new Senate and House of Representatives’ members coming on board, not the old one.

“I think the people who raised this issue are the neophytes. They were new people in the Senate who did not know that is how it is always being done conventionally in a parliamentary system. They probably thought that some people went somewhere that morning to amend those rules.

Those rules are normally amended.” Ozekhome added that the case is more political. “It is all politics. My take on this is that the All Progressives Congress (APC) should take more than passing interest in what is going on.

If they succeed in removing the leadership like I warned last year, they will find a situation where the next Senate President and deputy will be PDP people. “This is not the time for all this, rather it is the time the presidency should engage the National Assembly to produce masses centred bills. Nigeria is no longer a banana republic,” he stated.

Yoruba socio-cultural group, Oodua People’s
Congress (OPC), on Sunday condemned what it
called unwarranted, diabolical and fatal attacks
on Yorubaland and its people as well as other non-
indigenous inhabitants by Fulani herdsmen and
Niger-Delta militants, saying enough is enough.
The group made the condemnation in a
statement signed by the spokesperson of its
National Coordinating Council (NCC), Comrade
Sina Akinpelu, and made available to journalists in
Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
It will be recalled that for two times last week
some communities in Ogun and Lagos States
came under attack by people suspected to be
Niger Delta militants leaving many dead and
injured.
While stating that the Yoruba people are peace
loving and accommodating people which has led
to the towns and cities grow in leaps and bounds,
Akinpelu warned that the
openness and hospitality of the race should not
be misconstrued for docility.
According to him, the OPC is able and ever ready
to match force with force if that should be the
only solution to the incessant attacks on
Yorubaland.
He then called on the attackers and those that
are aspiring to attack Yorubaland or its interests
to have a rethink, stating that there will be
immediate and far-reaching reprisals, the
type of which is easier imagined than
experienced.
He stated further while the group recognizes the
right of all people to self-determination, it also
believe that such right should not infringe on the
rights of others, particularly the peace-loving and
amiable Yoruba people.
Akinpelu then appealed to Northern and Niger-
Delta elders and leaders to call their people to
order, insisting that no group or race has
monopoly of violence.
MORE TO FOLLOW

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has described the call for his resignation as “laughable and absolute balder dash.”

He was responding to a protest staged by a coalition of civil society organisations and the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties on Friday in Ado Ekiti.

Fayose spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, in an interview on Saturday.

Adelusi alleged that those behind the protest were All Progressives Congress stalwarts.

He also said the state government had no comment to make concerning the alleged denial by Zenith Bank of their team coming to beg the governor.

“The photographs and video clips did reveal everything. But we are keeping our fingers crossed for the next line of step to take should Zenith Bank continued to be unreasonable.‎”

According to Adelusi, the delay in payment of workers’ salaries in Ekiti cannot be blamed on the Fayose administration because it was not his ‎administration that plunged the state into a huge debt which has now made the creditors to continue to deduct N1.2bn on ‎monthly basis from the allocation of the state.

Few days after being fired by the Federal Government, the National Association of Resident Doctors on Saturday bowed to superior force and suspended its ongoing nationwide strike. Consequently, the association directed its members to resume work Monday. The President of NARD, Dr Muhammad Adamu Askira, gave the directive in a communique read to journalists at the end of its extraordinary national executive council meeting held at the trauma centre of the National Hospital, Abuja. According to him, the suspension of the strike was to enable the government implement the agreements reached within the agreed time frame. While commending the role of the National Assembly in the impasse, particularly the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, NARD said it would review the progress of the intervention, at the July NEC scheduled for between July 25 and 30. Askira said, “In view of the genuine intervention of the Hon. Speaker and other key stakeholders, NARD hereby suspend the ongoing nationwide indefinite strike action so as to enable government implement the agreements reached within the agreed time frame on or before Juky 14 2016. “Work will resume from Monday June 27 2016 at 8:am. This is with the view to relieve the impact of the strike on average Nigerians. We assure all our members to remain calm as they resume their normal duties and that no one would be victimized for taking part in this struggles.”

Fayose's shallow defence

Yesterday, the Ekiti state governor, Mr. Ayo
Fayose discovered that he could not invoke the
immunity conferred on him by section 308 of the
Constitution to stop the EFCC from investigating
the criminal diversion of N1.2 billion which has
been traced to his account. In denying the
serious allegation made by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the effect
that the stolen fund emanated from the Office of
the National Security Adviser Mr. Fayose has said
that it was contributed to his campaign fund by
Zenith Bank Plc and some unnamed friends. In
his characteristic loquacious manner the governor
has threatened to name other people who also
contributed to his political campaign.
In a sharp denial of Mr. Fayose's allegation, the
management of Zenith Bank Pls disclosed that
when the money was paid into the account it was
reported to the relevant financial regulatory
authorities in line with the provisions of the
Laundering Act 2011 (as amended). In a
desperate move to ward off the allegations, the
embattled governor appears to have resolved not
to go down alone. To divert attention from the
heinous crime of the diversion of public fund Mr.
Fayose is likely to carry out his threat of
implicating some people who allegedly fund his
governorship election.
However, assuming without conceding that the
bulk of the fund spent on his campaign was
donated by Zenith Bank Plc the governor has
unwittingly justified the investigation and freezing
of his account by the EFCC. He has also confirmed
that the humongous sum of money was
transported from Abuja to Akure in contravention
of the Money Laundering Act. By his utterances,
Mr. Fayose is simply saying that the management
of Zenith bank stole depositors' money and
laundered it to fund his political campaign
contrary to section 90 of the Electoral Act, 2010
as amended. On the basis of his own confessional
statement, Governor Fayose and the
management of the bank are liable to be
prosecuted for electoral fraud, money laundering
and criminal diversion of depositors' fund to the
tune of N1.2 billion. Therefore, the decision of the
EFCC to freeze Mr. Fayose's account is perfectly in
order.

https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/punchng/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/25001221/Nyesom-Wike.jpg

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is to investigate the withdrawal of over N11bn from the Rivers State Government’s account between October, 2015 and February, 2016 under the present administration of Governor Nyesom Wike.

The money was allegedly withdrawn from the Rivers State Government’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria by the Director of Finance and Administration of the state’s Government House, Mr. Kingsely Fubara, in cash.

The anti-graft agency is also to probe the transfer of another sum of N1.5bn from the state’s account with the CBN to the Zenith Bank Plc account that belongs to one Mr. Samuel Anya “on or about January 27, 2016.”


An EFCC source confirmed to The PUNCH that the anti-graft agency received the directive to probe what had been described as “suspicious withdrawals” from the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, sometimes in March this year.

A document obtained from the source shows the alleged withdrawal of about N5.1bn by Fubara from the government’s account between October and December, 2015 in 10 tranches.

The document indicated that Fubara commenced the alleged suspicious withdrawals with N1bn on October 15, 2015, and followed by another N1bn six days later on October 21, 2015.

He was also said to have withdrawn N269m from the account on November 2, 2015; N300m on November 3, 2015, and N500m on November 4, 2015.

In December 2015, three of such withdrawals also took place with N200m withdrawn from the account on December 12; N240m on December 22 and N460m on December 23.

According to the document, Fubara also allegedly withdrew N6.1bn from the same Rivers State’s account between January 5, 2016 and February 9, 2016 in 11 tranches.

Five of the withdrawals, which took place in January, 2016, in the following order: N849.5m withdrawn on January 5, 2016; N300m on January 7, 2016; N250m on January 14, 2016; N750m on January 15, 2016, and N200m on January 22, 2016.

The rest of the six withdrawals in February, 2016, were N500m on February 1; N600m on February 2; N300m on February 4; N200m on February 5; N1bn on February 8; and N1.2bn on February 9.

Indicating the various sums of money was in cash withdrawal, the document stated that the money was “delivered and received by Mr. Fubara.”

The source added, “We were also asked to investigate the withdrawal of N1.5bn on or about January 27, 2016, by one Mr. Samuel Anya of 69B Forces Avenue, old GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from the state’s account with CBN through the transfer of the money to his account 0248922015 with Zenith Bank.”

The phone number Anya was said to have left with the bank could not be reached on Wednesday and Thursday as it was switched off.

But the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-George, described the claim by the EFCC as another bizarre fabrication.

Describing the move by the AGF as a national embarrassment, Tam-George pointed out that there seemed to be no end to the “total” erosion of the commission’s credibility as an institution of the country.

He said, “It is clear that the EFCC is now a fully integrated unit of the All Progressives Congress with the sole mandate of hunting down opposition politicians and critics of the Federal Government.

