₦airaland Forum

*Edo LG Polls: APC wraps campaign as 10,000 PDP decampees set to join ruling party*

…Ojezua reels out Obaseki’s achievements

As the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) wraps its aggressive campaigns for next Saturday’s local council polls, over 10,000 decampees from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have expressed their readiness to join the APC and support the developmental strides of the Godwin Obaseki-led administration.

The state APC chairman, Barr. Anselm Ojezua, said that more PDP members, whose hearts have been won by the purposeful leadership of Governor Obaseki, will join the APC in the coming days.

“The governor’s leadership style has endeared him to former political foes. Despite the challenges that the economic recession foisted on us, we have come out stronger and allocating scarce resources to areas where the need is greatest.

“Road projects are ongoing in all parts of the state, security is improving and our development partners from Asia and elsewhere are working on the industrial park and the Gelegele seaport. The Fertiliser and chemicals plant in Auchi is running as we speak and the civil servants are happy because they receive their salaries before the end of the month,” he said.

He assured that while no noise is made about these projects, “Governor Obaseki has the interest of Edo people at heart and has the expertise to frugally manage the state’s resources for optimal result.”

Ojezua said the 10,000 PDP decampees will be received on Thursday, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, at the party’s mega rally, which will mark the end of the campaign activities for the March 2018 local council elections.

The Edo State APC chairman said PDP’s withdrawal from the local council polls lends credence to the belief that the opposition party is dead and buried in Edo State.

“The Edo State PDP knows it cannot play in the big league where APC reigns supreme, and as expected, the party has accepted its fate as a mere observer and rabble-rouser in political contestations. Political parties contest elections, but the Edo PDP has abandoned its core objective, knowing the fate that awaits it in the local council elections,” he added.

EDO RICE SCANDAL AND THE STOLEN GOODWILL

Since the story broke that obviously, the officials of Edo State Government stole the federal government rice donated to the victims of war, nay internally displaced persons in the north east taking refuge in Edo State, agents of the state government have severally denied it as untrue, albeit unconvincingly.

The hole in their defence is that they have avoided mentioning the actual delivery made to the IDP Camp at Uhorgua, Edo State. Rather, some have tried to cover up the theft by claiming that some orphanages benefitted from the largesse which at any rate the State Government never credited to the federal government or the Nigerian Customs from which inventory the gifts including 6,822 bags of rice, 76 Cartons of Vegetable oil, 100 Sacks of used shoes and 20 pairs of used shoes were donated specifically to the IDPs in the CHRISTIAN HOMES FOR THE NEEDY, IDP CAMP, BENIN.

Ostensibly from the stock of rice from the Customs delivered to the Edo State Government as specified in a letter/waybill dated on November 10, 2017 for safe keeping pending formal presentation to the beneficiaries, the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties, Mr. Yakubu Gowon donated some items to the IDPs in the CHRISTIAN HOMES FOR THE NEEDY, IDP CAMP, BENIN on December 27th 2017.

At the occasion, the Special Adviser on Special Duties Mr. Yakubu Gowon made the following declaration: “The donation is to show the state governor’s love for his people and that he is committed to making them happy. This is to show that Edo State Government loves every citizen, irrespective of their social status. We know this is the season to show love. The governor says if he eats a spoonful of rice, people in the camp should eat two. And if he wears shoes, they should also do same”.

In the above presentation, the special adviser never credited the federal government or the Customs Service with the donation. If this donation which took place about six weeks after the Edo State Government took delivery of the gifts from the Customs on the orders of the federal government did not come from the Custom’s goods in its custody, then what happened to the Custom’s goods?

It is on record that the federal government through the Comptroller General of Customs delivered the aforementioned goods to Edo State Government as attested to in the accompanying letters and waybills from three of the Customs’ Commands namely: Owerri, Port Harcourt and Akwa Ibom.
Breakdown of delivery from different customs commands are as follows:

(1) OwerriCommand:
RICE 5879 BAGS OF 50 KG;
VEGETABLE OIL 76 CARTONS;
USED SHOES100 SACKS;
USED SHOES 20 PAIRS

(2) Eastern Marine Command PortHarcourt:
RICE 81 BAGS OF FOREIGN RICE

(3) Cross Rivers/Akwa Ibom Command;
RICE 862 BAGS OF FOREIGN RICE

In each of the accompanying letters or waybills, the customs service explained that the gesture was in compliance with a presidential directive. The directive was “donate all perishable seized goods by the customs to the IDPs in the North East".

The waybill went further to say "below is the item allocated to THE BENIN IDP CAMP IN EDO STATE" (emphasis mine). The letters/ waybill had different conclusions though.

The one from the CROSS RIVER/AKWA IBOM COMMAND was concluded with the words: "The items will be transported to the IDP camp by the Nigeria Army Corp of Supply andTransport".

The one from Eastern Marine Command PortHarcourt was concluded with the words: "The items will be transported to the BENIN IDP camp by the Nigeria Customs Service".

And the one from OWERRI was concluded with the words: "The items will be transported to the BENIN IDP camp by the Nigeria Customs Service".

Pursuant to making the delivery to the Camp, on the 2nd February 2018, the OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER-GENERAL of the Nigeria Customs Service wrote a LETTER OF APPRECIATION/REQUEST FOR THE RELOCATION OF RELIEF ITEMS TO THE IDP CAMP IN BENIN.

In the letter, the CG quoted the presidential directive and listed the membership of NATIONAL LOGISTICS COMMITTEE, comprising of the "Nigeria customs service, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police Force, FRSC, NSCDC, NAFDAC, NTA, NAN and Red Cross who have been responsible for distributing these items in Bornu, Yobe, Adamawa and Edo state in phases".
It stated that while other State Governments have been paying for the cost of transporting the items from the various Customs warehouses to the IDP camps in their respective states, that of Edo state had been paid by the NCS despite earlier requests to Edo State Government to assist in such payments. It was therefore gratifying to know that this time around, HIS Excellency, the Governor of Edo State has graciously paid for the transportation of these donated relief items from various warehouses to THE BENIN IDP CAMP." He went further to say, "In line with the Presidential mandate given to the National Logistics Committee to handover such relief items at the camp, NLC has therefore scheduled the second week of February 2018 to come to Benin and hand over the items to the IDPs. For this to be possible, the Committee wishes to request His Excellency to further assist by directing the relocation of these items from the warehouse in Government House where they are stored to the CHRISTIAN HOMES FOR THE NEEDY, IDP CAMP, BENIN to ease our handover process."

Upon the receipt of the CG’s letter, the EDSG delivered 1500 bags of rice to CHRISTIAN HOMES FOR THE NEEDY, IDP CAMP, BENIN on 8 February 2018 at close to midnight. Another 601 bags were delivered by 7a.m. on 9 February 2018 making a total of 2101 bags of rice. There were no sacks of shoes and no vegetable oil!

It is common knowledge that during the Christmas period, the government gave thousands of bags of rice to APC leaders and their followers all over Edo State. And that this gesture coincides with the items delivered by the Customs but cannot be accounted for suggests that they were diverted to the wrong hands.

As if this diversion was not bad enough, the state government it is apparent, tried to take credit for the gesture of the federal government. This is most reprehensible.

If the state government continues to deny diverting or stealing the items in its custody, it must come clean by giving a proper account, stating the items with figures it delivered. The disclosure must for transparency sake be in the public domain for scrutiny.

And finally, EDSG owes the public an apology for trying to steal the credit due the federal government and the Nigerian Customs.

They have to hide their heads in shame for what we could say is daylight robbery!

If they can do this with rice, vegetable oil and used shoes, we can only wonder what they do with our money!


EDO DESERVE BETTER!!


Attached are some of the letters from customs.










































Sent from my iPad

Edo Govt. ‘ll provide key infrastructure for Dry Port, Transit Park – Obaseki

…Projects ready in 18 months, 7,000 direct jobs on offer - FG

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured that the state government will provide the needed infrastructure required for the Edo Inland Container Depot (ICD).

Obaseki disclosed this during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the Federal Government agencies in the maritime sector led by officials of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, at the Government House in Benin City, the state capital.

Commending the delegation for the efforts to ensure the establishment of a dry port and Truck Transit Parks (TTPs) in the state, Obaseki said, “The state government is keenly interested in the completion of these projects as they are in line with the vision of this administration to boost industrialisation of the state.

“The state government will provide the supporting projects to complement the establishment of the dry port. Road networks connecting the sites for the projects will be fixed. The electricity project to provide power supply to the site for the Inland Container Deport would also be provided by my administration," he said.

