Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, during a courtesy call on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State today, at the Government House, commended his commitment towards the development of science, technology and innovation in the country for sustainable economic growth.
The Minister disclosed that Ugwuanyi is the first governor in the country to host the Technology and Innovation EXPO - a week long event holding in Enugu on new business opportunities for economic expansion, job creation and poverty reduction.
Dr. Onu also appreciated the governor for his "tremendous support and cooperation towards the hosting of the event in Enugu", saying that the choice of Enugu was made because of its historic importance as the capital of the Eastern Region, East Central State, old Anambra State, Enugu State and the new Enugu State.
Enugu State is truly in the hands of God! #amokelouis
SECURITY ALERT: APC Thugs, escorted by Police Officers, are currently attacking PDP Members in Agbaji, Kwara State, the location of the Senate President’s ancestral home.
The officers and thugs, who are under the payroll of Yahaya Seriki, and are being coordinated by Esinrogunjo, are going from home to home dragging out PDP supporters and harassing them with machetes and locally-made weapons.
As of 2:15pm, two people have been shot and more than 20 cars destroyed in the Agbaji compound alone.
The families that have been affected by this violent onslaught by the APC include the Île Ottan, Sholagberu, Wopa, Olayeri, and Onilemarun families.
Embattled Justice Walter Onnoghen to Be Replaced by Justice Tanko Ibrahim Mohammed by Cabals
The Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen has come under FG radar and will be docked in the CCT’s accused box on Monday. The FG accused the Justice of irregularities in his asset declaration. Recall that the last high profile case handled by the CCT was against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, where-in the case was quashed for having no substance and basing its findings on hearsays. Onnoghen who upheld the verdict of the court, has today come under investigation and further litigation by the code of conduct Bureau.
Following the inability of the ruling APC to secure the interest of Nigerians ahead of the 2019 polls, the ruling APC has resorted to rigging plans and also seeking legal backings for them. While the rigging plans are in full force with the recent appointment of Amina Zakari as head of collation, the APC-led FG also needs legal backing for their plans to fully materialize. This is the reason why they have turned on Justice Onnoghen, who has been a clog in the wheels of their nefarious activities.
Upon this, lots of legal luminaries have volunteered to help the embattled Justice win the case. The cabals have however picked a favorite; Justice Tanko Muhammad, as the next Chief Justice of the Federation if their plans fall through.
The Chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in Enugu State, Bishop Godwin Madu, has described the gale of endorsements for the re-election of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi by the people from various facets of the society as overwhelming and a sign of good leadership.
Bishop Madu who spoke during the New Year prayer rally organized by Enugu State workers, yesterday at the new state secretariat, thanked God for the New Year and appreciated Gov. Ugwuanyi for entrusting the state to the hands of God.
Describing Ugwuanyi as “a kindhearted governor and a man we know for his dividends of democracy”, the PFN chairman commended him for making the welfare of the workers one of his administration’s priorities, stating that “we no longer thank the governor for payment of salaries regularly, but for paying the 13th month salary every year”.
The cleric told Gov. Ugwuanyi that it was because of the peace and good governance he has entrenched that “the labour force in Enugu State is standing behind you; the social community and the religious community are standing with you”, proclaiming that “your tenure as governor is eight years”.
Bishop Madu who agreed with the theme of the prayer rally that “All Power Belongs to God”, noted that “everywhere he (Ugwuanyi) went it is endorsement”. He added that Gov. Ugwuanyi has enjoyed such tremendous goodwill and support from the people because of his humility and uncommon style of leadership and prayed fervently for the governor’s victory at the March governorship election and more God’s blessings in his life and family.
Prayers were also offered by other clergymen for the progress of the state, Nigeria, workers/pensioners/union leaders, and successful and hitch-free general election.
In his address, Gov. Ugwuanyi applauded the organized labour in the state for initiating and sustaining the inspiring and highly uplifting religious event, “to give God praise and glory for the love and compassion He showered on us in the previous years and to seek His grace, guidance, protection and all round favour in this New Year”.
The governor, who pointed out that his administration committed Enugu State into the hands of God at its inception “because He alone was the reason why we are here”, stated that “we will therefore continue to seek His face in prayer at all times and in all circumstances”.
According to him, “prayer is the key to all things that are good and it has certainly been the key to our survival and progress as a state and as a people, especially in these challenging times”.
Reiterating his administration’s commitment to things of God, the governor thanked workers in Enugu State and indeed all the people of the state for their unrelenting prayers, overwhelming solidarity, cooperation, support and endorsements, saying: “It has been a journey of praise and everything shall surely end in praise because Enugu State is truly in the hands of God”.
I had never looked up the meaning of the word integrity until I watched this video. This lady definitely gives a new perspective to this word that’s been bandied around by a lot of Nigerians. What does integrity mean to you?
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) says the spontaneous jubilation and the overflowing crowd of supporters that received PDP’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at the North Central Presidential zonal rally, in Ilorin, Kwara state is a clear confirmation of his acceptance across the board as the next president of our nation.
The PPCO notes, with a high sense of responsibility, the sacrifices and commitment of the people of the North Central in joining other geo-political zones in the resolve to end the Muhammadu Buhari misrule and usher in a new era of national peace, unity and economic prosperity, as represented in the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar.
The North Central in embracing Atiku Abubakar has taken a major step in the overall aspiration by all segments of Nigeria’s population to enthrone a caring, pro-people, transparent and development-oriented administration that will unify our nation, revamp our ailing economy and galvanize the productive energies of all our people, for the common good.
The North Central has openly demonstrated their trust that Atiku Abubakar embodies a comprehensive understanding and practical solutions to the myriad of problems unleashed on them by the Buhari administration, which now represents hunger, starvation, penury, insecurity, violence and division in our land.
The PPCO appreciates the efforts of leaders, critical stakeholders and PDP supporters in the North Central in ensuring overwhelming support for Atiku Abubakar in all the nooks and crannies of the geo-political zone and urged them to remain undeterred until victory is secured.
Barely 24 hours after All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial campaign kick-off in Lagos was marred, various revelations have started emerging on how breach of security exposed thousands of party members lives and residents, within flag-off venue axis, to danger.
The event, designed to showcase the APC candidates ahead of the election, was brought to end midway, unprepared, by the party leadership after security officers at the venue could not immediately arrest the situation, forcing attendees to scamper for safety.
Findings from party members revealed that the disruption of the rally was a pre-planned arrangement by some faceless people working against APC, using rivalry among National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) factions as a ground to achieve their aims.
Our correspondent learnt that the mayhem started among the executive members of the transport unions, including one Mustapha Adekunle popularly known as Tafa Seigo, another member, Azeez Lawal a.k.a Kunle Poly and incumbent NURTW chairman, Tajudeen Agbde, and others, who were of different factions.