“When will this embarrassing media roulette they call anti-corruption fight come to an end?”

All attempts to speak with the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, proved abortive as his phone indicated that it was switched off while a text message sent to his phone had not been responded to as of the time of filing this report on Thursday.

The Nigerian Army said on
Thursday that it averted a
bomb blast in Maiduguri after
detonating an Improvised
Explosive Device (IED)
planted by suspected Boko
Haram terrorists in Gomari,
Maiduguri.
Col. Sani Usman, the Acting
Director Army Public
Relations, who made this
known in a statement in
Maiduguri, said that the
incident took place on
Wednesday.
“Troops of 7 Division
recovered and successfully
detonated Improvised
Explosive Device (IED)
planted by suspected Boko
Haram terrorists that came in
a tricycle in Gomari,
Maiduguri, on Wednesday in
conjunction with Nigeria
Police Explosive Ordinance
Device team.
“The development has
necessitated the call for
more vigilance and security
consciousness on the part of
everyone, especially the
residents of Maiduguri and
its environs.
“The fight against the
menace of Boko Haram
terrorists is a collective
responsibility that requires
positive contribution from all
citizenry.
“People should please be
wary of suspicious persons
or objects and report same
to the nearest security
agency or post,” he said.
Usman said that troops of
the Nigerian Army had also
arrested two suspected Boko
Haram terrorists after a
clearance operation in some
enclaves located in Buhari,
Matari and Kaidiri villages in
Damasak in Borno.
He said a joint patrol team of
Sector 1 of 27 Task Force
Brigade and Army
Headquarters Strike Group
on Thursday cleared Boko
Haram terrorist’s enclaves in
Buhari, Matari and Kaidiri
villages located some
kilometers to Damasak,
Borno.
“Unfortunately, the remnants
of the Boko Haram terrorists
at Kaidiri on sighting the
patrol team chickened out
and withdrew in disarray into
Niger Republic with gunshot
wounds.
“The troops pursued them
and got two Boko Haram
terrorists,” he said.
Usman added that the troops
also recovered seven
motorcycles and borehole
equipment at the hideouts of
the terrorists.
1

As Nigeria
grapples with a foreign
exchange crisis, one person
stands out in the scramble to
obtain hard currency: Aliko
Dangote, Africa's richest man.
When the government
restricted the supply of
dollars in June 2015 to prop
up the value of the Nigerian
naira, firms owned by
Dangote landed a healthy
share of dollars available at
the cheap official rate, a
study by Reuters shows.
Reuters examined foreign
currency transactions made
during an 11-week period in
March to May this year. Over
that time, Dangote
businesses were able to buy
at least $161 million in hard
currency from the central
bank. That was around nine
percent of all the hard
currency the bank sold over
the period. In a single week
in March, one dollar in every
eight went to Dangote
companies. There is not
enough data to see how that
stacks up with the
companies' share of foreign
trade.
Compared with buying dollars
on the more expensive
unofficial market, though,
Dangote companies benefited
to the tune of about $100
million.
The wrangling for dollars
highlights Dangote's pivotal
role as Africa's biggest
economy tries to diversify
away from oil.
Over the past year, Nigeria
pegged its currency, the
naira, to the U.S. dollar at an
official rate of 197-199 naira.
The central bank doled out
dollars at the official rate to
companies it deemed
strategic to the Nigerian
economy. Until June 20, when
the bank abandoned the peg,
anyone else had to pay a lot
more on the black market.
Small businesses complained
that the foreign exchange
restrictions were forcing
them out of business. Frank
Jacobs, president of the
Manufacturers' Association of
Nigeria, said that the
majority of manufacturers -
2,000 of them - had been
unable to source raw
materials because they could
not obtain dollars to pay for
imports. Up to 100 firms
either shut completely or cut
production, he said. "The
large companies have better
clout."
Dangote's purchases were
entirely legal, and some
economists say the 59-year-
old deserved such special
treatment because he has
promised to build a much-
needed oil refinery. He also
has a track record helping
Nigeria become more self-
sufficient in cement and food.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced N1.310bn to some company accounts allegedly belonging to a former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore. The money was said to be part of the N4.7bn allegedly disbursed by a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, and his two sons, Gbolahan and Babajide. The N4.7bn was said to have emanated from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014 and then transferred to the Diamond Bank account of Sylvan McNamara, a company in which Obanikoro’s sons are the signatories to its bank account. Omisore, who has since been declared wanted by the anti- graft agency, allegedly received the funds in four tranches from Sylvan McNamara between July and August 2014, a few weeks before the Osun State governorship election which he lost. A document detailing the transaction showed that the money was paid into three company accounts allegedly belonging to Omisore. A detective at the anti-graft agency explained, “On July 9, 2014, N150m was paid into the bank account of Sawanara at First Bank. On August 1, 2014, N300m was paid into Sawanara Limited. “On August 8, 2014, about N160m was paid into the bank account of Fimex Gilt Limited domiciled at UBA. On the day of the election, August 9, 2014, N350m was paid into the First Bank account of Metropolitan Consortium.” Omisore had, however, denied receiving any money from the ONSA. Speaking in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, on Wednesday, Omisore said the Federal Government was out to nail him and other members of the opposition at all cost. He said, “I don’t know Dasuki from Adam. I never went to his office. The Federal Government is just using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to victimise and embarrass me. “They had said I received N600m, they later said N1.9bn, now they are saying n1.3bn. Which of these figures do they want to pin on me? They have kept shifting the goalposts at will.” The former deputy governor had also sued the EFCC for N10bn and prayed a Federal High Court in Abuja to grant him an order of perpetual injunction restraining the “defendants (the EFCC) either by themselves, their agents, officers, servants, privies or otherwise however called from making such or similar defamatory publication of and concerning the plaintiff (Omisore) to any person or persons.” Meanwhile, the sons of Obanikoro on Wednesday shunned the invitation of the EFCC. The anti-graft agency had last week stormed the home of Gbolahan and Babajide and seized the property located at 10 Mojisola Street, off Banana Island Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The federal government on Wednesday suspended the sack of members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) pending the conclusion of the ongoing negotiations on the matter. This was part of the resolutions reached at the mediatory meeting initiated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, between the federal government’s delegation and leaders of NARD. Ads by Google Ad covers the page Stop seeing this ad The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, was quoted to have suspended the sack as part of the decision taken at the mediatory meeting with NARD. According to Adewole, “We will do everything humanly possible to implement all the decisions arrived at in this meeting, including the fact the circular sacking Resident doctors be ignored by all the parties concerned.” At the meeting, it was reported that the “Ministry of Health was to come up with list of those entitle to skipping and the amount and when they will pay them in one week. Forty two (42) institutions that have not been implementing skipping should be asked to commence implementation immediately. “Committee of CMDs to meet in one week and implement skipping by June and any CMD that is unable to pay should appear at the next meeting on July 14. The judgment of the Industrial Court must be executed. “That by First week of July guidelines on Residency Training will be made available.” Part of the resolutions also include “entry point for House Officers should be from Commess 9 step 4. Or 1 step 1. It should be implemented immediately by the Chief Medical Directors. They should also start implementing pensions immediately “