Obaseki urged stakeholders responsible for the dry port project to fast-track their activities, noting, “It would be exciting if the ICD and TTP projects come up on schedule alongside the Gelegele Seaport and Industrial Park. It will boost the industrialisation of Edo State.”

Acting Director, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, (ICRC), Mr. Chidi Izuwah, who was part of the Federal Government delegation said, “The siting of the Inland Container Port in Edo State would complement the industrial activities at the industrial parks which the state government is developing, noting, “The projects which is Public Private Partnership (PPP)-driven, would be completed within 18 months.”

Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr. Hassan Bello, said “The Federal Government prioritises the actualisation of the Dry Port and Truck Transit Park projects in Edo State.”

Bello commended the state government for the allocation of 25 hectares of land each along the Benin By-pass and at Aviele for the development of the projects in the state, adding, “With the opening of an area office of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in Edo State, the council will be able to carry out effective monitoring of the projects, which would create over 7000 direct jobs in the state.”


PHOTO CAPTION




R-L: Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Engr. Hassan Bello; Director General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Mr. Chidi Izuwah, and Director, NSC, Mr. A. Makinde, during a courtesy visit by the delegation from Federal Government Agencies in the maritime sector, to the governor at the Government House in Benin City, Edo State.

Why does PDP in Edo dont want to embrace the dividend from a properly run administration? Why waste its time in witch hunting? When the good people of Edo state are not blind. Its funny how cheaply they have fallen.

*Rice and other Items for Displaced persons: Fact Check*

We would ordinarily not engage in this back and forth with the Edo PDP because we are certain that the Edo people they robbed blind are still mostly alive and present and they know fully well who the bandits in Edo State are.

However, it is necessary to reassure Edo people with facts that the Obaseki government does not possess the PDP's traits of banditry and insensitivity to the plight of ordinary people.

Below are the facts about the rice for displaced persons in Edo state:

The IDP camp in Uhogua is not the only location where there are displaced persons in Edo State. Edo PDP, please consult the dictionary for the meaning of "Displaced Persons."

We have displaced persons in Ilushi area in Edo Central, Ogbomerhe area in Edo North and various orphanages across the state. Don't you think it is only fair to ensure that all the displaced people across the state and not just in the IDP camp benefit from the rice donated to IDPs?

Out of the total 6821 bags of rice allocated to Edo State, the total number of bags of rice received by the Edo State government was four thousand six hundred and thirty nine (4,639). Two thousand one hundred and eighty two (2,182) bags were bad, unfit for consumption and were not collected by the state government.

These figures can be verified from the customs and the Nigerian Army who witnessed the process of receiving the items.

Or does the PDP expect us to take expired and damaged rice to our people just because they are displaced?

No single jar of vegetable oil was received because all of them were expired according to the dates marked on the containers by the manufacturers.

We know that the callous people who make up the Edo PDP will not mind feeding displaced people with expired vegetable oil and rice but the Obaseki Government will never subject the people to such base treatment synonymous with Dan Orbih and the Edo PDP. Remember that Orbih is still being investigated for stealing land belonging to a female secondary school in Benin which his wife attended.


*Distribution*

Christmas Eve, 24 December, 2017, IDP camp Uhogua received 500 bags of rice.

Also on Christmas Eve, fifty sacks of used shoes were given to the IDPs in Uhogua. Two weeks ago, IDP camp Uhogua received another 2, 101 bags of rice.

Displaced people in Edo Central, Edo North and orphanages received 1421 bags of rice.

The remaining 617 bags are in the State govt warehouse in ministry of works, Sapele Road, Benin City. We also have about thirty-five sacks of used shoes in the store scheduled for distribution in the weeks ahead.

Edo PDP still seems to be struggling with the handicap of ignorance of how to be a responsible opposition party which carries out fact-based advocacy to help the people.

Peddling falsehood and engaging in desperate propaganda holds no value for the unfortunate remnant of the Edo PDP.

Technocrat Governor, Mr. Obaseki, understands their handicap and is willing to help the Edo PDP with the much-needed intellectual capacity enhancement if they can swallow their pride and ask for help.

*Dan Orbih relapses, whisked to Delta State for emergency therapy session*

Reports that the embattled Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Dan Orbih has been suffering from mental challenges have taken a new twist.

It was gathered that Orbih, who is reported to have many  vain desires, is now consulting with a shrink in Delta State, but it is unclear whether it is an orthodox therapy session or otherwise. He has since returned and is under close monitoring to ensure that he doesn’t suffer another episode.

Reports are rife that the recent trip to Delta helped to barely curtail Orbih’s failing mental health, which has denied him proper use of his mental faculties.

Those who know say that Orbih is commandeering the PDP under close monitoring by one of the shrinks from Delta, who is on stand-by to attend to the man’s failing health.

*Why Obaseki’s “Wake and See” Phenomenon overwhelms Omorotionmwan*

By Crusoe Osagie

The disgruntled Josef Omorotionmwan has declared war on Edo people, who in their candid assessment of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s performance, few months into his assumption of office, named him their ‘Wake and See Governor’.

Obaseki did not name himself the “Wake and See” Governor, Edo people did. They were amazed by the rapid succession in which developmental projects were initiated and implemented. They woke up every morning to see previously impassable roads fixed and orderliness and serenity restored to previously chaotic parts of the metropolis.

All these happened without any noise made in the media and Edo’s good people fondly named their governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, the “Wake and See Governor”.

The sobriquet has since assumed a life of its own in the hearts, minds and lips of Edo people, who appreciate the effort the governor is making to effectively reposition the state and the rapid progress made within a short period of time.

However, there are a few stakeholders on whom Obaseki’s growing popularity has foisted sudden insomnia. It is not Obaseki’s fault that Omorotionmwan can no longer find sleep due to the governor’s popularity among his people but one thing is certain and that is the fact that in his mission to industrialise Edo State, the Wake and See sobriquet has come to stay. Obaseki’s commitment to wake and see projects and development in Edo State, is on a roller coaster to progress. Omorotionmwan and his co-travellers’ contention is not with Governor Obaseki but with the good people of Edo State, who coined the name in the first place.

But a cursory look through the issues raised in his belly-driven, favour seeking treatise, shows a great deal of illogic perhaps due to failing memory and poor thinking.

Did Omorotionmwan say that any local government area can declare its entire geographic area an industrial park? Why hasn’t he declared his own local government area an industrial park, if in his reasoning, all it takes to develop an industrial park is a mere pious pronouncement or a sweeping declaration?

Edo people living around Nevis Street in Benin City, Lucky Way in Oregbeni, Erediauwa Street in Upper Sokponba area, Oko Central, Ikpokpan Road, to mention only a few roads, including those that go to work, school and market in the 75 new Comrade Buses, the thousands of road users who have since endorsed the services rendered by officials of the revamped Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) and millions of Edo people across the three senatorial districts attest to Obaseki’s commitment to purposive leadership.

Omorotionmwan must be deluding himself to think that Edo people do not know that each time he picks his pen to attack governors as he subtly admitted in his belly-driven treatise, his aim is not to ‘move any society’ any inch forward, but to advance his interest. His notoriety for blackmailing people is common knowledge.

He deliberately did not mention the several benefits his blackmail earned him in the past, such as his appointments to the boards of government agencies and similar appointments extended to other members of his family, his wife and son inclusive.

His resolve to serially deride the consensus of Edo people through blackmail is due to his inability to secure the kind of favours he has been used to in the past. An old trick. Indeed, Leopards don’t change their spots.

The Obaseki-led government places high premium on people’s capacity to deliver result and add value to the collective task of developing our dear state and not some over-bloated sense of entitlement!

The can of worms recently uncovered at the Edo Development Property Authority (EDPA) detailing Omorotionmwan’s alleged illegal activities at the housing authority is perhaps the reason he would not stop writing about EDPA and portray it in bad light, even when home owners in the estates are thankful to the governor for rescuing the EDPA estates from snakes, filth and sheer lawlessness. Omorotionmwan is scared that he may go to jail. To jail he will go, if the evidence before the court find him guilty. He should save his fears for the judgement day.  

There is a popular maxim that when falsehood is allowed to blossom unchallenged, it could wear the toga of truth. For the record, Governor Godwin Obaseki has put in place the relevant structures that will guide the repositioning of non-performing and under-performing government enterprises.

It is only in Omorotionmwan’s speculative and failing mind that government assets are being sold without recourse to the enabling laws.

His assessment of the governor’s aides in gutter and unprintable language reveals his quality of mind.

He can save his counsel for his aides when and if he is voted into an elective office.

These are the reasons Obaseki will continue to overwhelm Omorotionmwan.