During the unprecedented confrontations among the unions, several followers of different factions engaged in free for all and innocent lives were lost while several others sustained severe injuries.
It was learnt that several gunshot were recorded at the venue, forcing the party Chairman, Babatunde Balogun, to end the proceedings after it became obvious that the clash was not going to subside.
As a result, party leaders faulted the situation and linked the hoodlums attack to breach of security, said to be responsibility of Lagos Police Command, the agency saddled with law enforcement in the state.
Most of the leaders, who spoke to the Guild after the event, lamented that it was unfortunate that an event which planning had been ongoing days before could lacked adequate security presence to arrest pressure or breach of security at the venue.
They argued that there expectation was much than what they experienced at the venue as no member’s life were given maximum protection required during the chaotic situation, including the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, APC candidates and party chieftains who left hurriedly after the event was turned upside down.
The Guild investigation revealed that the police personnel were not sufficiently deployed to the event to cater for sea of people who were at the venue to display their solidarity for entire APC candidates, particularly the governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
It was gathered that the State Police Command intentionally failed to provide needed personnel for the show despite assurance from the Commissioner of Police, Edgar Imohimi, that he would ensure 2019 election campaign remain violence free in Lagos.
Meanwhile, rather than beefing the venue with maximum security ahead of the event, the command was reported to had only directed formations within the state to provide insufficient numbers of personnel to the party’s rally venue.
Sources from the police command, who confided in The Guild, disclosed that directives to the formations before the event were that Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) should only deploy 10 personnel to the venue while Rapid Response Squad (RRS) should arrange four vehicles and the Area Command to provide few men.
But contrary to the directives, as hinted by the sources, the Taskforce chairman deployed over 40 men to the venue, an act aimed at providing watertight security, while RRS arranged 10 vehicles aside the police area commands that strictly adhered to the commissioner directives.
From the police, it was revealed that the police commissioner, who was privy to the campaign, held a closed door meeting with leaders of transport unions, directing heads of the unit to join a peace accord meeting held at the command, while rally was ongoing, knowing fully-well the consequence of withdrawing heads of the unit, who would have maintained peace at the rally.
A source from the command, who pleaded not to be mentioned due to sensitivity of the matter, claimed that Imohimi cannot exonerate himself from the incident, due to obvious errors from security angle.
He added that the face-off between the unions would not have occurred should the command had taken the right measures including Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of operations, who refused to direct policemen to go after the hoodlums who were causing mayhem during the rally.
As the clash intensified, the source hinted that Taskforce chairman, in a move to salvage the situation, after waiting endlessly for deputy commissioner’s directive, deployed his men to apprehend the hoodlums; an initiative which was said to have aided arrest of two suspects.
But after the clash had subsided, the chairman was queried by the police command for acting against directive of a senior officer.
Some APC members, who spoke to the Guild, condemned the clash between the transport unions and inability of security personnel at the venue, to prevent the clash from escalating.
They argued that if the police had done the needful, the clash could have been prevented and the campaign would have ended without blood spilled.
Worried by outcome of the campaign designed to showcase APC candidates to voters in Lagos, a close aide to national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, disclosed that the Lagos State former governor had constituted a team to examine the entire exercise and fashion out better strategy ahead of future campaigns in the state.
While members await better strategy for subsequent rallies, motorist told the Guild that they lost several man hours navigating within the metropolis after traffic caused by the rally spread to other parts of Lagos.
They described traffic management strategy adopted by Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and other agencies as abysmal, urging the agency to more personnel in subsequent rallies.
Apparently not satisfied with the security strategy put up for the rally, a member of Independent Campaign Group (ICG), a group designed to campaign for Sanwo-Olu, alleged that the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, was aware of the clash that affected the campaign.
He disclosed that Ambode’s body language and facial expression after the clash further showed that the governor cannot be exonerated from the clash and was never on same pedestal with the party.
According to him, Ambode’s action during the campaign further proved otherwise as he never recognised the party’s gubernatorial candidate.
The source stressed that his action further confirmed his antics and that of the state commissioner of police who were planning to sabotage Lagos APC efforts for PDP during forthcoming elections.
Some of the plan, the source explained, was to tarnish the party’s image, a strategy targeted at dissuading electorate and alter their perception about APC, to garner support for PDP in the state.
Also, the ICG source disclosed that part of the plan was to reduce Tinubu’s popularity in Lagos especially after President Muhammadu Buhari handed over his re-election campaign to him.
Meanwhile, APC has condemned the action of the transport union members who turned the party’s rally to battle ground.
The party publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, while reacting on the act, having reviewed and investigated the actions of the union members and those who had capitalised on the mischief, assured that efforts would be intensified to prevent future occurrence.
Although, efforts to reach the police command’s spokesperson, Chike Oti, for his reaction over the allegations proved abortive as he was not available to speak to us when calls were put through his mobile line.
It would be recalled that the command had earlier declared one of the NURTW members wanted, the person that was alleged to be connected to the mayhem that occurred yesterday during the rally held in the state.
Town Union Presidents of 458 autonomous communities in Enugu State endorse Gov. Ugwuanyi’s re-election
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s re-election bid received a significant boost on Wednesday as Town Union Presidents of the 458 autonomous communities in Enugu State unanimously endorsed him for a second term in office for his sterling performance and unusual style of leadership.
The Town Union Presidents - the pillars of development, agents of peace, and “the 4th tier of democratic governance closest to the grassroots” - gave their support to Gov. Ugwuanyi, when they paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House, Enugu.
They described the governor as “a gifted son”, who has performed creditably in office, “imparted a political heritage worthy of emulation” and taken spirituality to governance in all his endeavours. The leaders of the town unions therefore, promised “to carry the campaign to the silent majority of rural dwellers in the 458 autonomous communities in Enugu State and deliver positive result during the forthcoming elections”.
They added that their visit was “to celebrate a refined legislator, seasoned administrator, political tactician and gifted financial manager, who has not been involved in excesses of calumny and vilification which have bedeviled our body politic”.
Justifying their stance, the State Chairman of the Union, Chief Paully Eze, stated that they took the decision because of Gov. Ugwuanyi’s “uncommon political sagacity anchored on ‘welfarism’ for the greatest number, ingenuity in the thick of dwindling resources, equitable and even infrastructural development across the state”.
Others include, “enthronement of dignity of labour, political stability, peace, security of lives and property, good healthcare delivery and sound education package, human empowerment, skill acquisition, etc”.
The town union leaders added that Gov. Ugwuanyi “runs inclusive administration and accommodates everybody irrespective of political leaning” and has set infrastructural vision that saw to the development of new cities in the three senatorial districts of the state through the execution of landmark projects in the rural communities and satellite towns, where the majority of the people reside.