I like the way the BBC broke the news on its
programme, Focus on Africa on Thursday. It said:
“And the winner of the Mo Ibrahim Leadership
Prize is… And there is no winner!”
I laughed. But this is not a laughing matter. There
is nothing funny about a damning report that
found no hero in my country and continent.
There is nothing to sheer learning that after
scurrying through the 54 countries in the
continent, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s prize
committee, once again, could not find one former
African Executive Head of State or Government,
who left office in the last three years, who
demonstrated exceptional leadership to merit the
crown. And the mouth-watering prize money.
No doubt, the assessment will have its margin of
errors. But despite its imperfection, it is sad that
no former African leader did enough to leave
legacies of good governance and elevated living
standards. It is depressing to learn that none
exhibited enough patriotism to leave convincing
evidence of selfless service. This is the fifth time
the Foundation’s award committee was returning
a ZERO verdict. Yet, you do not need to look too
far to locate the reasons. Greed, self-centredness
and extremely low appetite for monuments of
honour denied the leaders the crown. What a
shame.
Instituted in 2007, the Mo Ibrahim Prize for
Achievement in African Leadership has been
awarded in only four of its nine years existence –
2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014. Former President
Nelson Mandela of South Africa got the honorary
award in 2007. The four winning ex-Presidents
are: Mozambique’s Joaquim Chissano (2007),
Botswana’s Festus Mogae (2008), Cape Verde’s
Pedro Piers (2011) and Namibia’s Hifikepunye
Pohamba (2014). At US$5 million, and with
additional US$200,000 per year for life for the
winner, the prize far outweighs the Nobel Prize at
US$1.3 million.
Apart from the limitless opportunities that the
award avails its laureates, the prize money, to me,
should be enough to guarantee a recipient a
blissful retirement. But most African leaders are
just not interested. In a continent where leaders
have chronic allergy for accountability, where
some cannot distinguish between private and
personal treasuries, and in a country like Nigeria
where N1 billion (or $274 million) is chicken feed
to looters, Mo Ibrahim’s prize money cannot
impress.
But this is not just about money. It is about our
time-tested values as Africans. It is about national
pride. It is about wearing the garb of honour as
exceptional role models for the continent. It is
about continued relevance in Africa and the rest
of the world long after the laureate has left office.
It is about being right in the eyes of posterity and
favoured by the forces of history.
In Nigeria, we have had three leaders who, in my
estimation, could have won the prize – Presidents
Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. You don’t have to
agree with me, but to my mind, Obasanjo, during
his two terms in office, delivered on good
governance and accountability. But he shot
himself in the foot with his satanic third term
agenda. If he had not tried to manipulate the
constitution in his bid to extend his tenancy in
Aso Rock, if he had packed his baggage at the
expiration of his tenancy, he would have emerged
as one of the heroes of this democracy, and
possibly end up as a Mo Ibrahim laureate. But he
wanted to die in office. Please, don’t let President
Robert Mugabe hear this.
Only God knows the heart of man. But from what
we were able to see and measure, President
Yar’Adua seemed to have aspired to be on the
right side of history. But death, the debt of all
men, cut his life and tenure short, and the nation
mourned on end. He was one President in whom
most Nigerians were well pleased.
Before President Muhammadu Buhari took power,
last year, and began to open the Pandora box,
many Nigerians, I included, thought President
Jonathan was on a super highway to making
history as that patriot who loved Nigeria so much
that he did what many thought was a taboo in
Africa. After being routed at the 2015 polls,
President Jonathan not only conceded defeat to
his nemesis, General Muhammadu Buhari, he also
congratulated him! That unusual political
behaviour earned him worldwide commendation.
He seemed perfectly on track to becoming a
cosmopolitan citizen; a citizen of the world. But
with the mind-numbing exposure of his
lieutenants who had almost sucked Nigeria’s life
blood dry, stealing billions of dollars of our
commonwealth to service their prodigal excesses,
Jonathan lost it. Despite the current efforts of his
propagandists, the man’s garment still smells like
s**t. He lost the prize to his inability to rein in his
thieving lieutenants; that is, assuming he never
knew anything about the heist.
While marking its first anniversary at the saddle,
last month, the Buhari Government made heart-
rending disclosures on the mega looting that took
place under Jonathan’s watch. Lai Mohammed, its
Minister of Information, revealed that between
May 29, 2015 and May 29, 2016, government
had, under interim forfeiture of cash and assets,
recovered N126.6 billion; US$9.1billion; 2.5
million Pounds Sterling; and 303,399.17 Euros.
The funds awaiting repatriation from foreign
jurisdictions totalled $321.32 million; 6.9 million
Pounds and 11,826.11 Euros; while non-cash
recoveries (i.e. farmlands, plots of land,
uncompleted buildings, completed buildings,
vehicles and maritime vessels) totalled 239.
With these mind-boggling disclosures, and still
counting, would anyone be right to blame the Mo
Ibrahim Prize Committee for turning its back
against ex-President Jonathan? With stunning
revelations as these, awards like the Mo Ibrahim
Prize would be thousands of kilometres away from
Jonathan, even if he is not found to have stolen or
misappropriated a kobo.
The question now is: how can we return to those
glorious days in leadership when people sought
the greatest good of the greatest number of
citizens, and not the number of mansions and
billions in leading international currencies that
they can accumulate? To achieve this, leaders
must seek good name which the Bible says is
better than silver and gold. They must work
towards having good name and exhibit God-like
character in private and public life.
Character, like Dr. Myles Munroe espoused in his
book, The Power of Character in Leadership, is key
to effective leadership. Lack of character, he
posits, is the greatest obstacle to leadership
success. Lack of character, I dare add, marks the
genesis of all the chaos that we see. Leadership is
the compass that guides a nation’s ship against
turbulence and killer icebergs. It is the pathfinder
that lights the way for a nation and the lamp that
illuminates a nation’s path through progressive
and innovative ideas, effective policies,
transparency in budget implementation and
project execution, among others.
In a nutshell, effective leadership makes things
happen. If a nation dances Russian roulette all the
time, taking one step forward and two back, like
Nigeria has been doing since the advent of this
democracy in 1999, check the character of its
leadership. It is only a leadership without
character that would steal not only for today and
tomorrow, but also for generations unborn while
the majority of citizens groan under gruelling
poverty.
It is a godless leadership that pads budgets and
makes anticipatory declaration of assets ahead of
future looting while teachers and civil servants
are owed eight to ten months in salary arrears in
several states. It is a wicked leadership that goes
on unnecessary jamborees while people die of
hunger and preventable diseases under its nose.
It is a leadership made in hell that fritters scarce
resources while vulnerable people – the infirmed,
the aged, children from poor homes, and
pregnant women with limited means – lack
access to basic necessities that sustain life; like
quality healthcare, decent meals, habitable
accommodation and quality education. Indeed, it
is a leadership without moral force and clear
vision that turns the other way as its citizens
perish in penury and other ignoble
circumstances. Sadly, this is a common
phenomenon in Africa.
Therefore, my prayer, as I conclude this, is for
God to give Nigeria and Africa leaders who have
character, who fear God and love humanity. If
they fear God, love humanity and have exemplary
character, life would be good. Our continent
would be transformed and the world would be a
better place to live. Character, as Dr. Myles
Munroe insists in his book, answers all things;
especially in leadership.

The Nigerian Senate has accused the Buhari administration of plotting to muzzle the legislature and criminalise legislative processes. The upper chamber said the plot was to cause a leadership change in the National Assembly.

The senate’s stance followed criminal charges of forgery slammed on Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, by the Federal Government.

“(This) is a return to the era of impunity and lack of respect for due process which we all fought to abolish,” the Senate said in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Aliyu Sabi, on Sunday.
Also charged alongside the two presiding officers are former Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasu, and his deputy, Benedict Efeturi.
The four are accused of conspiracy and forgery of Senate Standing Rules that brought Messrs. Saraki and Ekweremadu to office last year.
The suit was filed on June 10, almost a year after Suleiman Hunkuyi, secretary of anti-Saraki Unity Forum, petitioned the Inspector General of Police, demanding criminal investigation into allegation of forgery of Senate Rules used for the elections of the presiding officers last year, June 9.
Earlier, in a statement, Mr. Ekweremadu stressed neither he nor Mr. Saraki was invited for interrogation by the Police or indicted in its July 2015 report to the Attorney-General of the Federation. He queried the basis for the fresh charges filed.

Read the full statement by the Senate:

1. After reading in the national newspapers and online platforms of the planned charges of forgery and conspiracy preferred against the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, immediate past Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Ben Efeturi and reviewing the circumstances leading to the filing of these charges, we are compelled to alert the good people of Nigeria and the international community, that our democracy is in danger and that the attempt by the Executive Arm of the Federal Government to muzzle the legislature and criminalise legislative processes in order to cause leadership change in the National Assembly is a return to the era of impunity and lack of respect for due process which we all fought to abolish.
2. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to please call his Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to order. The Senate of the Federal Republic voted freely to elect its leadership into office and continuing attempts to change that leadership through the wanton abuse of judicial processes cannot stand in the eyes of the world. It is clear that the Attorney General and party leaders behind this action either lack the understanding of the underlining principles of constitutional democracy, the concept of Separation of Powers, checks and balances and parliamentary convention or they just simply do not care if the present democracy in the country survives or collapses in their blinded determination to get Saraki and Ekweremadu by all means necessary, including abuse of office and sacking the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
3. The Nigerian people have enough economic hardship at this time requiring the full attention and cooperation of the three arms of government, instead of these attempts to distract and politicise governance. We are in a state of economic emergency such that what the National Assembly needs at this time are executive bills and proposals aimed at resolving the crises of unemployment, currency depreciation, inflation, crime and insecurity. What the National Assembly needs now are executive bills to build and strengthen institutions to earn revenues, fight corruption and eliminate waste. Instead, we are getting hostile actions aimed at destabilising the National Assembly, distracting Senators from their oversight functions and ensuring good and accountable governance.