Hard as he may try, the socio-political value of the “Wake and See” sobriquet cannot be degraded, not even by Omorotionmwan and those in his displaced unprogressive and faded political class.  Their efforts are too feeble to make any impact on the solid reputation of performance which Obaseki has built with the great people of Edo State.

Osagie is the Special Adviser to Governor 

Source:

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2018/02/17/why-obasekis-wake-and-see-phenomenon-overwhelms-omorotionmwan

Pushing opposition politics beyond acceptable limits

The Biblical King Solomon is famed for his wisdom. He displayed this gift in one instance when two women who were fighting over a child were brought before him.
While one of the women agreed to the proposition that the child in dispute be cut into two equal parts so that each of them could take one half, the real mother of the child kicked against the proposition. King Solomon was able to decipher who the real mother of the child was, as no genuine mother would allow her child to be sawed into pieces.
The woman who is not the child's mother wanted the child killed. A way of saying if she cannot have the child, then let the child be killed. In much the same manner, the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has resorted to playing the spoiler after losing the last gubernatorial election.
In politics, opposition political parties engage the ruling parties on issues that are germane to the wellbeing of the people and the overall growth and development of the state or country.
They conduct extensive research and investigations into issues and enrich the developmental debate with their scientific findings. That way, they raise their value in the political space despite their status as parties in hibernation.

The parties initiate bills for Acts, contest policies and programmes to serve the interests of the people. They defend their political ideologies when the need arises and would not trivialise issues associated with national security.

They criticise constructively, as co-stakeholders in the state or country.

Edo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) unfortunately represents the direct opposite of the model opposition party in their desperation to tell a new and false story of their activities while they ruled the state.

After their failed aggressive state-wide campaign of calumny against the current government in the state, their new resolve is to destroy the state.

Convinced that the party does not stand a chance in the forthcoming local government elections, members of Edo PDP have given up on their main goal of securing political power, and have resorted to playing the spoiler role through litigation, dissemination of falsehood to the electorates, meddling in security issues by sponsoring fake audio-visual materials on the internet, to create a sense of insecurity in the state.

But Edo State, under the current administration is way past the mundane politics of desperation as promoted by the Edo PDP.

The driving force of the current administration is the enhancement of the socio-economic status of all Edo people through time-tested development models such as industrialisation, skilled man-power, a secure and safe society, respect for human dignity and the Rule of Law, a sane social milieu that will allow everyone to attain any height they desire in life.

These informed the administration’s commitment to projects like Azura Power plant, first phase now completed and functioning, the Benin Industrial Park and the Gelegele Seaport that will create the decent jobs which Edo people have been yearning for since the creation of the state. The ongoing revamp of the former Benin Technical College to serve as a science and technical college as well as an Information and Communication Technology hub, will equip the youths with modern skills and knowledge to play in the global ICT industry.

The influx of global development partners like the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other specialised international agencies and the international media into Edo State, in recent times attest to the state’s rising profile on the global scene.

The emerging Edo State under Governor Godwin Obaseki, has established enduring structures that promote the core values of good governance, namely; transparency, accountability; zero tolerance for corruption and indolence in the civil service; trained and skilled work force with Key Performance Indicators that serve as basis for reward.

A word for the Edo PDP to conduct its opposition activities in a decent and responsible manner, should be taken to heart by members of the party, as no dance drama, no matter how professionally choreographed by Dan Orbih and his co-dancers can displace, in the hearts and minds of Edo people, the reigning ‘Wake and See governance’ around them daily, across the three senatorial districts of the state.

At best, Edo PDP’s deliberate denial tactics further seals their fate as a political group with a clearly terminal destiny. Real leaders own up to their sins, seek forgiveness and do not play the ostrich.

Edo Govt. partners NIGCOMSAT on deployment of e-learning facilities in schools

The Edo State Government has commenced negotiations with the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) for the provision of e-learning facilities in schools across the state.

Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale, disclosed this in a chat with journalists shortly after a meeting between the state government officials and representatives of NIGCOMSAT, at the Government House, Benin City on Monday.

Agbale said the state government was fine-tuning details of the partnership, adding, “Godwin Obaseki led-administration means business with the plan to deploy technology in enhancing teaching and learning in schools across the state.”

According to him, “The state government is partnering with NIGCOMSAT because it has the capacity to provide solutions required for the deployment of technologies for teaching and learning in schools. NIGCOMSAT will also organise the training of teachers to manage the ICT facilities to be deployed in schools.

"We have concluded arrangement for capacity building and development of science and Information and Communication Technology labs in schools across the state, already.”

On his part, Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development, NIGCOMSAT, Mr. Samson Osagie, said NIGCOMSAT provides satellite services and solutions to improve teaching and learning in schools.

He said, “NIGCOMSAT is ready to assist Governor Obaseki to develop science, technology and innovation to deliver effective governance in the state.”

Osagie added that the partnership with Edo State Government was part of the pilot scheme of NIGCOMSAT to showcase its potential in providing seamless connectivity and satellite communication solutions, noting, “The deployment of e-learning facilities for teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools would raise the quality and standard of education in the state.”



PHOTO CAPTION


L-R: Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Science and Technology, Igberaese George; Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development, Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Hon. Samson Raphael Osagie; Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale and Director, Research and Development, NIGCOMSAT, Mrs. Owolabi Justina, after a meeting of Edo State government officials and representatives of NIGCOMSAT, at the Government House, Benin City on Monday, February 12, 2018.

*Alleged herdsmen attacks in Edo: False alarm by people we know too well - Osagie*

…God Is Good Motors denies attack on buses

The Edo State Government has advised residents in the state to be wary of the deluge of fake news of alleged herdsmen attacks trending on the internet and circulated by people we know too well.

Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said “the false alarm originated with some disgruntled individuals.”

He explained that while the state government will not deny the skirmishes between herdsmen and farmers in part of the state, the recent propagation of fake news on social media is part of a plot to create a general sense of insecurity in the state and an attempt to put the current administration in bad light.

The Aide said “our investigation into the veracity of some audio messages about attacks on passengers in buses owned by God Is Good Motors and other vehicles, trending on the internet, showed that the story is not true as the management of the transport service debunked the claim, describing it as completely false. These are some of the shenanigans of these unholy group of people.

“Also, the photograph of dead people on the road allegedly killed by Fulani herdsmen has been trending on the internet since Tuesday. That photograph first hit the internet in 2010. It is pure mischief to circulate the 2010 photograph as an incident that happened yesterday. On the strength of the falsehood the promoters of the photograph set out to achieve, we have reasons to suspect similar internet content.

“One newspaper report said the photograph is of an armed robbery incident that happened in 2010. The newspaper account said that a bus driver was forced by the robbers to run some passengers over because the passengers did not give the robbers money.

“Edo people should be circumspect and cross-check any media content thrown at them on the internet as the people behind the campaign to de-market Edo State are people we know too well. They will stop at nothing in their desperation to advance reasons for them to return to power and plunder the people’s resources. Edo people should beware of false alarms by these unpatriotic elements,” he advised.

He assured that no campaign of calumny by these un-progressive elements can stop the ongoing redemption efforts of the Obaseki-led government after the blighted years of these enemies of Edo State.

Ize-Iyamu: Living in denial one year after losing to Obaseki

By Albert Obazee



When you are confronted with a dizzying defeat, what do you do? Take stock of the situation, assess your options and get back on track? Or sit in a puddle of shame and wallow in what is not yours - what you clearly lost to a better, more qualified candidate? Some would go the former route, ruing their chances, blaming every other person but themselves.

In psychology, this state is captioned as living in denial. Scholars say this condition lingers for some time but will eventually fade, leaving the victim to confront the reality of the situation and forge ahead in life.

But sometimes, given the magnitude and outsized ramification of a defeat, one might linger in this hazy oblivion for a while longer, wherein he or she is tormented by the hunger of the object of desire. It is at these times in a man’s life that he would wish he made smarter choices or was better prepared for the sharp bends he is confronted with.

Carl Alasko, author of Beyond Blame, on Psychology Today, America’s premier academic website on Psychology, gives an idea of what it means to live in denial. He argues that fact-based decision-making can be beclouded by racy emotions, fueled by ideology, stubbornness, and impulsiveness.

Given his recent outburst after several months of rumination, it is quite safe to say that the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate in the 2016 governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has found himself in this deprecating conundrum. It is not clear when or how this episode started, but it is quite settled that Pastor Ize-Iyamu hasn’t come off the catastrophic defeat he suffered not only at the elections but through the court judgements in the wake of the elections, which has left him in a constant trance, grappling at fantasies.