They disclosed that the governor “in his unprecedented transformation released Enugu State share of the London/Paris Club refunds accruing to local government areas for settlement of arrears of the salaries, leave allowances, and pensions owed workers in the 17 council areas”.
The group further disclosed that Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration has successfully disbursed “N2.25 billion to 458 autonomous communities in Enugu State through the Traditional Rulers and Town Union Presidents as the first tranche of the N10 million each earmarked for the ‘one community one project’ which is unheard of in the annals of governance of this state”.
The Town Union Presidents expressed delight that the governor has “re-launched the state’s Traders Empowerment Scheme with annual bumper package of N120 million where 200 genuine traders win N10 million monthly at N50,000 each”.
Describing Gov. Ugwuanyi as “a good manager of resources”, they pointed out that his administration “has recorded unprecedented growth in the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)” for rapid development of the state.
The group equally described the governor as a “crisis manager who has brought peace and tranquility to the state and maintained security of lives and property of our people in the face of the fragile security situation across the country”, maintaining that “he has been widely endorsed for a second tenure by all shades of opinion in the state including men of God who cut across various religious denominations”.
“The Enugu State Town Unions being the 4th tier of democratic governance closest to the grassroots, do hereby join millions of people of this state to give our support to you, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for a second tenure in office as Governor of Enugu State”, they declared.
Responding, Gov. Ugwuanyi thanked the Town Union Presidents in a special way for their prayers, goodwill and endorsement, saying that such a rare support goes a long way to strengthen his administration’s resolve to continue to transform the state and extend development to the rural areas.
Stressing that “all politics is local”, the governor applauded them for the sacred roles they play as pillars of development and agents of peace and security at the grassroots, reiterating his administration’s unflinching commitment to lay more solid foundation for posterity, especially in the rural areas.
2019 will surely end in Praise for Enugu State is truly in the hands of God! #amokelouis
Bauchi state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has confirmed the exit of its former national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, deputy national chairman North, Alhaji Babayo Garba Gamawa, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Others are a former secretary to the federal government, Alhaji Ahmed Yayale, and Alhaji Kaulaha Aliyu.
This was disclosed to DAILY POST by the Bauchi PDP publicity secretary, Yayanuwa Zainabari, in an exclusive interview in Bauchi Wednesday
He described the exit of the PDP bigwigs to APC in Bauchi as shocking and a big slap to the party ahead of the 2019 polls.
“Honestly, we have confirmed the exits of former national chairman, deputy national chairman and other two. It’s a big shock to the PDP. However, the party remains strong to sweep the election owing to APC’s failures,” Zainabari said.
The PDP publicity secretary alleged that the defectors took the decision to dump the party to escape the wrath of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and apparently to pacify the ruling party.
The Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, has declared his total support for the emergence of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Dapo Abiodun, as the successor of the incumbent, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
The monarch made this declaration on Tuesday when he received Abiodun and his running-mate, Engr. (Mrs) Nimot Salako-Oyedele, who were led to his palace by the National Leader of the party and former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba.
Oba Adetona noted that the APC flagbearer had the wherewithal to administer the state having been a success story in his calling, urging all Ijebu sons and daughters to cast their votes for the party.
The revered monarch said the next election was payback time for Abiodun who had contributed immensely to the development of Ijebuland at different times.
Oba Adetona told the APC candidate to place priority on the reconstruction of roads linking Ogun to Lagos and Oyo states and equally rural roads for economic advancement.
The traditional ruler also advised him not to take the people of the state for granted when he becomes the number one citizen of the state, by fulfilling his electoral promises.
He also told him not to make his deputy a “spare tyre” by making her redundant, which according to him is peculiar to some governors in the country.
“When you informed me about your desire to contest for the office of the governor, I was a bit sceptical. I wondered why you wanted to leave your businesses for governance, but in the long run, I believed that God has answered his prayers. You will never be put to shame. God will back your administration and you will succeed.
“This is payback time for somebody that has been doing well. We must all support him by casting your votes for him. The Ijebus must not be put to shame in this course. Dapo Abiodun, this is payback time for you for all your good deeds. We will support you with prayers to ensure your victory at the polls,” he added.
He showered prayers on Abiodun and equally solicited for the support of members of the Ijebu Traditional Council on his victory.
Earlier, Osoba, who presented Abiodun to Awujale and other monarchs, said he believed that the APC governorship candidate would not fail the people of the state.
He admonished Abiodun to cooperate with other governors in the South West, especially that of Lagos and Oyo in developing the state, by reconstructing link roads to the two states.
“Today’s meeting is a meeting to pledge. It is a mission of promises. He will not be a sectional governor. He will keep all his promises.
“His administration will restore the dignity, image and the respect of the Ijebus in the days to come by the grace of God.”
Reeling out his programmes during the meeting, Abiodun, promised to ensure developmental projects are equally distributed among the three senatorial districts of the state if given the mandate to govern Ogun.
He added that his administration would pay adequate attention to rural roads, while efforts would be geared towards revisiting the multi-million dollars Olokola deep-sea port and gas investment.
While imploring the traditional rulers to encourage their subjects to collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), Abiodun, said there was a need to support the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari, so that he can continue the good work he started in 2015.
An unprecedented party faithfuls, supporters and the general public attended the official flag-off rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Sky Power Grounds, GRA Ikeja Lagos today Tuesday 8th January 2019.
Participants started trooping into the ground for the flag-off as early as 7am to lend their supports to the gubernatorial candidate of the party Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and his running mate Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat. The rally was attended by who-is-who in Lagos State including the incumbent Governor Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, his deputy Dr. (Mrs) Idiat Oluranti Adebule and the Secretary to the State Government Mr. Tunji Bello.
Party Chieftains were also present largely at the ground breaking event to witness the occasion among which were party Chairman Alhaji Tunde Balogun, GAC members, serving and former Senators, Federal House of Representatives members and State House of Assembly members.
The ruling party was largely supported by a coalition of other political parties in the State under the umbrella of CP3 who have jointly adopted the APC candidate Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu as their choice for the 2019 general elections.
The misconstrued feud that greeted the successful occasion towards the end was however a crisis between factions of union groups who were present at the venue.
The event has been adjudged one of the most attended political flag off in the State with the number of people recorded at the occasion.
SIGNED: Comrade Sesan Daini *Director, Media and Publicity Independent Campaign Group (ICG)*
Gov. Ugwuanyi deserves second term like his predecessors, says Nwodo
…As Igbo-Etiti LGA drum support for gov
The former Governor of old Enugu State and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo has reiterated his support and that of the people of Igbo Etiti Local Government Area for the re-election bid of Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the forthcoming general election.
Dr. Nwodo who is also the former National Chairman of the PDP, maintained that “Gov. Ugwuanyi deserves unbroken two terms in office just like his predecessors from Enugu East and Enugu West Senatorial Districts”.