4. We must make it clear here to the individuals in the Executive arm and party leadership behind these plots not to mistake the maturity and hand of co-operation being extended to the Presidency by the legislature as a sign of weakness.
5. This latest plot is directed at forcing a change of leadership in the Senate or, in the extreme case, ground the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. Or how do one interpret a move in which the two presiding officers are being set up to be remanded in Kuje Prison or incapacitated from sitting at plenary through a day-to-day trial on a matter that is purely an internal affair of the Senate.
6. This obviously is a dangerous case of violation of the independence of the legislature, undue and unnecessary interference in the internal affairs of the Senate and blatant abuse of the judicial process. The matter now being criminalised was brought to the plenary of the Senate in session, over a year ago. And because it had no support, it was overruled and roundly defeated in chambers. To now take a matter that was resolved on the floor of the Senate to the police and then make it form the subject of a criminal prosecution of freely elected legislators beats all imagination of free thinking men all over the world. The implication is that any matter that fails on the floor of the National Assembly will now be taken to the Police, thereby endangering every Senator and House member. This current move clearly runs contrary to the Doctrine of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances which are fundamental to the successful operation of the Presidential System of government. It runs counter to the principle outlined by the Supreme Court in the Adesanya Vs Senate case where it was held that nobody should seek to use the courts to achieve what he or she has failed to push through on the floor of the National Assembly.
7. This present efforts, therefore, is clearly a coup against the legislature with the ignoble aim to undermine its independence and subject the law making institution to the whims and caprices of the executive. It is a plan to return Nigeria to the dictatorial era which we have, as a nation, voted to reject. It is a dangerous trend with grave implications for the survival of our democracy and the integrity of the component institutions. This rule of men as against the rule of law is also the reason why the War Against Corruption, one of the cardinal objectives of the present administration, is losing credibility because people perceive it to be selective and, in most cases, aimed at settling political or partisan scores.
8. The Rules of the Senate and how the institution elects its leadership are internal affairs. The Rules of a new Senate are provided by the National Assembly bureaucracy. It has always been so since 1999. After the inauguration of the Senate, if Senators have objections to any part of the Rules, they can follow the procedure for changing it. Senators of the Eighth Senate have no control on the rules applied in the elections of June 9, 2015 because until after their inauguration, they were only Senators-elect, and therefore mere bystanders in the affairs of the Senate.
9. We therefore urge all Nigerians and the International Community to rise up and condemn this blatant attempt to subject the legislature to the control, whims and caprices of the executive. If the Legislative branch falls, democracy fails as there will be no other institution empowered by the Constitution to check and balance the enormous powers of the Executive branch. We also call on the judiciary as the last hope to save our constitutional democracy and stand up for the rule of law, by doing that which is right in this case.

N.B. Item 4 in the press statement was amended based on a revised press statement sent by the Senate spokesperson after our story was published. The original item 4 in the earlier statement we published is reproduced below:

4. We must make it clear here to the individuals in the Executive arm and party leadership behind these plots not to mistake the maturity and hand of co-operation being extended to the Presidency by the legislature as a sign of weakness. The National Assembly bent backwards to accommodate various infractions and inefficiencies in pursuit of inter-arms co-operation and national interest. We did not follow up the various infractions because we believe there are bigger issues which the government has to attend to in order to ensure that every Nigerian have food on his table and live comfortably in a secure environment. We know that the country is actually in a state of economic emergency and all hands must be on deck.

Even as the nation prays for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is said to be nursing an ear infection, feelers have emerged that a cross section of Northern leaders and politi­ cians are becoming apprehensive of the region losing out again in the power equation. Our Source learnt that meetings are going on at very high levels among Northern political leaders who are anxious to avoid a repeat of late President Umaru Yar’Adua ill health saga. It was learnt that a meeting of the Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the North held recently in Asokoro, Abuja had the issue on the front burner. A credible source told our correspondent that it is a tensed issue in the North, after losing power to the South in 2010, when Yar’Adua passed on. “The Northern leaders may pretend they are not disturbed, but political meetings have commenced, the APC governors of Northern extraction are not willing to take chances. They are not looking at it as a minor issue. In politics, you have to be prepared” “The Northern politicians, especially the governors are aware of the constitution as it relates to the vacancy of any political office, so the jostling is in high gear.” Our source learnt that there is more to the recent release of Presidential Campaign posters of a North-East Governor pairing him with another governor from the South-East. It was also learnt that the recent call for restruc­ turing of the country by a former Vice-President was part of the plans by politicians in the North to position them. “Who printed the posters, we are being told that unknown people printed it, which is a lie. Among them, there is already a jostling for political rele­ vance in case of any eventuality, which we are not praying for” In his reaction, former Minister of Sports during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, Bala Kaoje told our source that Nigerians are praying for Buhari, saying he is coming back in good health. “It is a minor thing which Nigerians shouldn’t be apprehensive about. Anybody can fall sick.” President Buhari is scheduled to return to Abuja today from his vacation in London where he also attended to his ear ailment. Meanwhile, the contitution provides that, should the president be incapacitated enough not to carry on with his presidential duties, the vice- president automatically takes over.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole
of Edo State has responded
to critics of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s
government, saying the
president is already
delivering on his electoral
promises and the APC
Change agenda.
Speaking at the national
executive committee meeting
of the Nigerian Bar
Association, Mr. Oshiomhole
said, “I know that right now,
everybody is talking in the
country. Is this the change
we asked for? And my
answer is Yes. It is the
change we asked for. For all
of us in this hall, you know
that the challenge of fixing a
house that has been
destroyed is much more
cumbersome than even
building a completely new
house because for the one
that has been destroyed,
you have to start by
removing the debris. You
have to check whether the
foundations are weak so that
you remove them. You must
first do a lot of cleansing and
excavation.
“That is what President
Muhammadu Buhari is doing.
And people expect that in 12
months you would have fixed
what was destroyed in 16
years. It is simply not
possible and in any case,
you must also recognize that
even the pressure on the
naira is the result of the so
much dollars that was taken
out and it will require a lot of
efforts at a time of collapsed
prices and the challenge of
oil export to fix what was
completely mismanaged.
“So, I ask us as elite, we
have a duty to explain to the
Nigerian people: Changes will
come, but they won’t come by
trying to remove a house
with smoke under. You must
extinguish the fire and make
sure the foundations are
strong, and start the
process of rebuilding
gradually.
“Is this the Change we
asked for? Yes. It’s the
Change we asked for. There
is no way miracles can occur
in the life of a nation. The
challenge of re-fixing the
house that has been
destroyed is much more
cumbersome,” Mr.
Oshiomhole said.
He called on the NBA to join
the government in the fight
against corruption, saying
“the NBA has a very
important role to play in the
national effort to combat and
defeat corruption. But I
asked my Lord the Chief
Judge, by the time the
President of the NBA said the
Bar has been fighting the
war, and I said to my lord,
are you aware of any
casualty in the war the NBA
has been fighting against
corruption? Is it possible to
fight a war without
casualties? I think now we
are beginning to see
casualties because there is a
renewed determination by
the federal government
under the able leadership of
President Muhammadu Buhari
to demonstrate that if it is
true that corruption is as
rampant as everybody
claims, and if it is true that
we have set up institutions
to fight it, it cannot also be
true that we are fighting and
nobody is falling.
“I think right now people are
beginning to fall, and with
your help, they can fall
faster. Corruption is fighting
back and I regret to have to
say this in your presence, I
should say this after you
have left, that it appears
that corruption is fighting
back, and a section of the
Bar is supporting this effort,
because we have seen
needless adjournments,
needless amendments to
charges and needless
preliminary objections,
leading to endless
adjournments. I think that
the Bar in your business
section agrees on a code
that if as Buhari said, if we
don’t kill corruption, it will kill
us, and we don’t want to die,
then we must allow justice to
have its way without
delaying it.”
On allegations that the anti-
corruption war is one-sided,
Mr. Oshiomhole said: “the
truth is if you monopolize
power for sixteen years,
and you monopolize the
sharing of the national
treasury for sixteen years,
should you not monopolize
the burden of being
prosecuted for sixteen
years? Is it the victims of
the sharing that should be
prosecuted? You dominated
power for sixteen years,
you have operated in the
name of Boko Haram and you
spent the money and shared
the money. Who else should
be prosecuted? So, I think
the Bar needs to be bold in
dismissing those who are
seeking to trivialize the anti-
corruption war. Just now, we
are beginning to see all
kinds of groups coming up
under the guise of one
protest or the other. They
want to harass and intimidate
the system.”