In a recent report in the Nation Newspaper on February 3, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, at a rally in Ovia South West Local Government Area, told barefaced lies that betrayed his claim to the clergy. He told PDP supporters that the recounting of ballot papers ordered by the election tribunal showed that he won the election.

Pastor Ize-Iyamu said there were huge differences in the figures written in the INEC result sheet and the votes from the ballot papers, claiming that he was satisfied that the ballot recount exposed the rigging of the governorship polls. “The ballot recount showed that we won despite their having all the agencies to support them,” he was quoted as saying.

It is quite troubling to hear these words from Pastor Ize-Iyamu, who is said to be a law graduate. That he is coming out to say this at this time shows that not only has he not gotten over the defeat, he is caught in a continuous, disturbing reverie that has denied him proper use of his training and expertise to interrogate reality and own up to the fact that all matters regarding the said election have been settled at the apex court of the land.

From the tribunal to the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, all doubts as to the actual winner of the 2016 gubernatorial election in Edo State have been put to rest. The judges who should know better have given their verdict which is binding on all parties. Pastor Ize-Iyamu’s rambling cuts him as a poor sportsman. He should be pitied, albeit not forgetting the unwholesome governance model he would have foisted on the people had he been given the mantle to lead.

That a disgruntled Pastor Ize-Iyamu is still trying to goad the people into thinking that the process is flawed and compromised, and that Governor Obaseki is running on a tainted mandate is – to put it mildly – an affront to the collective will of the people, a slap in the face of justice and a testament to his penchant for sneaky, fussy ways. He should know better, and in fact, it should be made clear that whatever he is saying now that was not said, while the case lasted in court is mere conspiracy theory calculated to massage his lightweight ego and feed his denial syndrome.

However, Professor Alasko has a word for Pastor Ize-Iyamu and many people in this state. According to him, “There is an immutable fact about denial: it does not work—long term. Reality always wins. And when it does, the next step in the process is blame, which shifts responsibility onto someone or something else. "I only did it because of you! If you hadn't done that, I wouldn't have done this." So where there's denial, blame is always available to ease the pain when reality bites.” So, Daddy Ize-Iyamu, be guided; this phase does not last long. Reality will set in a very short while.

The troubled clergyman is apparently lost in transition and it is understandable if he is still grappling at straws. But he should keep this delusion to himself and not extend it to the good people of Edo State. A man may have lost his way and seeking redemption, but he shouldn’t allow such beclouded thinking to extend to members of his community. Pastor Ize-Iyamu should bear his cross alone. Edo people know better.


Obazee writes from Benin

The Long and winding journey to the house of my then in-laws to be, went on for quite a while and at some point, in the confusion, we realised that there was no way we could get to the place in our vehicles.

So we all had to abandon the commercial bus and other private cars we were travelling in, and we finally got to the venue of my traditional marriage, but we all got there on foot.

We arrived the event about two hours late. My wife’s family was lenient, they handed us a small fine to serve as penalty for our irresponsible behaviour, we paid the fine and the rest as they say is history.

That said, what is important to note here is the fact that all the anxiety and apprehension we suffered doing what was supposed to be a short drive within Benin City was caused by an irresponsible PDP government which held the realm at that time.

The penalty I had to pay for arriving at my traditional marriage late was annoying because the fault was actually that of the PDP government in the saddle at the time, but I guess just a few cartons of drinks as penalty was nothing compared to the price some other Edo people had to pay on account of the indolence of the PDP-controlled state government at that time.

Speaking of people paying the ultimate price as a result of the failure of government and the system, the heart wrenching story of a young man, names withheld, who was a few years younger than me and was raised in my neighbourhood comes to mind. Every time I recall how this blossoming young man was cut down abruptly, I can hardly hold back tears.

If you ask me who is responsible for the loss of the life of this young man, I will state unequivocally that the PDP and all its leaders who ran this state in those years are accountable.

Although the PDP government did not physically carry out the killing of this man, they set the stage for his brutal murder. How so? You may ask. I will explain. In those dark years, the political class, led by the PDP and its horde sustained the decadence in the education sector that was bequeathed to it by the military juntas.

For the politicians, the youths were more useful to them as thugs than as responsible citizens with sound minds that comes from good education. Cultism was subtly encouraged by the PDP government, top government officials who were not already members of cult groups went ahead to get initiated.

So you had situations where sitting public office holders will call on cultists either in higher institutions or in the streets and ask them to help initiate fellow political leaders into popular cult groups.

Thereafter, they started engaging the help of these cultists to intimidate people in the society. They ensured they were armed and used them as enforcers before, during and after elections.

This way, they kept the people of Edo State subdued and these cultists after doing the bidding of their paymasters (government officials), went ahead to terrorise any person they considered disloyal or a rival. There was senseless bloodshed in the state, not by foreigners or outsiders but by proxies of the PDP government.

My young friend was an unfortunate victim of those dark days…

… TO BE CONTINUED

By

Jonathan Omoruyi

Only the blind wont see. No need to be bais, lets only pray for continuity. How did lagos become a city of its own??

*PDP’s failed mission in Edo and its legacy of despondence, deceit*

In life, there are times when one takes a bold stand against certain actions, behaviours or relationships. One reaches this decision after careful, soul-searching reflection. This state of mind – the breaking off from old ways – most often happens after one must have navigated a bend and encountered a better deal, a more promising future, one that ensures that evil is not just kept at bay, but that the change is assured, visible and convincing.

It was at this exact juncture that the people of Edo State found themselves when they parted ways with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and are now sailing into the promised land on the wings of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government, formerly driven by the giant-killing Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and now by the indefatigable Godwin Obaseki. The sheer speed of turnaround anchored by the purpose-driven leadership of Governor Obaseki since he took on the saddle has left the PDP flatfooted.

The PDP’s uncoordinated and wobbly efforts to pose as a stumbling block in the march to development in Edo State since experiencing the purpose-driven governance style of Governor Obaseki has left much to be desired. They have not only shown a poor grasp of governance, but have also proven that if they were ever to be given another chance at the Dennis Osadebe Avenue, they would continue to foist their warped, inglorious and dim-witted governance model on the people, the hallmark of which was looting, deceit and blackmail.

This can be seen in the way they have tried to engaged or frame the development strides of Governor Obaseki during various public engagements. After the governor had deployed his network to satiate investors with the investment prospects in Edo state and indeed engaged some of these in developing monumental projects, all the PDP could put up as an opposition was weak, infantile attacks and diversionary rhetoric that obviated from the task of proffering solutions to the problems they inflicted on the people for many years.

For many, the years of PDP’s reign is likened to the years of the locust, where not only was there despondence and dejection as signpost in front-yards on the streets of Benin, anger, frustration and regret was vividly plastered on the battered faces of the people who had yearned for progress in the wake of the return to representative democracy in 1999.

But the PDP came in and frittered away state resources, stifled hope and sold despair as the dividend of democracy to the people, so much so that the people yearned for what many have described – quite shockingly – as the ‘glory days’ of military juntas.

During those days, there were several instances that proved characters in the PDP to be bare-faced liars, looters in government and deals-men who traded in the future of their brothers and sisters for morsels of instant gratification in form of tokenisms such as cars, hotels and moments in the warm embrace of escorts procured with state fund.

One of the hallmarks of those times was the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) scam. It was a grand, elaborate plan. Since the popular refrain at the time was for states to grow their IGR, the state was unsure of how to generate money since it had practically robbed the people of all revenue-generating ventures. So, it struck a deal with some bank managers. The plan: get loans at exorbitant interest rates, post it as the state IGR and make no clear-cut arrangement to pay off. A lot of those in government at the time deployed this trick to fool the people, celebrating what never was and plunging the people into bad debt.

Another dimension of deceit was the use of fronts to set up companies that were doomed never to produce items. This was the case of the Edo Fertilizer and Chemical Company in Auchi as well as the Ehor fruit juice factory. These factories should have been built to boost productivity and provide jobs to teeming youths in the state. But because the intention was never genuine, the companies never really kicked off, further worsening job crisis and leaving youths in worse despair. Today, these companies are ghost structures, except for the Edo Fertilizer and Chemical Company, which Governor Obaseki made a personal commitment to revamp and has now done so. It is today producing fertilizers because of the determined focus to ensure that it doesn’t remain as an object of regret for the people in that axis of the state.