Speaking during the inauguration of “Gburugburu Campaign Council, Igbo-Etiti LGA Chapter” held at Ogbede, the council’s headquarters, Dr. Nwodo, who serves as the Chairman, stated that the massive infrastructural development across the three senatorial districts of Enugu State, the prevailing atmosphere of peace and security of lives and property in the State, and above all, the governor’s praise-worthy disposition in putting the welfare of the state workers in the front burner, are eloquent testimonies to his outstanding performance.
He added Gov. Ugwuanyi has given a credible account of his stewardship and called on the people of Enugu State to vote massively for him in the forthcoming governorship election in March this year, for the state to continue to thrive on the path of peace and good governance.
Earlier, the Director-General of the LG campaign organization, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, while inaugurating the Council on behalf of the governor, explained that the functions of the Campaign Council was to advise on campaign direction and strategies; propagate and market the achievements and other selling points of the governor; mobilize all the Party faithful and voters in every ward and polling booth to work for his victory, among others.
According to him, “we require to take the Enugu State PDP agenda of transformation to a successful conclusion for the benefits of the present and future generations”.
The Director-General,who is also the DG of the South East Governors Forum, disclosed that “the structures are well set out as a winning machine for other candidates of the PDP”.
In his speech, the Chairman of Igbo-Etiti LGA, Hon. Malachy Agbo, thanked the people of the council area for the unprecedented love they have for Gov. Ugwuanyi.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Eucharia Offor, described Gov. Ugwuanyi as a God-fearing leader who believes in “the character of balance in the management of the state’s lean resources”.
A member representing Igbo-Etiti East in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Ezenta Ezeani also described the governor as a pacesetter, pointing out that “he is a leader we can trust”.
Other dignitaries at the occasion also paid glowing tributes to the landmark achievements of the governor in the last three and half years.
In his vote of thanks, the Director of Administration of the campaign organization, Hon. Dr. Malachy Ugwu, appreciated “the critical mass of Igbo-Etiti leaders who turned out in their numbers to say to Gov. Ugwuanyi well done, we are solidly behind you”.
Also in attendance were the Honorable Member representing Igbo-Etiti and Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency, Princess Stella Ngwu; the LGA Chairman of Party, Barr. Mrs Nkechi Ugwuoju; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Rtd General Fred Eze; the Chairman of Enugu State Urban Renewal Committee, Chief (Arc.) Chris Offor, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of transport, Hon. Ogbons Idike, among others. #amokelouis
No fewer than 2,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Accord Party (AP) and Action Democratic Party (ADP), have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State.
The defectors, who dumped their former parties on Monday at the flag off of campaign ceremony of the governorship candidate of APC in the state, Dapo Abiodun, held at Atan, headquarters of Ijebu North East local government area of the state, also declared their total support to Abiodun.
Addressing party faithful at the campaign, Abiodun, said his administration would be committed to keeping all his electoral promises, if he emerges the next governor of the state.
He stressed that his administration is desirous of implementing all programmes as contained in his policy documents and promised to return power to chairmen of all local governments in the state.
This, according to him, is to ensure that the council chairmen no longer need to go to Abeokuta to beg for funds from the governor before they can run the councils.
“By returning power to local government chairmen to operate unfettered, council bosses will no longer have to go to Abeokuta to beg for funds to run their administration.
“They will be like mayors, like what we have in the advanced countries. By so doing, they will have time to deliver good programmes for the people of their immediate communities.
“Also, there will be prompt payment of salaries of teachers and civil servants in the state, without delay”. Ogun APC gubernatorial candidate stated.
He, however, sought for massive votes from the residents of the local government in order to enable him emerge victorious at the governorship poll.
“Don’t be confused, but ensure you cast your votes for me as your next governor of Ogun State.
“You should know where you are coming from and know where you are going”, said Abiodun.
The former commissioner of Youth and Sport in Ogun state, Afolabi Afuape has dared the governor of the state,Ibikunle Amosun to raise the hand of the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM Abdulkabir Akinlade anywhere in the state.
Afuape made this statement at the flagg off of the All Progressives Congress gubernatorial Candidate, Dapo Abiodun in Atan area of Ijebu north-east.
The former commissioner who spoke in anger stressed that there is nothing like APM in the state, hence, referred to the party as a propaganda and a means of distraction.
He said, “ there is nothing like APM in Ogun state, the only serious party that I know of its seriousness is APC. For instance , the governor is in APC and our gubernatorial candidate is Prince Dapo Abiodun and we as well have candidates for every other elective positions both at the state and national level.
“We thank God for where we are today and victory is assured, if you look at the level of our acceptance you will know that come march 2nd Prince Dapo will be declared governor Insha Allah.
When asked if he is bothered over the support of the Governor Ibikunle Amosun for the APM candidate in the state, Afuape responded saying he is never bothered reiterating that the governor would have defected to the party outrightly, If APM truly exists in the state.
“Honestly there is nothing like APM, if the governor knows that there is APM in Ogun state and it is strong enough to contest and win election, why didn’t he go to the party? I am waiting to see the governor raise up the hand of the APM governorship candidate anywhere in the state. “
While speaking at the campaign, the APC governorship candidate promised to complete all ongoing projects and as well ensure the ease of doing business adding that his government will be a promise keeper if elected.
“By the grace of God, Our government will be a promise keeping government that will ensure equitable distribution of projects and we would ensure that we will complete all ongoing projects.
” We will also ensure the construction of rural roads so that transportation of goods will be done with ease by farmers because Agriculture will be one of our focus.” He added.
Igwe Charles Nwoye is not the tradition ruler of Amurri Kingdom as erroneously stated above. He is the Igwe of Enuagu Autonomous Community.
Amurri has 4 Autonomous communities which Enuagu Autonomous community is one of them. Igwe Charles Nwoye is the elder brother to Ben Nwoye, the Enugu state APC chairman.
Therefore, it was not surprised that he conferred a chieftaincy title to the candidate of APC in Enugu state, Senator Ayogu Eze. But the chieftaincy title and statements made therein were done without consultation with ndi Amurri.
I believe that Igwe Charles Nwoye acted on family pulse and as a supporter of his younger brother who heads APC in Enugu state, it was a family arrangement and has no imprint of the great Amurri Kingdom.
Ndi Amurri will always remain grateful to gov Ugwuanyi who has done so much to the community.
It is on record that since the existence of Amurri, no government has remembered the community like the present administration.
During the wind storm that destroyed many homes and houses in Amurri, the governor came to the rescue. The State Emergency Management Agency was on hand to provide relief materials to all the affected persons and families.
The present administration has also renovated abandoned public schools in Amurri. Before the governor's intervention, many public schools in the community were an eyesore. Pupils sat under trees to learn.
Presently, the two major roads in Amurri; Agbani/Amurri road and Obe/Amurri road are under construction. About 3km of Agbani/Amurri road have been asphalted.