ABUJA—Former President Goodluck Jonathan has failed to win the prestigious $5 million Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership despite meeting a key criterion.

The announcement was made on Thursday that no former African leader met the requirements for the 2015 version of the yearly award following a meeting of the independent Prize Committee chaired by Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim.


Former President Goodluck Jonathan
The prize, largest annually awarded prize in the world, which was instituted in 2006 by Sudanese telecoms entrepreneur, Mo Ibrahim, rewards former African leaders who demonstrated sterling qualities while in office, served their constitutionally mandated term; and demonstrated exceptional leadership.

“The Prize recognises and celebrates African executive leaders who, under challenging circumstances, have developed their countries and strengthened democracy and human rights for the shared benefit of their people, paving the way for sustainable and equitable prosperity.” It said.

The award is also “a standard for excellence in leadership in Africa, and not a ‘first prize’, there is not necessarily a Laureate every year,” the foundation said.

A winner enjoys $5m over 10 years and another $200,000 yearly for life and can also ask for another $200,000 for good causes he or she supports.

So far, only the former presidents of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano; Botswana’s Festus Mogae; Namibia’s Hifikepunye Pohamba; and Pedro Piers of Cape Verde have clinched the award.

Ex-South African President Nelson Mandela was awarded an honorary prize in 2007.

Although, Jonathan seems to have met the Prize criteria which includes Former African Executive Head of State or Government, left office in the last three years, democratically elected, served his or her constitutionally mandated term, demonstrated exceptional leadership; it is unclear why he wasn’t given.

Allegations of massive corruption under his administration presently being investigated and prosecuted by the EFCC may have cost Jonathan the prize.

Supporters of the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee and their counterparts from the Ali Modu Sheriff’s group on Thursday clashed at the party headquarters.

Trouble began when the supporters of Sheriff, who was sacked as the party’s national chairman in Port Harcourt three weeks ago, attempted to dislodge the pro-Makarfi protesters from the main gate of the Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the PDP.

The governors on the platform of the main opposition party and other stakeholders had converged on Port Harcourt on May 21 for the PDP national convention, where a caretaker committee, headed by Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna State, was constituted.


But the Sheriff faction had described the caretaker committee as illegal, saying it had no place in the PDP constitution.

It also claimed that a court had ordered that the national convention, which gave birth to the caretaker committee, should not hold in the first instance.

A protester believed to be a member of the pro-Makarfi group brandished a cutlass, causing the pro-Sheriff demonstrators to flee the scene.

Armed with sticks and clubs and other dangerous weapons, the rival groups defied the rains to continue their supremacy battle.

Verbal tirade between the two groups soon degenerated into fisticuffs while various forms of missiles flew in different directions.

When the dust settled, one person was left with a deep cut in his forehead as the pro-Makarfi protesters held their ground.

The supporters of the caretaker committee were the first set to arrive at the secretariat at about 6.30am, singing and drumming before Sheriff’s supporters reached the headquarters complex around 7.12am.

Thursday’s occupation of the party secretariat came hours after a meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees, the PDP governors and the Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.

The meeting, which ended at about 1.10am on Thursday, resolved, among other things, to continue with ongoing litigation, which members hoped would end Sheriff’s claim to the chairmanship of the party.

Shortly after the meeting, the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, said the party was disturbed by undue interference in its internal affairs by the government and security agents.

Fayose, who admitted that he was among the governors, who convinced Sheriff to take the job of the acting national chairman of the party, said he had to bow to superior arguments when he discovered that Sheriff had a different agenda.

He stated, “Rising from the meeting, we must put it in the public domain that the PDP, whatever we are going through today, is a phase and very soon, the whole issue will be over.

“But we need to put it very clearly that Nigeria, as a country, needs an opposition party to make the average Nigerian gets the value for his or her votes. Any attempt to destroy opposition in Nigeria is not going to be in the interest of democracy.

“We stand as a party to condemn interference, subtle and strategic effort to destroy PDP in Nigeria.”

Fayose added, “Without doubt, I did not beg him but I supported his coming.

“And when you act within the ambits of time, the information you have at a given time, I am not someone that will say I did not support Sheriff. But when you want to marry a woman, and on the wedding day, they tell you that the woman has HIV, will you still remain in the marriage? I am out of it.”

Also speaking to journalists after the meeting, Makarfi said, “Actually, those who remember how Boko Haram was born; that is how it started. How thugs were brought into Abuja and some people forced themselves into the secretariat. In the process, documents and some property belonging to the party cannot be accounted for. This cannot be without some support from some quarters, definitely not from the PDP.

“Therefore, we deliberated on this and we have taken a position to stand by democracy, to stand by our right and to stand by our party.”



Makarfi also urged security agencies not to allow themselves to be used by unauthorised persons against the legally constituted organs of the party.

He said, “We have it on record that the former Chairman – Sheriff – a day or two before he forced himself into the secretariat, had a meeting with one of the governors of the party in power and then the next day, this event took place; this therefore creates suspicion.

The Publicity Secretary of the caretaker committee, Dayo Adeyeye, appealed for calm.

He said no member of the committee had a track record of violence, arguing that no genuine member of the party court resort to violence.

Adeyeye added, “We appeal to all genuine party supporters to, even in the midst of this provocation, restrain themselves and conduct themselves peacefully as we try to rebuild our party.”

However, spokesman for the Sheriff’s group, Mr. Inuwa Bwala, said what transpired at the party’s National Secretariat was a manifestation of the level of desperation of members of the “so-called caretaker committee.”

He stated, “Party supporters, who know the truth, and are loyal to the authentic national chairman were today attacked with knives, about six of them were injured.

“Go there now; you will see thugs imported from Kaduna and elsewhere armed to the teeth with dangerous weapons, waiting for the national chairman to harm him. We will take this matter up with the appropriate authorities.”

When the view of a former National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, was sought on Thursday, his media aide, Chief Oliva Okpalla, said Tukur had retired from active politics.

He said, “As you will recall, at his 80th birthday, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur announced his retirement from partisan politics.

“He, however, advised those still in active politics; to eschew all acts of violence and brigandage and ensure a level playing field for all to participate in the democratic process.”