At the coming of the PDP government in 1999, they had a well-oiled strategy to loot and it appeared that having a ‘big’ civil service at the time was going to serve as stumbling block to this plan. So, they thought of the best strategy to whittle down the civil service to make room for enough money to be shared among the boys and godfathers. The PDP administration proceeded to enforce mass retirement of civil servants in the state and thereafter refused to pay gratuity and pension arrears of those they retired and others. Instead, they used the funds to satisfy their pet peeves and outrageous lifestyles while the people wallowed in suffering, with bad roads, decrepit health system and bleak future for youths, who resorted to taking to Libya than continue in a debauched environment the PDP sustained.

With these atrocities, it is curious that the PDP is faulting the governance model of Governor Obaseki, who has practically changed the narrative of the Edo in a short while, building on the achievements of his predecessor. The PDP, in all fairness, has no moral justification to raise a voice to disparage the efforts of Governor Obaseki. So, when the party in the state comes out to disparage the governor, we know exactly what they are capable of, and would never pray for such a fate to befall innocent, hardworking and upright people of Edo State ever again.


By
Prince Abubakar Ilavbare

Edo PDP’s Fraudulent Tour: When fraudsters and bandits come to town

Bugged down by its inglorious past, the dying Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has embarked on a fraudulent tour in its distressed effort to reincarnate itself.

The motive of the fraudulent tour is to hoodwink unsuspecting Edo people into believing that a team of rogues and bandits could be trusted. But this is doomed to fail as Edo people are too intelligent for the PDP’s fraud.

Not even the party’s failed attempt to sensationalise very serious issues like the attacks on Edo people in parts of Edo North by Fulani herdsmen can sway Edo people who have their consciousness intact and appreciate the issues better.

Edo people know that the only motive driving the activities of the dying PDP which is populated by fraudsters, is to loot our common patrimony.

But for the forgiving nature of Edo people, people like Chief Dan Orbih, Osagie Ize- Iyamu and Chris Nehikhare would be stoned on sight. In other climes where past leaders are held to account for their misdeeds, the likes of Ize-Iyamu and Dan Orbih would be in exile, on the run, and never to be seen in public, let alone convening meetings.

If the PDP members in Edo State are not ashamed, we wish to tell them to put on a sackcloth and mourn their base and dishonourable records. Their effrontery to gather people coupled with their brazen and bold-faced disposition despite records of their monumental looting could earn them the wrath of Edo people in the weeks to come. Just an advice.

In the midst of plenty, PDP looted us dry and drove people to desperate solutions. Rather than commend Governor Godwin Obaseki, who has achieved in one year, what the PDP could not achieve in eight, the party of bandits is stuck in its parochial politics.

The rally has been a monumental failure as usual. Edo PDP has reached the age of menopause, it died in sin and cannot resurrect.

Edo people know that a former PDP governor and his associates were convicted of fraud by courts of competent jurisdictions in this state. No fraudulent tour can change that. Those conversant with the activities of the PDP government under the former governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, know that the real criminals that were around Igbinedion are Chief Dan Orbih, Osagie Ize-Iyamu and their cohorts who are walking free today and are in the forefront of a shameful campaign to re-enact the looting spree that made them overnight billionaires.

We hear that the few people rented by the PDP led by Chief Dan Orbih and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to create a semblance of a ‘huge crowd’ at the fraudulent meeting abandoned the event mid-way, while others, are demanding the money the never-to-be trusted PDP promised them.

Edo people know that the genuineness and innocence of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s motive is unassailable and have named him their ‘Wake and See Governor.’

No campaign of calumny, no matter how cleverly packaged, can invert this narrative.

Signed


Hon. Paul Ohonbamu
Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Edo State

Activities of Fulani herdsmen: PDP suffering from visual impairment

It is clear from the submission of Chris Nehikhare, the spokesman for Edo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his communique that in the PDP, their ears, eyes and minds may actually be impaired, otherwise the statement issued yesterday by the Special Adviser to the governor on media and communication strategy with the headline, “No agreement to establish cattle colony in Edo State – Obaseki” would have dealt with their curiosity.

Today alone, over six national newspapers published the story on Edo Government ’s position with regard to the proposed cattle colony; THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPERS, BUSINESSDAY, VANGUARD and many others. Same for the broadcast channels.

One however wonders how possible it is for the PDP to begin to care so much about Edo people who they subjugated, oppressed, harassed and in some cases, maimed and killed when they held sway and reigned in lawlessness almost as a matter of policy.

Was security vote drawn in those days when cult killings were rife, political assassinations were the norm and Edo people were in perpetual state of fear of the PDP government that was supposed to protect them?

Terrible as the security challenge may be today, at least the government of Governor Godwin Obaseki and Edo people are defending the state against external elements in the name of herdsmen and whatever name they go by. But in the case of PDP, the people had to defend themselves against the very government they elected.

As the saying goes that the person who made the mess may quickly forget but the one who cleaned it will have the memory linger for much longer. Chris Nehikhare, Dan Orbih and their cohorts in the PDP may have forgotten about the volume of innocent blood that was spilled in this land under their watch and the mess they made, but Edo people will never forget.

For their information, the security vote which they are so fixated on and which they seem intent on returning to squander, is being judiciously managed by the very fiscally disciplined Governor Godwin Obaseki administration.

Also, just in case the PDP has miraculously regained its ability to see, hear and comprehend, I wish to restate that “there is no agreement to establish cattle colony in Edo State.”

Signed

Crusoe Osagie

Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on media and communication strategy

Let our govt also understand that most of these guys had good jobs in Libya irrespective of the way they were maltreated at times. After skills acquisition, they should be empowered to a level where they can stay on their own. #kudoos

Even the blind knows that the APC government like to develop because they are technocrats.

Edo’s ‘Wake and See’ Governor Marks Birthday Today ...

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/07/01/edos-wake-and-see-governor-marks-birthday-today/

Notore Chemical Industries Plc has totally denied allegations that it is involved in activities which sabotage Nigeria's security and economy

Apparently responding to statements credited to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in the media last week, the foremost manufacturer of fertiliser stressed that the allegations in no way represented the character and operation of their business.

According to Notore, "Our attention has been drawn to various publications in the media containing serious allegations about Notore Chemical Industries Plc (Notore). In the publications, Notore is alleged to be sabotaging Nigeria’s national security and economy by being a conduit for explosive materials as well as being “unpatriotic.” Notore is constrained to refute the allegations in the strongest terms.

"Notore has not been, is not, and has no intention whatsoever, of engaging in any activity that is detrimental to Nigeria. As a Nigerian company with predominantly Nigerian beneficial shareholders, Notore has always been committed and is focused on supporting initiatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria and championing the African Green Revolution with a focus on Nigeria.

"Notore is the premier producer of urea fertilizer in sub-Saharan Africa and has been in production for over six years. As the Champion of the African Green Revolution, Notore has as its core goal the enhancement of food production and food security in Africa, particularly in Nigeria. Part of its strategy to achieve this goal is to focus on sales in the local market via Notore’s extensive, controlled and award-winning distribution channels. In addition, Notore has and uses extension workers who are committed to the training of local farmers on best practices and the creation of ‘test plots’ to showcase the benefits of effective use of fertilizer on crops, the creation of an effective and efficient distribution channel to ease access to fertilizers for the farmers, as well as boosting production capacity to meet the ever increasing demand of the Nigerian farmer."

The Onne-based fertiliser makers and distributors said over the past several years, through its private extension services and controlled distribution channels, which include over 2,500 Village Promoters, it has reached over 3 million Nigerian farmers who have been impacted positively with increased yields.

It added that as estimated by a 2013 report by Propcom-DFID, an innovative, market-driven initiative of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) that aims to reduce poverty in Nigeria, over 33% of smallholder farmers in seven selected northern states learned at least one improved farming practice from Notore’s activities, leading to increased yields and income.

Notore said it also worked with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, some selected states, and International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in designing and implementing the fertilizer voucher program between 2009 and 2012, which greatly improved the administration of the fertilizer subsidy program by increasing the reach to target beneficiaries from a previous 11% to as high as 60%.

"The success of this voucher program became the basis on which the Federal Government created the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) e-wallet program, which sought to improve agricultural productivity through the effective and efficient delivery of farm inputs such as fertilizer, which increased yields. It is through these and other activities that Notore has helped and continues to help build Nigeria’s agricultural and economic landscape, which has a direct impact on the country's GDP.