These roads are being constructed for the first time in the history of the community. Ndi Amurri will vote for gov Ugwuanyi on March 2nd.
The family chieftaincy title conferred on APC governorship candidate will not in any way affect the block vote which ndi Amurri will give to gov Ugwuanyi.
Ben Nwoye has no political structure in Amurri and cant even win his ward.
The only Thank You gift ndi Amurri will give to gov Ugwuanyi is ensuring that he did not only win 100% of votes from the community but that he is returned to complete his tenure and return power to Nkanuland come 2023.
When Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar took the courageous decision to return Nigeria to civil rule in 1999, Nigerians rolled out drums in excitement to celebrate the restoration of their liberty after the tortious experience felt under the men in uniform. Nigerians were elated that the unbearable conditions they endured in the over 16 years of military rule is over them and as expected, they will have unrestrained input in how they are being governed.
But that horrible past was hauled back into the mind of Nigerians when the Nigerian Army announced a nationwide operation codenamed ‘Operation Python Dance 3’. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai said the exercise will run from January 1 to February 28, explaining the military operation to be a fulfilment of the Army’s mandate to conduct internal security operations in the country to combat criminality and other social challenges.
This was a new year present that no Nigerian would have ever wished. It became more discomforting when Buratai, who was represented by the Army’s Chief of Training and Operations, Major-General Lamidi Adeosun, noted that the exercise aims to ensure that law and order is maintained as the nation approaches the 2019 general elections.
He said, “As the build-up to the 2019 general elections gathers momentum, an upsurge of security challenges such as stockpiling of arms by criminal groups, formation of ethnic militias and violence induced by political activities has been observed.
“These challenges coupled with other security threats across the country such as terrorism, militancy, kidnapping and banditry portend that dissident groups and criminal elements could cash in on the situation to perpetrate large scale violence before, during and after the 2019 general elections.”
Many believed the military exercise is needless and may be a strategic move to benefit incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari, who is facing stiff challenge from former vice president Atiku Abubakar. This was reinforced by the presence of military chiefs at the formal declaration of Buhari for re-election. Though, the military hierarchy claimed their appearance was just a coincidence, it yet to clear concerns on probable incursion of military in a democratic process.
Probably, this informed the alarm raised by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of deliberate involvement of the military in the 2019 general elections to influence the ballots in favour of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The main opposition is like many other Nigerians who are worried on whose interest the unexpected intervention of the army is meant to serve. It is more worrisome that the army exercise will be prolonged into the presidential election and that military tanks and hardware will be visible in streets across Nigeria, fuelling anxieties in the camp of oppositions of a deliberate ploy to intimidate and scare away voters.
The military, including the army have a duty to assist civilian authority in the maintenance of stability through protection of territorial integrity but the unusual happens when its actions cast doubts on its impartiality in a democratic process. Maybe that it’s why Nigerians have received the ‘Operation Python Dance’ with scepticism and are not comfortable with the sight of army personnel on their road in the weeks to a decisive general poll.
If Python should dance, it should be in hotbed of insurgency in the Northeast, especially, Borno state, and some Northwest states like Zamfara, Kaduna and most recently, Katsina, where criminal elements are perpetrating series of heinous crimes. Python dance would have made enough sense in rescuing Leah Shuaibu, the lone girl from a school raided by Boko Haram but was not released by the dreaded sect because she refused to denounce her faith. It is unjustifiable why the exercise should be extended to states with no serious security issues or taking over issues that could easily be tackled by the Police.
Unless there is a sinister motive behind the exercise, it is needless to throw citizens into needless apprehensions with the sight of army lurking around when in fact, we are in a democracy and not a military rule. There are voices rejecting the step of the army to throw its men unto the streets in an election year. Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-political group, was so critical of the exercise, vowing to resist the operation from having effect in the region.
In his reaction to the army operation, a Second Republic lawmaker, Junaid Mohammed, believed the ‘Operation Python Dance 3’ was a scheme to return Buhari back to power with less struggle. He said “The Nigerian Army has never carried out such an exercise since the attainment of independence in 1960. They have never held such a martial operation before an election,” he said while warning that “the army did not create Nigeria. They should be careful and Nigerians should be watchful of them.”
For those discerning enough to hear the unspoken, or decode the signs of the times, it is obvious that the army seem to have derailed from its core duty and have fallen for the tricks of politicians. Otherwise, it would not have stirred unnecessary tension which the ‘Operation Python Dance 3’ has caused. Since it announced the exercise and possibly, effecting it on January 1, 2019, the political atmosphere has become tenser and the integrity of the 2019 general elections facing severe questions.
The last time ‘Python Danced’ in the Southeast, it leaves a trail of grief and anguish. Both the young and the old still bear the unpleasant experience and unleashing such on the entire nation in an election year, is nothing but bullying the people from exercising their franchise. It is a clear attempt to instil fear in citizens and make them stay away from the election process in order to achieve a predetermined end.
But it is not too late to take the right step and maintain its neutrality in a democratic process. The depressing security situation in the country should be enough concern to them and not allow itself to be drawn into the murky water of politics. Taming the monstrous Boko Haram or ISWAP that has ravaged the Northeast and destroyed livelihoods and loss of lives and overcoming the increasing onslaught of bandits and gun-wielding herdsmen should occupy their priority and not pig-fight politics of coming elections.
The Nigerian Army should realise that as much as Nigerians cherished their contributions to the safety of our society, it would not accept any overbearing influence in shaping their choice of leadership. Nigerians, like other civilized citizens are firm in their choice for democracy in determining who oversees their affairs, so distorting that commitment with unnecessary and shabby interventions is a brutal reminder of the dark days of dictatorship.
So, Python should not intimidate or harass electorate into surrendering their rights to choosing their desired leadership or pressuring oppositions to relinquish their rights to contest. We all know that whenever Python dances, it brings nothing but pain and anguish.
Oke Umurhohwo is a Political Analyst and Strategist as well as a member of the PDP. He tweets from @stalyf
WHAT AMINU SHAGARI, A LAWYER AND SON OF PRESIDENT SHEU SHAGARI SAID ABOUT PRESIDENT BUHARI
*How did your father feel that the military administration, headed by the current President, Muhammadu Buhari, truncated his rule?*
He felt very disappointed because the military should ordinarily protect the civilian administration but it turned against the people and overthrew his government. He felt more disappointed because those involved in that coup were the closest to him. His administration promoted most of them to the positions they occupy today. That is the painful part. But at the end of it all, he forgave them all.
*What lessons did you learn from the irony that the beneficiary of that coup that ousted your father’s administration praised him when he paid a condolence visit to his family?*
First, let me say that though our father forgave his offenders, one thing as human beings is that, no matter what, one cannot forget. Till he died, our father did not get the kind of attention expected from the person who overthrew his administration. After all investigations, he didn’t find him culpable.