I have just finished reading the powerful article by
Sonala Olumhense with the heading “A Funny
Thing Happened On The Way To Sainthood.”
Being one of those that I read their articles almost
religiously (and I have been following him since
his days in The Guardian), I am not unaware that
he is a very fervent supporter of President
Mohammadu Buhari. He really believes in him.
The only thing is that he is not fundamentalist in
his belief in the President.
That he is not fundamentalist does not surprise
me. This is because he embodies a mind that is
thoroughly developed. A mind translucent in its
broadness that it can conveniently encapsulate
fervent belief about an idea or a person while
simultaneously endowed with the clarity to be
critical in a subtle manner; driving home his point
forcefully with unequalled succulence. He has a
mind cocoon in intellect. With that kind of mind,
dogmatism has nowhere to dodge.
Mr. Olumhense probably drank some Champagne
when President Buhari won the last elections to
celebrate. If he did, it was not undeserved.
President Goodluck Jonathan drove Nigerians nuts
for the better part of his tenure. So, to Mr.
Olumhense, like millions of other Nigerians, the
new President Buhari represents the beacon of
new hope and advent of a new era. He was, it
seems, a new opportunity to save Nigeria from
herself and her peoples.
Mr. Olumhense’s article in question put on the
table series of unfulfilled promises on the part of
President Buhari regarding certain actions he was
going to take relating to the war on corruption.
He believes it was a “serious embarrassment” that
President Buhari failed to release to the public the
list of those who have looted our commonwealth,
especially, the one given to him by the US
government. The list was said to have included
information about “names of many corrupt
Nigerians, and the location of their stolen funds.”
Mr. Olumhense had believed President Buhari’s
“punchline” announcing “his deadline for the
publication of that list of infamy: May 29.”
Mr. Olumhense’s frustration flipped open as
follows:
“The only problem is that the day arrived, and he
made the anniversary speech without including
that much-anticipated report.
“But such was the tension and the anticipation
surrounding the expected announcement that
everything in his speech had actually become
secondary to it. The ensuing national outrage
compelled the government to declare that the
Ministry of Information would make the
announcement four days later.
“Again, however, that date yielded no such
report. As the world now knows, the
‘announcement’ finally arrived at the end of that
week through the office of the Minister of
Information. But while it was informative as to
what has been recovered, the report identified
none of the corrupt former officials involved.”
Evidently, Mr. Olumhense was in despair about
the inability of President Buhari to keep his
promises made on the war against corruption in
several fora. Assessing the aftermath of that
debacle, Mr. Olumhense ruefully commented as
follows:
“In effect, it means the corrupt elements have
won another round, leaving corruption in control,
while the government lost a wonderful
opportunity it may never regain.”
Then he opined correctly as follows:
“Perhaps most of all, the events of that week left
President Buhari‘s credibility in a fog, and his road
to political sainthood as broken as a federal
Nigerian highway.”
The reason for this level of disappointment on the
part of Mr. Olumhense is that he had put more
stock in the hyping of Mohammadu Buhari in the
days leading to the last presidential elections. His
omission in properly interrogating the know-how
and qualifications of Buhari in those heady
electioneering days made him unwittingly gullible
to the propaganda of a possible “Saint Buhari.”
Without any doubt, Mr. Olumhense is still holding
on to some straws of hope that somehow,
someday, someway, President Buhari would
change from who he really is and fight this
corruption war the way he (Olumhense) has been
made to buy hook, line and sinker – without
favour or fear. This is an impossibility because
President Buhari is innately nepotic. He flits, fibs
and feints. He cannot change. Even, if he tries, he
won’t be able to change. He is like a leopard that
nature has rendered congenitally unable to
change his spots.
In an article published a little over ten months
ago, precisely on August 1, 2015 titled: “Why
President Buhari Is The Obstacle To War On
Corruption,” the case has been made that
expecting President Buhari to make a meaning of
this war on corruption is a function of undue
expectations from an inept and corrupt leader like
him. In that article, it was contended inter alia:
“It is becoming increasingly clear that President
Mohammadu Buhari really has no interest in
fighting corruption. It is embarrassing and
disappointing that President Buhari conveys
confusion and contused confidence about the war
on corruption. The defeat of corruption is the
greatest desire of Nigerians. It is why Nigerians
felt that he should be given a chance after
rejecting him at the polls three previous
times………”
This position was further elucidated as follows:
“In fact, evidentially, the most challenging
obstacle to fighting corruption in this present
dispensation is President Buhari himself. President
Buhari has raised obstacles to the war on
corruption so that it would be impossible to
prosecute. This would help him, and his friends
keep their loots. Any hope that corruption would
be decimated if not brought to its knees by
President Buhari is not just dissipating; it is fast
disappearing. One more time, Nigerians have
been taken for a ride.”
It is still amazing how gifted minds like Mr.
Olumhense could have been railroaded into
believing in Mohammadu Buhari. It is really
difficult to sympathise with his ilk as Buhari
continues to unravel. It is not a rocket science to
figure out that a student in elementary class two
would not be able to handle the final
examinations of a medical student. Where do you
expect such a child to start?
Those who worked to install Buhari were not his
friends. It is unfair to put him in this kind of
situation. It is an act of cruelty and wickedness to
ask Buhari to come and manage Nigeria at this
point in time. Even when things were not this
bad, and he was young, able and energetic, he
was a certified failure. So far, since 1914 when
Nigeria was created against the will of its citizens,
it was only under Mohammadu Buhari that
Nigerians have ever queued for rice, milk, sugar,
Ororo and other so-called “essential
commodities.” Nigerians are presently
experiencing something of this sort once again.
Giving him the steering of the Nigerian vehicle
this second time around is like asking a blind man
to drive a car.
It is for this reason that one disagrees with the
position of Mr. Olumhense when he stated that
President Buhari's “credibility is in a fog.” Buhari’s
credibility is not in any fog.
It never was and it never will for those who are
willing to open their eyes and allow history,
practicality, reason and true patriotism to guide
them. President Buhari’s credibility is clearly non-
existent for the following reasons:

It is not accidental that “A Funny Thing
Happened On The Way To Sainthood” for
President Buhari. He has never qualified to be a
sage of low level not to speak of a saint. It is really
a stretch by Mr. Olumhense to ascribe by
assumption, sainthood to someone like President
Buhari. It smacks of undue insensitivity to the
usage of diction unbecoming of an intellectual
giant like him. The mere assumption of sainthood
for President Buhari came across as an unwitting
assault on the sensitivities of suffering Nigerians.
President Buhari is now perceived as not having
the courage to really go to the bottom of the
issue that is of utmost concern to Nigerians which
is corruption. It is not just because he does not
want to step on toes of some powerful enemies of
Nigeria, but the fact is that he did not want
anything that would expose his own acts of
corruption. President Buhari, who enjoys his own
deification as an incorruptible man, does not want
the deceived Nigerians to find out the truth about
his own lack of integrity.
President Buhari is living in constant fear that if
he pursues corruption too much the way it is
supposed to be pursued, and the way he has lied
to Nigerians that he would, he would end up
being demystified because his claim to integrity
and incorruptibility could come under the klieg
light and would definitely not stand the test of
rigorous scrutiny. But unfortunately for him, he
would still end up being demystified because he
would not be able to deliver on his promise.
President Buhari is a compromised man. He is
compromised by his own past. He is a peonage to
his corrupt friends. He is held captive to his
tunnel vision. He is in a bondage of his provincial
mentality. He is in an inextricable serfage to his
lack of know-how. He no longer has credibility
among objective observers except his
fundamentalist supporters who are evidently
allergic to reasoning and have no value for facts.
Buhari may have all the good intentions in the
world. But such are not good enough. Nations are
not ruled with just good intentions. Nations are
ruled with plans infused by clear and definitive
vision. Buhari has no vision. And he has no plan.
He only wanted power. As the saying goes, those
who fail to plan have plans to fail. President
Buhari has been, is still is, and will remain the
major obstacle to the war on corruption. Buhari
would not be able to deliver equity for Nigerians
on the matters of corruption. This is because his
hands reek of dirt. His hands are not clean. And
he, who must come to equity, must do so with
clean hands. This is not the case with President
Buhari.
The fact is Nigerians, once again have been
hoodwinked.
“In the long history of the world, only a few
generations have been granted the role of
defending freedom in its hour of maximum
danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility – I
welcome it.”
- John F. Kennedy, in his Inaugural Address
January 20, 1961

Things are very hard in Nigeria – Osinbajo admitsBy Ameh Comrade Godwin on June 16, 2016@dailypostngr

Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo has once again called on Nigerians to bear with the current government, assuring that things would get better soon.
According to him, his boss, president Muhammadu Buhari meant well for the people of the country.

Osinbajo, who was speaking at a Public Lecture/Presentation of Award tagged; “Service Above Self” organised by the Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN), in Abuja, said it was necessary for all, not minding political, religious or tribal inclination to stand for justice, equity and unity of Nigeria.

The Acting President, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant on Political Matters to the President, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, hailed some Muslim faithfuls, who had been speaking against acts of violence perpetrated against Christians by some extremists.

“Yes! Things are very hard in the country. Our government meant very well for Nigerians, this is not to punish people. It is because things have gone bad in the past,” he said.

In his remarks, the National President of MULAN, Dr Kamal Dawud maintained that to ensure peaceful coexistence in the country, non-Muslim brothers and sisters must understand that Islam is a peaceful religion with some sensitive issues.

According to him, “Let our non-Muslim brothers and sisters avoid these sensitive issues and make them no go areas, to allow peace reign in Nigeria”.

Reps In Sex Scandal


‘It is with regret that I must bring to your attention… the lawmaker allegedly grabbed a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited sex from her. Two others allegedly requested hotel parking attendants assist them to solicit prostitutes’ James Entwistle, US Ambassador



The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, has petitioned the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, accusing some members of the lower chamber of improper conduct, attempted rape and soliciting for prostitutes while on official trip to the US. But, the affected lawmakers have denied all the allegations and threatened to sue the ambassador and the US government for “character defamation and a calculated attempt to ridicule the National Assembly.”

The Ambassador, in a letter dated June 9, 2016, addressed to Speaker Dogara, exclusively obtained by New Telegraph, alleged that three members of the House namely: Hon. Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Hon. Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Hon. Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue) had, on a recent visit to the United States for the International Visitor Leadership Program, brought disrepute to the parliament by soliciting for sex from prostitutes and grabbing hotel housekeeper in a bid to rape.

Ten lawmakers were invited by the US government for the International Visitor Leadership Program held between April 7 and 13, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. They include: Gaza Jonathan Gbefwi (PDPNasarawa State), Danburam Abubakar Nuhu (APC-Kano State), Nkole Uko Ndukwe (PDP-Abia State), Rita Orji (PDPLagos State), Ayo Huliyat Omidiran (APC-Osun). Entwistle’s letter reads: “It is with regret that I must bring to your attention the following situation.