"As part of its commitment to Nigeria, the bulk (about 75%) of Notore’s production of fertilizer is focused on the Nigerian market, and because Nigeria largely has only one planting season, the majority of this production is sold locally during this peak season. Notore only exports limited amounts of fertilizer during the dry season -- when there is essentially zero demand for fertilizer in Nigeria-- yet continues to work aggressively with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to encourage and stimulate farming in Nigeria during the off-season in order to further its core goal of increased food production and food security in Nigeria. For instance, Notore has been a key partner in the CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Program aimed at increasing the local production of key crops. During the recently completed pilot of the rice anchor borrowers’ program in Kebbi State, Notore supplied all the urea fertilizer used in the program. It is important to note that the company delivered the requested fertilizer for the program within a very short period to all the locations in which the program was implemented in the state. In continuation of that program, Notore has also committed to supplying all the urea fertilizer required for the program during the current rainy season in all 11 target states.

"Another example of Notore’s aggressive efforts to stimulate farming in Nigeria is its successful onion intervention in Kebbi State. In 2010, an unprecedented severe case of onion twister disease in Kebbi State, similar to the recent tomato crisis, crippled all farming activities involving onions. As of the time of Notore’s intervention in 2010, onions were in short supply with high demand, thereby raising the price to an all-time high of N40,000 per bag. However, following Notore’s intervention, involving a combination of experiments to test different options to combat the problem as well as educating farmers on the need to adopt best practices, the dry season of 2011-2012 saw a huge rise in produce availability. This pushed down the price per bag of onions from about N7,000 in December 2011 to N1,000 in May 2012.

"Urea fertilizer is crucial for the agricultural revolution in Nigeria and for the millions of farmers who rely on it to achieve food security and self-sustenance. Notore produces urea solely for agricultural purposes, and urea, on its own, is harmless. It is only when people that are involved in nefarious activities further process urea by mixing it with harmful substances, such as nitric acid, that the combination can become dangerous. Notore does not produce, import, or in any way use nitric acid. Furthermore, Notore has worked and continues to work with government agencies to ensure that its products move strictly through its controlled distribution channels to be delivered directly to official distribution partners and then into the market." the company stated.

Notore Chemical Industries Plc has totally denied allegations that it is involved in activities which sabotage Nigeria's security and economy

Apparently responding to statements credited to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in the media last week, the foremost manufacturer of fertiliser stressed that the allegations in no way represented the character and operation of their business.

According to Notore, "Our attention has been drawn to various publications in the media containing serious allegations about Notore Chemical Industries Plc (Notore). In the publications, Notore is alleged to be sabotaging Nigeria’s national security and economy by being a conduit for explosive materials as well as being “unpatriotic.” Notore is constrained to refute the allegations in the strongest terms.

"Notore has not been, is not, and has no intention whatsoever, of engaging in any activity that is detrimental to Nigeria. As a Nigerian company with predominantly Nigerian beneficial shareholders, Notore has always been committed and is focused on supporting initiatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria and championing the African Green Revolution with a focus on Nigeria.

"Notore is the premier producer of urea fertilizer in sub-Saharan Africa and has been in production for over six years. As the Champion of the African Green Revolution, Notore has as its core goal the enhancement of food production and food security in Africa, particularly in Nigeria. Part of its strategy to achieve this goal is to focus on sales in the local market via Notore’s extensive, controlled and award-winning distribution channels. In addition, Notore has and uses extension workers who are committed to the training of local farmers on best practices and the creation of ‘test plots’ to showcase the benefits of effective use of fertilizer on crops, the creation of an effective and efficient distribution channel to ease access to fertilizers for the farmers, as well as boosting production capacity to meet the ever increasing demand of the Nigerian farmer."

The Onne-based fertiliser makers and distributors said over the past several years, through its private extension services and controlled distribution channels, which include over 2,500 Village Promoters, it has reached over 3 million Nigerian farmers who have been impacted positively with increased yields.

It added that as estimated by a 2013 report by Propcom-DFID, an innovative, market-driven initiative of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) that aims to reduce poverty in Nigeria, over 33% of smallholder farmers in seven selected northern states learned at least one improved farming practice from Notore’s activities, leading to increased yields and income.

Notore said it also worked with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, some selected states, and International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in designing and implementing the fertilizer voucher program between 2009 and 2012, which greatly improved the administration of the fertilizer subsidy program by increasing the reach to target beneficiaries from a previous 11% to as high as 60%.

"The success of this voucher program became the basis on which the Federal Government created the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) e-wallet program, which sought to improve agricultural productivity through the effective and efficient delivery of farm inputs such as fertilizer, which increased yields. It is through these and other activities that Notore has helped and continues to help build Nigeria’s agricultural and economic landscape, which has a direct impact on the country's GDP.

"As part of its commitment to Nigeria, the bulk (about 75%) of Notore’s production of fertilizer is focused on the Nigerian market, and because Nigeria largely has only one planting season, the majority of this production is sold locally during this peak season. Notore only exports limited amounts of fertilizer during the dry season -- when there is essentially zero demand for fertilizer in Nigeria-- yet continues to work aggressively with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to encourage and stimulate farming in Nigeria during the off-season in order to further its core goal of increased food production and food security in Nigeria. For instance, Notore has been a key partner in the CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Program aimed at increasing the local production of key crops. During the recently completed pilot of the rice anchor borrowers’ program in Kebbi State, Notore supplied all the urea fertilizer used in the program. It is important to note that the company delivered the requested fertilizer for the program within a very short period to all the locations in which the program was implemented in the state. In continuation of that program, Notore has also committed to supplying all the urea fertilizer required for the program during the current rainy season in all 11 target states.

"Another example of Notore’s aggressive efforts to stimulate farming in Nigeria is its successful onion intervention in Kebbi State. In 2010, an unprecedented severe case of onion twister disease in Kebbi State, similar to the recent tomato crisis, crippled all farming activities involving onions. As of the time of Notore’s intervention in 2010, onions were in short supply with high demand, thereby raising the price to an all-time high of N40,000 per bag. However, following Notore’s intervention, involving a combination of experiments to test different options to combat the problem as well as educating farmers on the need to adopt best practices, the dry season of 2011-2012 saw a huge rise in produce availability. This pushed down the price per bag of onions from about N7,000 in December 2011 to N1,000 in May 2012.

"Urea fertilizer is crucial for the agricultural revolution in Nigeria and for the millions of farmers who rely on it to achieve food security and self-sustenance. Notore produces urea solely for agricultural purposes, and urea, on its own, is harmless. It is only when people that are involved in nefarious activities further process urea by mixing it with harmful substances, such as nitric acid, that the combination can become dangerous. Notore does not produce, import, or in any way use nitric acid. Furthermore, Notore has worked and continues to work with government agencies to ensure that its products move strictly through its controlled distribution channels to be delivered directly to official distribution partners and then into the market." the company stated.

EFCC Raids BOI over Alleged Illegal Sale of Properties, Shares

-Acting MD escapes arrest following tip-off

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday raided the Lagos office of the Bank of Industry (BOI), following discreet investigation it had been conducting.

Although details of the raid were still sketchy, THISDAY gathered from sources that the raid was not unconnected with the allegations of illegal sales of properties and shares belonging to the BOI.

Speaking on anonymity, a source said the EFCC had stormed the Marina office and raided it, searching for documents that would assist their investigation.

It was also alleged that the operatives of the agency had tried to arrest the acting Managing Director (MD), Mr. Waheed Olagunju, but he successfully evaded their dragnet following a possible tip-off.

Having failed to take away the acting MD, the operatives detailed the staff to inform him to report to EFCC office at Ikoyi today.

The source said, "The raid followed investigation into the alleged illegal sale of BOI properties and shares without due process.

Another source who debunked claims that the acting MD evaded arrest, said he was not in office when officials of the anti-graft agency came but was asked to report to the EFCC office.

The source also said that the raid might not be unconnected with the last week's invitation of the former MD, Rasheed Olaoluwa, by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
When contacted, the EFCC Spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, told THISDAY that he was driving and would call back.
Until press time, repeated calls made to him and the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, were not answered, neither did the text message sent afterwards generate a reply.

Meanwhile, officials of the development bank explained that the raid was part of the investigation
by the EFCC of the allegation of misapplied funds belonging to the Cement Technology Institute of Nigeria (CTIN).

According to the Bank’s management, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Mrs. Hadiza Olaosebikan, parties to the transaction have addressed the concerns raised with the new terms reached on how to manage the funds which have grown from N9 billion to N13.2 billion as at last week Friday.

"Indeed, the BoI was appointed as the fund manager by the federal government in 2009 to manage funds contributed by cement manufacturers for the development of human capacity to drive growth in the Nigerian cement industry.

“With the establishment of CITN, a request was made to the BoI for the release of the funds for which the Bank defaulted but had since remedied the situation by applying eight per cent interest on the funds thus accruing to N12.3 billion as at February 2016

EFCC Raids BOI over Alleged Illegal Sale of Properties, Shares

-Acting MD escapes arrest following tip-off

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday raided the Lagos office of the Bank of Industry (BOI), following discreet investigation it had been conducting.