In our own little way, we supported the incumbent President and from the time he became president, I would not say there is any communication between us. I think we should have got more from the person who was close to our father but overthrew his government.
When he came, we expected to hear something from him like some words of comfort. But we didn’t hear such because he didn’t say anything. We gave him the condolence register. He only signed and put the date. Personally, I was very disappointed with that. I expected that at least, as Muslim, he would write, “May Allah forgive him and may Allah forgive us when our time comes.” That makes me extremely disappointed in him.
Growing up in Kwara State, I had always heard the name ‘Saraki’ echoed around the state. In the marketplace; at the mosques; on the street corners; and even at the dinner table, the name ‘Saraki' was and still remains a topic of conversation in every home, and to every family.
For my family and I, Saraki’s name resonated in our household because my second cousin from Asa had benefitted from an Olusola Saraki sponsored-scholarship in the mid-80s. Family members who were petty traders had amped up their business enterprises from SME intervention projects provided by Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, during his time as Governor. A childhood friend of mine, Abdul from Baruten, had been one of the first pilots to graduate from Ilorin’s Aviation school, which was one of the keystone projects of Dr. Saraki, when he was Governor.
As turbulent as the political atmosphere may seem today in Kwara State, if you ask around, even today, the name Saraki is synonymous with politics and governance in Kwara State, because there is virtually no family who has not benefitted from the positive impact of Dr. Saraki and his family.
These days, in living rooms across our State, there is still a vibrant debate being propagated because of the advent of the 2019 political season. The question of which direction Kwara should turn to in the forthcoming elections is on everyone’s lips. Should we, as a people, turn to the promises of Lagos-sponsored politicians who are promising ‘heaven and earth’ — as most politicians do in the political season? Or, should we stay the course, build on the foundations of our past, and trust in the leadership of a politician and his followers whose singular promise over the years has been to always put Kwara first?
As a young man who is versed in the day-to-day intrigues of Kwara State politics, I made the decision to immerse myself in the politics of the State, back in 2011, when Saraki was running for Senator representing Kwara Central constituency, following an 8-year stint as Governor. At this time, the question of which direction to go or which party to follow in the general election was a no-brainer, given the performance of Saraki as the governor of the state.
To paint a careful picture of how things stood when Saraki left office in 2011, I’ll use the example of my step-brother, Hassan, who was 12-years old, but still in primary 4 in 2006 — three years into Saraki’s governorship. Hassan, right from an early age, was clearly a bright child. He was funny, witty, and clearly clever, however, he was not what we used to call ‘book smart.’ Hassan had repeated primary 4 twice, because he had failed his exams. To those of us who knew him, we knew it was not for the lack of trying.
However, by the mid-2000s, there was an announcement by the state government through the Ministry of Education, that there would be a new policy in place to train more teachers in order to reduce class sizes across the state. I remember that back then, Hassan’s primary 4 classroom had over 80 students in it. Young children from different backgrounds and social classes. Anyone who has ever dealt with one preadolescent knows the amount of energy that it takes to get them to focus on anything. Now, imagine being a teacher, having to teach eighty children aged nine to 11-years for six-hours a day, five days a week.
By mid-2007, Hassan, who had repeated primary 4 twice, graduated in the middle of his class, due to the new Kwara State government policy to cut down class sizes in primary schools across the state. By 2008, when Hassan finished primary 5, he was 7th out of about 40 children in his class. When he finished primary school, Hassan graduated as the best student in English and Social Studies — while coming eighth in Mathematics in his entire set of over 200 children.
I’ll give you another story. Between 2001 and 2009, my uncle’s third wife, had miscarried more than three times. Each time she tried to have children, the pregnancy would be prematurely terminated. Our people being who they are, began to ascribe spiritual connotations to these matters. Even I, a pragmatist, turned to prayer, because frankly, there was nothing I could do to help the situation.
However, in 2010, when Dr. Saraki signed the Safe Motherhood Bill, healthcare practitioners began to sit up. This Bill, which was designed by Saraki’s administration to cut down on infant and maternal mortality, set up higher standards for pre and post-natal child-bearing. In 2012, my niece, who is now 7-years old was born to a mother that had lost four children due to safer healthcare methods promoted by the enforcement of strategically drafted legislation that was started by Saraki.
As a consequence of this, to me, both politics and governance will never be about who can make the most noise, or spew the most propaganda. It is not even about likability, it is about responsibility and impact. Responsibility while in public office and impact in my life. Responsibility for the people that you serve and impact in the lives of your state’s men and women, their children, and their families.
Looking around today, I see many fair-weather politicians across Kwara who have not sunk one borehole in their immediate communities, complaining about Saraki and his political associates who have struggled to build roads; construct bridges; and provide jobs despite the limited resources that are available in our state. I see many people who have never launched a five hundred Naira-worth empowerment project, promising to take Kwara to the ‘Next Level.’
To me, public service is about facts as it is about presence. When there were floods in the Oloje, Oko-Olowo, Eruda Alapata, Oja-Iya and Alagbado/Ayegbami areas in Ilorin, Kwara State, I saw Dr. Saraki donate N10million of his own money to the 600 victims that were affected, while his constituency office mobilised temporary shelter for the families. Just this October, traders from the Market Men and Women’s Association in Kwara; Kwara State Taxi Drivers Association; and Association of Motor Spare Parts Dealers in Kwara State came to Dr. Saraki, asking for funds to build their state secretariats for better administration of their associations, I saw Saraki donate N15million to these organisations.
Similarly, earlier this year, when a Corps member died at the Yikpata NYSC Camp in Kwara State, Saraki personally visited the camp to commiserate with the corps members, and donated N5.7million to the State Coordinator, Mrs. Toshin Ikupolati for the renovation of the camp. Where were other opposition politicians when Saraki did these things?
Recently, I have seen my state, being commended by the prestigious African Report for being seventh in internally generated revenue per capita amongst Nigeria’s 36 states; 10th in the Ease of Doing Business; 10th in Nigeria’s internal poverty index; and second, after Lagos State, in ‘The State of the States’ released by Africa Report in its July/August, 2018 issue. Even BudgIT — the financial NGO — who often does not have anything good to say about Saraki, earlier this year, ranked the Kwara State government high in the timely payment of salaries and pensions — despite a few setbacks experienced at the local government level.
Again, to me, these are the success stories that matter. These are the personal impact accounts that families across our state will remember when the time comes to vote in February 2019. For my family and I, despite never knowing Dr. Saraki personally, we have seen our communities being made better by himself and his followers.