Ten members of the Nigerian National Assembly recently travelled to Cleveland, Ohio as participants in the International Visitor Leadership Programme on good governance. We received troubling allegations regarding the behaviour of three members of the delegation to the U.S. Government’s flagship professional exchange programme.

“The U.S. Department of State and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs received reports from employees of the Cleveland hotel where the representatives stayed, alleging the representatives engaged in the following behaviour: “Mohammed Garba Gololo allegedly grabbed a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited her for sex.

While the housekeeper reported this to her management, this incident could have involved local law enforcement and resulted in legal consequences for Representative Gololo. “Mark Terseer Gbillah and Samuel Ikon allegedly requested hotel parking attendants assist them to solicit prostitutes.”

Entwistle said the US government made efforts to authenticate these allegations. His words: “The U.S. Mission took pains to confirm these allegations and the identities of the individuals with the employees of the hotel in Cleveland.

The conduct described above left a very negative impression of Nigeria, casting a shadow on Nigeria’s National Assembly, the International Visitor Leadership Program, and to the American hosts’ impression of Nigeria as a whole. “Such conduct could affect some participants’ ability to travel to the United States in the future.”

The ambassador acknowledged that “While the majority of Nigerian visitors to the United States do behave appropriately, even a few Nigerians demonstrating poor judgement leads to a poor impression of the Nigerian people generally, though it is far from accurate.

Such incidents jeopardise the ability of future programming and make host institutions and organisations less likely to welcome similar visits in the future.” Entwistle stated that the affected lawmakers did not show remorse when the issue was brought to them.


“In addition, most of the members of this group reacted very negatively to my deputy when she brought this matter to their attention, further calling into question their judgement and commitment to the goals of the International Visitor Leadership Programme.

This leads us to question whether to include National Assembly members for other similar programmes in the future. “I request, in the strongest possible terms, you share this message with members of the National Assembly so they understand the seriousness of these issues, and the potential consequences of their actions, not only for themselves as individuals, but also for the future of such programmes designed to benefit Nigeria,” he said in the letter.

But, Gbillah said that there was no iota of truth in what the ambassador said but a calculated attempt to cause disaffection between them and their wives, families and constituents as they were not given any fair hearing before the letter was sent to the speaker.

He said he was on the trip with his wife and baby and could not, in any way, solicit for sex from a prostitute. He said: “This is an affront on the National Assembly and Nigeria, it appears they have ulterior motives. We are not going to take this lightly; we will take legal actions against the US government. It is a dent on our image.”

Narrating the story of their stay in US, Gbillah said: “I went on the trip with my wife and baby and insisted that she stayed with me, but they told me the accommodation was meant for only participants. So, at Cleveland Renaissance where we were, opposite the Quicken Loan Arena, the Cleveland Cavalier Basketball team played a match and many people came to lodge at the same hotel, and they claimed that we spoke with car park attendants.

We didn’t go with cars, so how could we have spoken with attendants?” He explained that the first time he heard about the allegations was a month after they returned from the US and went to represent the speaker at the farewell dinner for the Chinese ambassador. “…

I saw the ambassador (Entwistle) and went to greet him and he told me how a few of us tarnished the image of the House. I advised him to make it formal so that we can know who was involved and what actually happened.

“It was after this encounter that they called us to their premises and said they were identified by their accusers in a group picture. This is curious. No video footage. They didn’t accost us while we were in US. We suspect this is a calculated attempt to rubbish the National Assembly. “Is this how they would have investigated their congressmen? Do they know that there were other black people who came to watch the match? How could they have identified us in a picture without our knowledge?

“We, the concerned members, have written to the speaker indicating the facts and demanding footage of our stay in the hotel. We also want them to provide access to our accusers to identify us. But most importantly, we would be demanding compensation from the US government for defamation of character.”

Also, in his letter to the speaker, dated June 13, Gololo, who was accused of grabbing a housekeeper, said: “Let me, from the outset, express my shock and dismay at the contents of the letter generally and particularly affects me.

“These are totally false, unfounded and baseless allegations against me. I categorically deny any such incident happened, I never grabbed any housekeeper nor did I solicit for sex. I also take this issue very seriously not only because I am a honourable member representing a hallowed institution, but because of my integrity as a husband and father.

How would my family and in-laws react to these wild and grave allegations? “I demand an apology and retraction of these allegations or I shall not hesitate to engage the services of lawyers and not only to clear my name, but to seek redress for the damages done to my reputation. I insist that evidence of the allegations against me be produced….



“It is, therefore, in the interest of both countries to investigate this matter thoroughly to get to the root of it and I am ready to go back to Cleveland at my expense to establish my innocence without prejudice to my rights, press charges against libellous allegations” When contacted, spokesman for the House, Abdulrazaq Namdas, confirmed the receipt of the letter by the speaker. All attempts to get Hon. Ikon to tell his side of the story were unsuccessful as his phone number was permanently shut. A member of the House on the delegation expressed shock and disbelief about the incident.

“I cannot believe this. Something must be wrong somewhere. We were all in the same hotel and this same man (Gololo) was there as well. He has all the capacity to get a woman in the city if he wanted to, but he is somebody we all know loves his wife and family so much.

The lady did not even mention names, we learnt she only pointed at the man in the group photograph we took during the programme. “Again, this issue was reported two weeks after we left the hotel. Why was this not done while we were there?

The lady in question did not shout immediately and one wonders if truly there was such thing. “We did not know anything until the letter written to the Speaker went round all of us who were in Cleveland for the meeting. It is shocking,” the lawmaker told New Telegraph on condition of anonymity.

Senator representing Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani has denied reports that he criticised the Minister of Transportation, Hon Rotimi Amaechi in a statement. Sani in a statement he issued, described the report as thrash and falsehood. He said, “My attention has been drawn by a closefriend to a statement against Rt Hon Rotimi Ameachi, Minister of Transport, credited to me. The statement is nothing but absolute falsehood and a complete fabrication of those who authored it. I have never made such a statement and there is no reason to.“My views on local, national or international issues are always posted and pasted on my blog or social media handle of which there is none of this. Those who want to fight wars, should have the courage to do so and not hide behind someone to fire their bullets.“I advice those mischief makers to stop using my name and desist from engaging in such defamatory and libelous statements against the Hon Minister. , I’m restating that the statement is nothing but a thrash of falsehood.”

The Niger Delta region has been embroiled in
fresh crisis in the past few weeks. It appears that
what initially looked like the usual “shakara” (the
late Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s word for
intimidation) embarked upon by some faceless
but deadly militants in the region, is gradually
snowballing into a major conflagration.
It all began in the month of April, 2016, when
some desperate indigenes of the region under the
aegis of Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) started
blowing up oil installations in both Delta and
Bayelsa states, South-South, Nigeria. Recall that
millitant activities in the region have been on for
several years. During these years, the economy of
the country, particularly the socio-economic
activities of the Niger Delta region, almost came
to a standstill.
This was the situation until 1999 when Nigeria
returned to democratic rule after several years of
military interregnum. Olusegun Obasanjo, who
was sworn-in as president on May 29, 1999,
attempted a solution to the endemic crisis by
setting up an interventionist agency – the Niger
Delta Development Commission (NDDC) – to fast-
track development in the nine states making up
the region. The commission quickly swung into
action and tension was reduced.
The late president, Umaru Yar’Adua who
succeeded Obasanjo, mounted the saddle on May
29, 2007. One of the first things he did was to
proclaim a amnesty programme for Niger Delta
youths who, by that time, had been rampaging
everywhere. As oil is the mainstay of the Nigerian
economy, Yar’Adua knew quite well that his
government needed peace and tranquility in the
country to enable him perform well as president
rather than confront the “boys”, so he merely
tamed them a while and later came up with his
amnesty gambit. The amnesty programme was
intended to disarm, demobilise and give the
warring boys a sense of belonging by taking them
off the streets or trenches and giving them
adequate training to prepare them for a
responsible life in the society.
The programme became an instant success. The
millitants were taken off the streets and trenches,
rehabilitated and catered for through training,
both locally and outside the country. Many of the
hitherto ‘bad boys’ willingly embraced the
programme. Stipends were also paid to the
beneficiaries of the programme scattered all over
the place. Those who were selected for training,
especially in several countries across the globe,
came back full of gratitude for the country with a
promise to live descent lives and refrain from bad
behaviour henceforth.