Although details of the raid were still sketchy, THISDAY gathered from sources that the raid was not unconnected with the allegations of illegal sales of properties and shares belonging to the BOI.

Speaking on anonymity, a source said the EFCC had stormed the Marina office and raided it, searching for documents that would assist their investigation.

It was also alleged that the operatives of the agency had tried to arrest the acting Managing Director (MD), Mr. Waheed Olagunju, but he successfully evaded their dragnet following a possible tip-off.

Having failed to take away the acting MD, the operatives detailed the staff to inform him to report to EFCC office at Ikoyi today.

The source said, "The raid followed investigation into the alleged illegal sale of BOI properties and shares without due process.

Another source who debunked claims that the acting MD evaded arrest, said he was not in office when officials of the anti-graft agency came but was asked to report to the EFCC office.

The source also said that the raid might not be unconnected with the last week's invitation of the former MD, Rasheed Olaoluwa, by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
When contacted, the EFCC Spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, told THISDAY that he was driving and would call back.
Until press time, repeated calls made to him and the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, were not answered, neither did the text message sent afterwards generate a reply.

Meanwhile, officials of the development bank explained that the raid was part of the investigation
by the EFCC of the allegation of misapplied funds belonging to the Cement Technology Institute of Nigeria (CTIN).

According to the Bank’s management, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Mrs. Hadiza Olaosebikan, parties to the transaction have addressed the concerns raised with the new terms reached on how to manage the funds which have grown from N9 billion to N13.2 billion as at last week Friday.

"Indeed, the BoI was appointed as the fund manager by the federal government in 2009 to manage funds contributed by cement manufacturers for the development of human capacity to drive growth in the Nigerian cement industry.

“With the establishment of CITN, a request was made to the BoI for the release of the funds for which the Bank defaulted but had since remedied the situation by applying eight per cent interest on the funds thus accruing to N12.3 billion as at February 2016

The is the change we are talking about. Kudos to the apc government. By the way, in South Africa, there is nothing like pay per view and all their bouquet are exactly of the Same amount as we have it here in Nigeria. I don't see how these people are ripping us off!!!! Do your research well......

The car sellers are the culprits. Remember, when buying the vehicle your home address is written on the papers so it's easy for anyone to track down your car.

That being said, I advice you employ the services of a private investigator to dig into the activities of the car shop. You will get your car back.

-FG may ask for refund of benefits diverted by the company


As the federal government continues to monitor the level of compliance of all companies engaged in the implementation of the backward integration policy in the sugar industry, deliberate efforts of BUA Group to violate the tenets of the agreement have been condemned.

Sources close to the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) yesterday stated that they were very worried that BUA was simply using the acquisition of the defunct Lafiagi Sugar Estate as a ploy to reap benefits and incentive which the federal government approved for companies actually investing in integrated sugar production.

According to the source who asked not to be named because the NSDC is taking time to officially expose the fraudulent activities, BUA was believed to have been sponsoring community disturbances against its own acquisition process of the Lafiagi estate in Kwara State, in order to have an excuse for not accessing and investing in the plant from 2008 when it acquired it to 2014 when the federal government mounted pressure on the company over its nonchalance.

Also, the NSDC is considering forcing BUA to refund the incentives and other benefits, running into billion of naira, which it has received in the form of tax holidays, duty waivers among others, for the past three years, under the guise of investing these benefits in the cultivation of a massive sugarcane plantation and setting up a processing plant in Kwara.

"Unfortunately, what BUA has displayed so far is unseriousness and an outright ploy to fleece the government of its hard earned revenue without any plant to actually invest in local production of sugar from plantation to factory.
"NSDC is just watching this seeming fraudulent behaviour by the company and will exhaust all negotiation options before we bring down the hammer.

"We have three companies who signed up for this and so far the other two; Savannah Sugar in Numan, Adamawa State owned by Dangote and Golden Sugar Estate in Sunti, Niger State, owned by Flour Mills of Nigeria have invested significantly. Dangote is producing fully and Flour Mills is set to begin in May this year.

"All three companies have received incentives from government. Dangote and Flour Mills have shown the investment they made with the proceeds but all BUA has to show is some baseless excuses and blame of the Bureau of Public Enterprises. Since they had problems investing the government incentives they received why did they not asked for the incentives to be paused until the got their acts right.

"We are considering asking them to quantify all that they benefitted from government on the back of the sugar backward integration during their period of inactivity and refund same to the federal government coffers," the source lamented.

Meanwhile, after a recent inspection of the BUA sugar estate, formerly known as Lafiagi Sugar Company, Kwara State in December 2015, by the Sugar Industry Monitoring Group (SIMOG), one of the inspectors representing the federal government, disclosed that they were astonished at how thoroughly abandoned the place was.

One members the team noted that what was more annoying during that visit was the fact that BUA, instead of concentrating on developing the Lafiaji sugar estate and growing the sugar plantation, rather put up a make-belief display of hired equipment and tractors in a bid to deceive the government into believing that it was investing in the development of the estate.

According to the source: "For the past three years that the National Sugar‎ Development Council (NSDC) has been implementing the national sugar master plan, the Sugar Industry Monitoring Group (SIMOG) which comprises of Managing Directors of Sugar Refineries such as Dangote Sugar Refinery, BUA and Golden Sugar Refinery, a subsidiary of Flour Mills Nigeria, as well as government representatives, have been going around their project sites where they signed an agreement with the government in 2013 that they should be given raw sugar importation quotas in order to service their refineries and whatever profit they make will be ploughed back to Backward Integration Programme (BIP) to build local capacity."

The government official noted: "Dangote has his own BIP in Savannah Sugar Company, Numan, Adamawa State; Golden Sugar Refinery has its own BIP site in Sunti, Mokwa, while BUA has its own in Lafiaji, Kwara State, where we have contending issues.

"For the past three years, BUA has nothing to show. "This SIMOG goes round on a quarterly basis to monitor whatever raw sugar is being imported by these sugar refineries as well as the development of the BIP projects at the three sites mentioned.
The source further explained, “The meaning of this BIP agreement in essence is to say that whatever profit they are making from sugar importation and trading, they have to inject it into the development of the sugar estate in the country.
"The chief executive officers of the sugar refineries signed the agreement with the government under the then Ministry, Industry, Trade and Investment, while the council was just acting as a facilitator.


"They have all agreed and made presentations, a work plan and have signed, stating what they will be doing, with timelines attached to it.
"During our monitoring, we discovered that BUA has not been doing anything meaningful with their project site.
"It is now that they have realised that if they cannot embark on any physical development, the government will sanction them. They arranged a stage-managed site because they knew we were coming to pay an inspection visit. They brought in equipment that were not really using for the development of the estate in that particular location.
"It was on the basis of what we saw that made us stated that they should continue. We also told them to increase their tempo, saying that by the next visit, they would have gone a bit far from the backward position where they are presently, otherwise, that is when they will face the wrath of the federal government.
"What they have been doing is very discouraging, three companies have agreed to do certain things, two companies have already started, while one is yet to begin but it is enjoying the same benefit from the federal government.
"The same incentive the federal government is give to Golden Sugar and the other company is the same that is being given to BUA, whereas, they are not doing anything to benefit from the incentives from the federal government.
“To deal with the poor attitude, we are going to be paying unscheduled visits to them in an unspecified manner and I am very sure that the government will visit that site early in 2016 and I am also sure that our council will send representatives to carry out independent monitoring.
"We will not tell them of our visit because we do not want them to do another stage-managed activity. They have only 13 hectares of sugar cane on ground but they want to develop to up to about 200 hectares but out of the 200 hectares, they have only cleared 65 to plant sugar cane but they actually have ‎only 13 hectares of existing sugar cane that has been planted in Lafiaji.
"We are giving them the benefit of the doubt to see if they can develop. Our own is to monitor, watch and report back to the government.
"It is not that we are happy to push BUA out of business because it is not in the interest of the government. But government wants more serious-minded investors to come and invest, but you must follow the rules guiding the agreement to meet up with national demand.”
The official added that Dangote was trying at the Savannah factory in Adamawa, revealing that the Dangote Group subsidiary has successfully rehabilitated the existing refinery.
“But you know that the mill is of age presently this is why the efficiency needs enhancement, but they are planning to establish another new factory to replace the existing Savannah sugar refinery and also establish another one in Taraba State and we will be very happy seeing them doing that.
"The other sugar refinery in Sunti is doing very well too, in fact they are doing even more than what Dangote is doing because they have a newly set up refinery and they are almost at 85 per cent completion with plans to test run it next year.
“When you visit their site, you will see that these people are very serious about their business just like what is happening in Savannah.
“They are both doing very well. Although, when BUA took over the Lafiaji refinery as the new owner, they had to settle the host community because it was a place where people were using for farming to earn a living.
“So when government intervened by telling the host community that the land had been sold to BUA, there had to be compensation from the government and BUA, but BUA did not ‎meet the demand because the demand was very high.
“So it took the special intervention from the Kwara State government to resolve the issue, but I think that was not the main reason why they have not started anything, but a deliberate act not to do anything on the site. From the look of things now, they have seen the red card and they do not have any other option than to go and develop the project site or else face the sanction.
“Even if the government is not doing anything, I know our fellow competitors will not allow such to happen. They have agreed and have also signed, but we are concerned about is their nonchalant attitude towards the development of the project. An unscheduled visit is the only way to determine the level of work on the site,” the source said.