We have seen our brother’s education improve; we have seen our aunt give birth; we have seen our cousin’s education being funded; and our extended uncles and aunt’s starting and sustaining their businesses through projects initiated by Saraki’s political organisation. Now, with this, I acknowledge that everyone’s story is different, however, as I end this personal account, I challenge anyone else in Kwara to name a politician who is alive today, who has positively impacted more lives than Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
Just a few weeks to the 2019 presidential elections, the candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku his been reported missing as he has not made any public appearance in quite a while.
The APC UK has alleged that he is coming back with a concession speech while other twitter users have said he is probably in Dubai. Someone did raise issues about his health though and said he might have been ill and it is being hidden from the media. Remember that President Buhari's health was a huge talking point in the 2015 elections.
This has led to the trending of an hashtag #WhereIsBuhari on Twitter
The Malabu scandal is one of the largest scandals in Nigeria's history, it's sad that we haven't updated the laws that allowed this to happen more than two decades later but what Happened exactly #OpenOilLicense
On April 29, 1998, Malabu Oil and Gas Limited was awarded one of the most valuable oil blocks in Africa, OPL 245 just 9 days after the company was registered with the CAC and without the formal submission of a prospecting license application form.
The Owners of the Company were- Mohammed Sani (An alias for Mohammed Abacha, the son of the Head of state, Sani Abacha) ; Kweku Amafegba (alias for Dan Etete, the then Minister of Petroleum Resources responsible for the award of license); & Wabi Hassan (Wife of Hasan Adamu)
Hasan Adamu is a close friend of General Sani Abacha and one time Nigeria's ambassador to the US.
Just 9 days after the company was registered, Malabu Oil and Gas Limited was awarded two oil blocks: OPL 245 and OPL 214.
Registration papers show that Mohammed Sani (Abacha)! Owned 50%, Dan Etete -30% and Wabi Hasan 20%.
Two months after Etete and Abacha awarded the licenses to themselves, Sani Abacha died. Immediately after his death, Etete moved to remove Mohamed Sani as the majority shareholder of Malabu.
By July 29, 1998: Etete's take over bid was successful - at least according to the CAC. New structure - Etete -50%, Adamu -30%, Abacha -20%
According to the CAC and Etete, Mohammed Sani agreed to reduce his shareholding to 20% and also resign as director of the company. The letter was signed by Rasky Gbinigie, a lawyer appointed as company secretary by Etete.
Mohammed Abacha has said in various court filings and petitions that this meeting never held, the EFCC holds the same position till date.
The sale of OPL 245 was revoked by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 1999 and the license was awarded to Shell Nigeria Petroleum Development Company limited, which was already a technical adviser to Malabu Oil and gas limited on the same license.
The award of the license to Shell did not follow the proper process, there was no public bid preceding the award.
Malabu sight redress from NASS, the House of Representatives concluded that the allocation to Shell was done in bad faith.
The House of Representatives passed a resolution that OPL245 should be returned to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited.
Shell Kicked and went to court.
By 2001, Dan Etete had secured the commitment of the Obasanjo administration that OPL 245 was not part of the licenses revoked by the Government, by April 2001, Malabu secured it's license for OPL 245.
However, being a fake company, Malabu lacked the technical or financial capability to operate the oil field. They decided to engage Shell (that came back to stab them in the back) as technical partners.
Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited (SNUD) a subsidiary of Shell, And Malabu sighed an agreement where the former received 40% participating interest in the venture in a farm -in agreement. The agreement is in prejudice to Condition 4B of the original allocation letter issued to Malabu that barred the participation of any international oil companies that are already operating in Nigeria.
In 2011, PECOS, a new player became involved in the ownership of Malabu. PECOS was officially owned by Oyewole Fasawe but was believed to be a front for other players. In February, Malabu board agreed for PECOS to pay $5m for the shared held by Wadi Adamu.
To back it up a bit, Wadi Adamu as a front for Hassan Adamu(the current Waikiki Adamawa) was instrumental in the formation of Malabu. In fact, he chose the company name, Malabu in reference to a village in Fufore LGA Adamawa, his state.
So, Wadi/Hasan sold the shares to PECOS (Fasawe). At the time of the transaction, Muhammed Abacha was in prison for corruption, he couldn't mount any challenge.
By July 2001, Dan Etete had fallen out with OBJ, So OBJ proceeded to revoke the award of OPL 245 to Malabu and have it to Malabu's technical partner. Shell.
By 2004, Shell signed a Production sharing Contract (PSC) for OPL 245 with NNPC. It was agreed that she'll would pay $210m as signature bonus. However they paid only $1m to FG and deposited the remaining $209m in an Escrow account with JP Morgan.
Shell Claimed that this measure was done pending the resolution of Malabu's lawsuit. Malabu lost the case in High Court and proceeded to the Court of Appeal.
Interesting enough, Malabu never paid the full signature bonus for the OPL that they underpriced ti themselves. Malabu paid only $2m out of the $20m it was supposed to pay, later gave the Government a Cheque of $18m that never cleared(and will never clear). I digress On November 30, 2006, FG and Malabu reached an out of court settlement where OPL 245 was returned to the former after it was retrieved from Shell. She'll Protested the retrieval and filed a case at the international center for the settlement of disputes in DC.
In November 2007 a year after the block was re awarded to Malabu(now under full control of Etete) Etete was convicted on a money laundering charge in France, the conviction was upheld by the French Appeal court in 2009.
By 2010 Umaru Yaradua died and Goodluck Jonathan became President. Shortly after his assumption, he received technical advice from Mohamed Adoke, his Attorney General and Minister of Justice to return OPL 245 to Malabu.
Malabu, as a shell company that was set up just to get this license still lacked the technical and financial capabilities to operate OPL 245. Etete decided to open negotiations with two international oil companies, Shell and Eni, for offers to sell the license.
On April 29, 2011, about two weeks after 2011 elections, Malabu executed three agreements. The first agreement was Block 245, Malabu Resolution agreement " between the FG and Malabu. FG agreed to pay Malabu $1bn as full and final settlements of its claims, interests of rights relating to OPL 245.
The second agreement, titled block 245 resolution agreement involved Agio and Shell's real to pay the exact same amount "for the proposes of FGN settling all and any existing claims and/or issues over block 245.
The third agreement was between Shell and the FG, Shell agreed to withdraw all legal suits against FG including the case in the international court. Everyone's happy As part of the agreements, the $209m in the JP Morgan account (remember it?) would also be paid to FG.
These agreements were supposed to settle all the legal issues once and for all, or at least they thought so. It was supposed to clear the way for a clean transfer of the asset from Malabu to the oil companies
While they were all popping and celebrating the end of the problems, they forgot to invite one man into the room, Enter - Mohammed Sani (Abacha)
Mohammed Abacha wrote to Shell, Eni and Mr Adoke instructing then not to deal with Dan Etete as he was not a majority shareholder of Malabu and had no such authorization. Everybody ignored him
August 16, 2011 Adoke and Yerima (Minister of state for finance) authorized the transfer of $1.1bn from the FG account with JP Morgan to Malabu accounts controlled by Etete. First Bank -$401.5m. Bank PHB (Now Keystone) -$400m. Remaining probably in transmission.