Regrettably, Yar’Adua, the architect of the magic
wand that cleared the boys off the creeks,
suddenly succumbed to death. His deputy,
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, himself a son-of-the–soil
(he hails from Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta
region) took over. Jonathan continued with his
boss’ programme and pursued it with vigour
because since he was from there, he surely knew
where the shoe pinches. He knew the evil oil has
caused his people (apology to Professor Steve
Azaiki who titled one of his numerous books on
the plight of the Niger Delta indigenes, The Evil of
Oil).
But Jonathan soon introduced a novel but
reckless innovation into the Niger Delta issue
when his appointees started huge cash
disbursement to the ex-Niger Delta militant
leaders and their cronies. This was done under
the guise of pipeline surveillance contracts. This
was how Government Ekpemupolo, otherwise
known as Tompolo, one of the miscreants that
had caused the government and security agents
sleepless nights before the amnesty programme
was initiated, became prominent. Not only did he
become stupendously rich, he became a thin god
and godfather to several old and upcoming
politicians in the region.
By this time Tompolo was a regular face at Aso
Rock presidential villa, even as he was consulted
on many issues that had to do with the Niger
Delta. His operational base in Okporoza, the
headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom in Delta
State also became a Mecca of sorts where all
manner of politicians flocked to, to be anointed by
him or to be recommended for appointments. It
was Tompolo that nominated Patrick
Akpobolokemi, a former classroom teacher at the
Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa State,
as Director-General of Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
While all this was going on, all manners of people,
especially former office holders from the Niger
Delta region that could get the ears of the villa or
that of Diezani Allison Madueke, the then
petroleum minister and one of Jonathan’s highest
cash dispensers, were swimming in money – hard
currency. Each got a whopping sum of money
every month as pipeline surveillance fees. They, in
turn, had some other categories of boys working
for them and they sustained them heavily from
their monthly or quarterly financial windfalls. For
instance, if the main man collected, say, five to
10 million dollars, he paid between five and ten
percent out of this to the boys. The boys’
supervisors received a large chunk but the
peanuts that trickled to the boys beneath was still
mouth watering enough according to their levels.
One thing to note is that the pipeline surveillance
contracts turned out to be a sort of bribe or
financial inducement that the Jonathan
government used to keep the militants in the
Niger Delta at bay. Now that the largesse is no
longer forthcoming, the boys have realised that
the honeymoon is over, thus, they have gone
back to the trenches to foment trouble. They
must have acquired their arms and ammunition
through their ill-gotten wealth. Even when they
said they were monitoring pipelines, they were
actively involved in smuggling crude oil out of the
country or aiding and abetting the smuggling of
the product. So they were making money from all
directions.

Since they know all the creeks very well and by
extention, the strategic oil installations in the
region, therefore, sabotaging the flow of oil
becomes an easy task for them. And the security
agents posted there have always been sucked in
by the oil barons who usually part with cartons or
sacks of money in hard currency to them who, in
turn, look the other way while these nefarious
activities are going on.
This is the reason security agents struggle to be
posted to the Niger Delta. They, in turn, make
returns to their bosses back at the headquarters
out of the heavy rewards provided to them by the
barons for allowing an “enabling” environment to
operate without hindrance. Occasionally, when
you hear the news that barges carrying crude oil
illegally are confiscated, it is a mere gimmick.
What it simply means is that those involved did
not give the security agents enough money to
have a free way.
Taking a critical look at the Niger Delta
conundrum, it is true that the area has been
neglected for too long. The people there are
suffering and living in excruciating poverty. But
quite a negligible few they call their leaders, live
in splendour and stupendous wealth. What is
baffling is that this problem has been there for
decades. Why are the Avengers just realising that
they are being cheated? Before 1999, what was
the standard of living of many of these ex-militant
leaders now building universities and living in
opulence all over the place? That is why people
are saying that the Niger Delta Avengers is to
Buhari’s presidency, what Boko Haram was to
Jonathan’s presidency.
For justice and fairness, the so-called leaders in
the Niger Delta, some of who are behind the
Avengers, should share in the blame for the rot in
the region. The reason is that they simply sold
out. Let the Avengers start from their leaders who
have all these years sold the Niger Delta people
into slavery, before they start blaming the
present government or any other person for their
misfortune.

Owners of Mega Filling Station in
Nigeria, on Tuesday, threatened to shut
operations nationwide over alleged plans by the
management of Nigeria National Petroleum
Company, NNPC, to impose lower pump price of
fuel price on them.
At a briefing in Kaduna by the Mega Filling Station
Owners of Nigeria, AMFSON, its National
Secretary, Kenneth Nwachukwu, claimed the
Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Ibe
Kachikwu, who is also Minister of State for
Petroleum, had directed that all mega filling
stations sell fuel at varying rates of N130.00,
N135.00, N140.00 per litre, while their
competitors sell at N145 per litre.
According to him: “We are kicking against a
directive by the Minister of State for Petroleum
that we sell fuel for less than N145 per litre. We
are all marketers and we get supplies at the same
source and at the same price. Why should we be
made to sell at N130, N135 and N140 per litre
while others sell for N145 per litre? With this
pronouncement by the Minister, we foresee a
looming fuel scarcity because we may have to
shut operations nationwide.
''We also see fuel scarcity because some
unscrupulous marketers would rather get their
supplies and sell in the black market at N145
than take the fuel to their stations and this will
cause another crisis in the retail chain.''
“We have never seen this kind of policy. In fact it
will increase corruption which government is
fighting tooth and nail to stop. Some people are
already bribing their way at the depots and
officials there are selling to them at a price lower
than the official one. These people can afford to
sell at a price lower than N145. But we buy at
official price and as such cannot be forced sell
lower than N145.
“We cannot be in the river and allow soap to
enter our eyes. Take a look at Kaduna situation for
instance, how can someone in Sabon Tasha area
of Kaduna city be selling at a lower pump price,
and another person will be selling at a higher
price along the same Eastern Bypass, the same
vicinity, is there justice in this kind of supply and
distribution of NNPC products. We want to recall
that in the heat of recent past fuel crisis in the
country, we had a meeting with the Minister,
where we proffered solutions to fuel scarcity. We
gave him our support."

Parents of the missing Chibok girls have alleged that some people are using their grief to enrich their pockets. The parents told Punch that they had yet to receive the N30m donations made by Aisha, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari. The President’s wife had three weeks ago presented a cheque of N55m to the parents of the missing Chibok schoolgirls and those of the Buni Yadi School boys. Dolapo, wife of the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, collected the cheque of N30m on behalf of their parents while the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, Khadijat Bukar, received the cheque of N25m meant for the parents of the Buni Yadi boys. However, Yana Galla, the chairperson of the association of the parents of the missing Chibok schoolgirls living in Chibok and its surrounding villages, dispelled the rumours that the monies had been shared to them. Galla said the money was still with the aides to the President’s wife. Ladi Lawan Zannah and some of the parents of the missing girls, while speaking on the awaited donations, said many people had turned their grief into a money-making venture and feeding fat on it. She said apart from the N100,000 assistance they received from the Borno State Government in August of 2015, the last assistance they got since then was N5,000, which they received from MTN Foundation during the second year anniversary of the abductions of the girls, this year. “We only hear that something has been given and we have been waiting endlessly for it to get to us. Will it come today or the next day? This has always been the case, whereas the assistance may never get to us,” she said. On the N30m donations by Aisha Buhari, Ladi said, “The only thing we have ever got was two pairs of wrapper and N5,000 which accompanied it. “If the money was released, it hasn’t reached us. The N5,000 I talked about with the wrapper was given to us during the second anniversary prayers of our missing daughters.” Ayama Pogu a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police, who complained bitterly, asked the government to rethink its engagement with all of those claiming to be representing them. He added that the Chibok parents were being shortchanged. He said, “Some people have been making money out of our grief. Never at anytime has any of these officials

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday condemned the Sunday’s terrorist attack on the Pulse Night Club, Orlando, Florida, describing it as “criminal” and “cowardly.” According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President who is currently on a 10-day vacation, conveyed Nigeria’s sympathy to President Barrack Obama and all Americans in a letter he addressed to the Ambassador of the United States in Nigeria, James Entwistle. The letter was signed on his behalf by his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari. Buhari was said to have assured the US of Nigeria’s continued support and cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The letter read in part, “President Buhari extends his most sincere condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the victims. “The President condemns such criminal, cowardly attack, wherever it might occur, as an attack on all decent, democratic, peaceful people. “Every terrorist attack only strengthens Nigeria’s resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States and other countries in the frontline of the war on terror.” Buhari also called on all peace-loving nations to commit themselves to multilateral cooperation and collaborative actions aimed at eradicating the scourge of international terrorism.