-FG may ask for refund of benefits diverted by the company


As the federal government continues to monitor the level of compliance of all companies engaged in the implementation of the backward integration policy in the sugar industry, deliberate efforts of BUA Group to violate the tenets of the agreement have been condemned.

Sources close to the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) yesterday stated that they were very worried that BUA was simply using the acquisition of the defunct Lafiagi Sugar Estate as a ploy to reap benefits and incentive which the federal government approved for companies actually investing in integrated sugar production.

According to the source who asked not to be named because the NSDC is taking time to officially expose the fraudulent activities, BUA was believed to have been sponsoring community disturbances against its own acquisition process of the Lafiagi estate in Kwara State, in order to have an excuse for not accessing and investing in the plant from 2008 when it acquired it to 2014 when the federal government mounted pressure on the company over its nonchalance.

Also, the NSDC is considering forcing BUA to refund the incentives and other benefits, running into billion of naira, which it has received in the form of tax holidays, duty waivers among others, for the past three years, under the guise of investing these benefits in the cultivation of a massive sugarcane plantation and setting up a processing plant in Kwara.

"Unfortunately, what BUA has displayed so far is unseriousness and an outright ploy to fleece the government of its hard earned revenue without any plant to actually invest in local production of sugar from plantation to factory.
"NSDC is just watching this seeming fraudulent behaviour by the company and will exhaust all negotiation options before we bring down the hammer.

"We have three companies who signed up for this and so far the other two; Savannah Sugar in Numan, Adamawa State owned by Dangote and Golden Sugar Estate in Sunti, Niger State, owned by Flour Mills of Nigeria have invested significantly. Dangote is producing fully and Flour Mills is set to begin in May this year.

"All three companies have received incentives from government. Dangote and Flour Mills have shown the investment they made with the proceeds but all BUA has to show is some baseless excuses and blame of the Bureau of Public Enterprises. Since they had problems investing the government incentives they received why did they not asked for the incentives to be paused until the got their acts right.

"We are considering asking them to quantify all that they benefitted from government on the back of the sugar backward integration during their period of inactivity and refund same to the federal government coffers," the source lamented.

Meanwhile, after a recent inspection of the BUA sugar estate, formerly known as Lafiagi Sugar Company, Kwara State in December 2015, by the Sugar Industry Monitoring Group (SIMOG), one of the inspectors representing the federal government, disclosed that they were astonished at how thoroughly abandoned the place was.

One members the team noted that what was more annoying during that visit was the fact that BUA, instead of concentrating on developing the Lafiaji sugar estate and growing the sugar plantation, rather put up a make-belief display of hired equipment and tractors in a bid to deceive the government into believing that it was investing in the development of the estate.

According to the source: "For the past three years that the National Sugar‎ Development Council (NSDC) has been implementing the national sugar master plan, the Sugar Industry Monitoring Group (SIMOG) which comprises of Managing Directors of Sugar Refineries such as Dangote Sugar Refinery, BUA and Golden Sugar Refinery, a subsidiary of Flour Mills Nigeria, as well as government representatives, have been going around their project sites where they signed an agreement with the government in 2013 that they should be given raw sugar importation quotas in order to service their refineries and whatever profit they make will be ploughed back to Backward Integration Programme (BIP) to build local capacity."

The government official noted: "Dangote has his own BIP in Savannah Sugar Company, Numan, Adamawa State; Golden Sugar Refinery has its own BIP site in Sunti, Mokwa, while BUA has its own in Lafiaji, Kwara State, where we have contending issues.

"For the past three years, BUA has nothing to show. "This SIMOG goes round on a quarterly basis to monitor whatever raw sugar is being imported by these sugar refineries as well as the development of the BIP projects at the three sites mentioned.
The source further explained, “The meaning of this BIP agreement in essence is to say that whatever profit they are making from sugar importation and trading, they have to inject it into the development of the sugar estate in the country.
"The chief executive officers of the sugar refineries signed the agreement with the government under the then Ministry, Industry, Trade and Investment, while the council was just acting as a facilitator.


"They have all agreed and made presentations, a work plan and have signed, stating what they will be doing, with timelines attached to it.
"During our monitoring, we discovered that BUA has not been doing anything meaningful with their project site.
"It is now that they have realised that if they cannot embark on any physical development, the government will sanction them. They arranged a stage-managed site because they knew we were coming to pay an inspection visit. They brought in equipment that were not really using for the development of the estate in that particular location.
"It was on the basis of what we saw that made us stated that they should continue. We also told them to increase their tempo, saying that by the next visit, they would have gone a bit far from the backward position where they are presently, otherwise, that is when they will face the wrath of the federal government.
"What they have been doing is very discouraging, three companies have agreed to do certain things, two companies have already started, while one is yet to begin but it is enjoying the same benefit from the federal government.
"The same incentive the federal government is give to Golden Sugar and the other company is the same that is being given to BUA, whereas, they are not doing anything to benefit from the incentives from the federal government.
“To deal with the poor attitude, we are going to be paying unscheduled visits to them in an unspecified manner and I am very sure that the government will visit that site early in 2016 and I am also sure that our council will send representatives to carry out independent monitoring.
"We will not tell them of our visit because we do not want them to do another stage-managed activity. They have only 13 hectares of sugar cane on ground but they want to develop to up to about 200 hectares but out of the 200 hectares, they have only cleared 65 to plant sugar cane but they actually have ‎only 13 hectares of existing sugar cane that has been planted in Lafiaji.
"We are giving them the benefit of the doubt to see if they can develop. Our own is to monitor, watch and report back to the government.
"It is not that we are happy to push BUA out of business because it is not in the interest of the government. But government wants more serious-minded investors to come and invest, but you must follow the rules guiding the agreement to meet up with national demand.”
The official added that Dangote was trying at the Savannah factory in Adamawa, revealing that the Dangote Group subsidiary has successfully rehabilitated the existing refinery.
“But you know that the mill is of age presently this is why the efficiency needs enhancement, but they are planning to establish another new factory to replace the existing Savannah sugar refinery and also establish another one in Taraba State and we will be very happy seeing them doing that.
"The other sugar refinery in Sunti is doing very well too, in fact they are doing even more than what Dangote is doing because they have a newly set up refinery and they are almost at 85 per cent completion with plans to test run it next year.
“When you visit their site, you will see that these people are very serious about their business just like what is happening in Savannah.
“They are both doing very well. Although, when BUA took over the Lafiaji refinery as the new owner, they had to settle the host community because it was a place where people were using for farming to earn a living.
“So when government intervened by telling the host community that the land had been sold to BUA, there had to be compensation from the government and BUA, but BUA did not ‎meet the demand because the demand was very high.
“So it took the special intervention from the Kwara State government to resolve the issue, but I think that was not the main reason why they have not started anything, but a deliberate act not to do anything on the site. From the look of things now, they have seen the red card and they do not have any other option than to go and develop the project site or else face the sanction.
“Even if the government is not doing anything, I know our fellow competitors will not allow such to happen. They have agreed and have also signed, but we are concerned about is their nonchalant attitude towards the development of the project. An unscheduled visit is the only way to determine the level of work on the site,” the source said.

ok

Okay, thanks a lot. That means by next week, all might just be fine right?

Holidays would be over.

How much is spycam? 6k?

Davodyguy,

I have a Qsat Q23G decoder and my account on it has expired. How do i get things working again? I am aware i need to buy a spycam account to put in my qsat but after this what next?

I have the normal DSTV dish as this was what i have been using all along.

I am not good with the technicalities so please explain to me what i need to do to get back to watching it like before.

I do not have your email. Please send ! Thanks