Etete then transfered $523m into Abubakar Aliyu's account. Etete eventually told a British court he only got $250m and the rest was for other people. $290m was from in an account in the UK on the request of Emeka Obi and Ednan Agaev.
The $290m was made up of an initial $215m frozen as a result of Obi's EVP case and $75n for Ednan Egaev's ILC case in London. Obi won his case against Malabu so he transferred $110.5m to his Swiss account where it was also frozen.
Forward to 2015, Mohammed Abacha found favorable climate to come and fight in the open, for the first time he went to open court, for one reason or the other EFCC agreed with him that he owns 50% of the company and prosecuted the other recipients.
On December 20, 2016, EFCC filed fraud charges against Abubakar Aliyu, (Co owner of several companies that were recipient of the bank transfer from Etete) Mohammed Adoke (former Attorney General) and Dan Etete for their roles in the scandal.
According To Adoke, Mohammad Abacha was using EFCC
Meanwhile Adoke claimed in the same interview that he didn't know Mohammed was involved, else he wouldn't have advised to return the block to Malabu. Because of Decree 53.
On December 28, 2016, after a final report by Italian prosecutors X the Italian authorities indicated their intention to file criminal charges against Shell and Eni and their officials, Dan Etete and Emeka Obi for their roles in the scandal.
January 26, 2017, EFCC secured an interim order against Shell and Eni that OPL 245 be returned to FG. The judgement was made by Justice Tsosho pending when investigationnans prosecution of suspects was completed.
March 2017, Justice Tsosho reversed his own judgment and canceled the forfeiture order on OPL 245. Despite the scandal and controversy, Kachikwu announced that Shell and Eni would continue to operate OPL 245 after Shell's admission to paying Etete.
Now, how did we allow this wanton abuse of office that made the serving Head of state collude with his Minister of Petroleum resources to award one of Africa's richest oilfields to themselves? It is because of the archaic guiding legislation for the award of oil licenses. The Petroleum act (1969) confers full discretionary powers in the Minister of Petroleum resources for the allocation of licenses and the transfer of rights to develop particular fields. This is why all Presidents want to be Minister of Petroleum.
Fact that we haven't updated this archaic law shows that we are not ready, as we haven't done anything to avoid this abuse of power the next time. The PIGB that @Mbuhari has failed to sign solves this problem, in part.
The factors that enabled Malabu scandal are still prevalent today, the vesting of discretionary powers on the President and Minister of Pet feeds the perception that allocation of oil fields is not necessarily based on merit but as a reward for political patronage.
Kachikwu had announced that we were going to have a bid round in 2018, the President has ignored it, meanwhile he recently renewed licenses for Seplat without any public bid.
The 8th Senate broke a 17-year jinx by passing the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) into law. In this bill, a new body, the NPRC will be in charge of licensing and check the President's powers. #OpenOilLicense
The President argued that the PIGB would whittle down his powers (which is the entire point) we need to remove the discretionary powers to award oil blocks from the Minister of Petroleum resources. We need a more transparent system.
For 2019, it's important to get the major candidates to commit to signing this bill. So we can avoid another Malabu.
New Year: Mrs. Ugwuanyi presents gifts to Enugu first baby, others
The wife of the Enugu State Governor, Mrs. Monica Ugochi Ugwuanyi, in keeping with her tradition, on Tuesday visited the first baby of the year in the state, Baby Chinecherem Akasike, at the Parklane Hospital, Enugu, to identify with her and the parents.
Mrs. Ugwuanyi who also visited other New Year's babies at the Parklane and some other hospitals in Enugu, such as the Good Shepherd Specialist Hospital, Uwani; Ntasi Obi Hospital, Trans Ekulu and Annunciation Catholic Hospital, Emene, in the spirit of the season, presented gifts to them.
Speaking at the Parklane Hospital, Mrs. Ugwuanyi rejoiced with the Akasike family for the gift of the baby and thanked God Almighty for safe delivery of the child as the first baby of the year in the state, stressing that “children are God’s gift”.
While presenting the gift items, the governor’s wife, who was accompanied by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Fintan Ekochin, the Chief Medical Director of Parklane Hospital, Prof. Hycinth E. Onah and the wife of the State Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Bilkisu Danmallam, among others, urged the parents to take adequate care of the baby, assuring them of the state government’s commitment to qualitative and affordable healthcare delivery.
In his remark, the health commissioner, Dr. Ekochin, thanked Mrs. Ugwuanyi for the gesture and described the visit as a ritual that was entrenched by Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi since he assumed office in 2015.
He maintained that the governor’s wife’s visit to various hospitals to identify with babies born on the New Year day and their parents was “a very good development”, stressing the need for people to avail themselves of government’s facilities for adequate healthcare services.
Responding, Mr. Akasike, who hails from Udi Local Government Area, expressed gratitude to God for the safe delivery and thanked Gov. Ugwuanyi and his wife for their kindness and magnanimity towards his family and other beneficiaries, praying God to continue to reward them with more blessings.
Enugu State is truly in the hands of God! #amokelouis
The Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP, Mr. Peter Obi has described the death of the former President of Nigeria, Alhaji Shehu Shagari as a national loss with so many lessons and challenges for Nigeria. Obi was speaking yesterday when he accompanied the former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to Sokoto yesterday to commiserate with the family of Shehu Shagari; the Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar.
While answering questions from journalists, Obi said that a careful perusal of the Presidency of Shagari revealed a lot of hidden lessons. In Obi’s words: “besides the lesson in patriotism and hard work, Shagari showed us that humility, care and love should be an essential part of leadership, which is the hallmark of Atiku’s philosophy of leadership.”
Obi who described Shagari as “an urbane, compassionate, tolerant, polished politician and a leader worthy of emulation”, said some of the programmes he embarked on while leading the country, such as his “Green Revolution”, were conceived in good faith.
On the challenges posed by Shagari’s death, Obi said that the generation of Shagari is gradually passing out in obedience to the law of birth and death and that such development was a challenge to the youth to brace up for leadership positions. Insisting that Atiku Presidency understood the development very well, Obi said that the imperatives of generational shift informed Atiku’s decision that his Cabinet would be made up of over 40% women and youth if elected into office.
Recalling the excellent working relationship with his then Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme. Obi said that 2019 would make it 40 years since a person from the South-East partook in the Presidency, which was largely because of Shehu Shagari and that the people remained eternally grateful to him.
Politics / Re: Buhari, You Are The Change We Don't Need Says Mohammed-abacha by Olaopefola: 11:25am On Jan 14, 2019 
