Contractors handling various projects in Bayelsa State have been told to expedite work to ensure timely completion of their jobs.
Addressing the contractors at a meeting with the contractors in Government House, Governor Seriake Dickson said the call was borne out of his administration’s belief in aggressive development of the state.
The Governor who restated his administration’s determination to consolidate on the achievements recorded in the last one year, explained that the meeting was to enable government have first hand reports of the extent of work done, problems and prospects.
He stated that, he will personally lead a team on inspection visit some ongoing project sites including the ones inherited from the previous administration.
In his words, “I am quite pleased with the pace of work that I have seen, very soon a date will be communicated to you through the various supervisory ministries whereupon and embark upon on the site inspection of all major works including the ones we have inherited.”
The number one citizen of the state, who commended some of the contractors for their impressive performances, however expressed concern over the slow pace of work in some of the jobs and urged such contractors to show more commitment as government was not owing any contractor in the state and they have no excuse not to deliver.
“There are a few projects that are not meeting up with the pace but so far it’s been good but you can all do better. There is no contractor that we have given a job to that we are owing to the best of my knowledge. In this new Bayelsa if we are giving you a job, just know that we will fulfill our obligations.
“I like to enjoin you all to redouble your efforts, happily working together and with the cooperation we have received from the good people of our state and with the efforts of our security agencies you can see that the state has turned a new leaf in terms of security.
I am pleased that from all the construction sites where various forms of construction are going on in every community in this state, either we are building a school or residential quarters for teachers or we are building one health facility or road construction cutting across an area, so every community is touched one way or the other.”
Reminding the contractors of the recent weather forecast by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Hon. Dickson noted that government would not allow any of its projects to suffer any setbacks due to floods like it happened last year.
Expressing his commitment to accelerate the pace of development in the State, Governor Dickson called on the contractors to redouble their pace of work to meet up completion deadlines or where possible surpass the expected milestones, assuring that government will not fail in its contractual obligations.
Sultan’s Demand For Amnesty For Boko Haram Islamic Sect
The Middle Belt Youth Forum has noted with keen interest, the series of unfortunate utterances, campaigns and propaganda by some notable Northern leaders, including traditional and religious leaders who have continued to insist that members of the murderous islamic sect called Boko Haram be granted amnesty by the federal government.
One of such is the recent call by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa,ad III. At the opening ceremony of the annual general meeting of the JNI in Kaduna, the Sultan was widely reported by the media to have urged President Goodluck Jonathan to “immediately grant amnesty to all members of Boko Haram…” as a pre-condition for peace in Nigeria.
We view this call by the Sultan as very unfortunate, outrageous and particularly insensitive to the plight and sensibilities of the numerous families of the victims of Boko haram’s atrocities; where thousands of innocent, defenseless and law-abiding people have been maimed or brutally massacred with utmost barbarism, and their homes, businesses and places of worship destroyed by the Islamic terrorist sect with impunity.
For the avoidance of doubt we wish to categorically state the following:
1. That we are not in anyway surprised by the Sultan’s call for amnesty. Judging from the consistent pressure mounted on President Goodluck Jonathan by some Northern cabal to either frustrate any attempt to label boko haram as a terrorist organization, or to force government to negotiate with them, compensate them or grant them outright amnesty. These agitations has always given us a clue as to who the sponsors of these terror groups are, otherwise how could anyone begin to call for ” immediate amnesty” for a group that has maimed and killed thousands of people, particularly Middle Belters and southerners resident in the North and doing their legitimate businesses for no just cause, with property worth billions of naira destroyed.
If it is true that the sultan actually demanded for immediate amnesty for the Boko Haram Islamic sect as was widely reported in the media, then it is now clear that the chicken has now come home to roost.
2. That the Sultan and other notable Northern leaders have continued to claim that Boko haram insurgency is a result of poverty and injustice is unacceptable excuse. The question here is, who is perpetrating the injustice? And against who? In any case, if at all there is injustice anywhere, then it is Boko haram and their sponsors that are unjustly killing and maiming innocent and defenseless people, destroying their homes, businesses and bombing them in their places of worship.
Again, talking about poverty, who made the North poor if we may ask? Is it president Goodluck Jonathan, southerners or Christians? Truth is, none of these! Sadly to note however, that the poverty in the North is caused by the Northerners themselves! If Northern leaders where truly passionate and committed to the cause and development of the North, poverty in the region would have been a thing of the past.
On the contrary however, since independence, the North has held more unto Power than the south, yet the region has remained poorer and less developed compared to the South.
Also, the startling revelations by Senator Ita Enang on the floor of the Senate during the debate on the PIB Bill exposed the insensitivity, hypocrisy and irresponsibility of Northern Leaders. Is it not a shame to discover that Northerners have cornered a whooping 83% of the oil wells of this country, yet no programs, scholarships or other efforts that are put in place to improve on the plight of the Northern masses. Except Gen. T.Y. Danjuma who has put in place a foundation for charity and has been involved in the development of education in Nigeria. It is sad to note that instead of applying their ill-gotten wealth to develop the North these selfish, thieving Northern leaders stash their wealth abroad and come back to apportion blames, blackmail government, brainwash and incite the poor masses whom they have left illiterate and in abject poverty to begin to kill and maim perceived enemies.
3. The Sultan must know that the North has been gravely wounded by the activities of these Islamic extremists, people are still counting their dead and treating their wounds. Time is running out and all the conspiracy theories will soon fail. The present North has got irreparable cracks that may be impossible to mend. It will be difficult for the middle belt to trust the core North any again. We call on the Sultan to expend his energy and use his exalted office to champion the cause of peace, justice and equity and fair play for all, irrespective region or religion.
4. We wish to commend Mr. President for rejecting amnesty for the faceless Boko Haram Islamic terror group and urged him to be firm and decisive in bringing an end to the murderous activities of the group.
The President must not give in to pressures or blackmail by some people including the sultan of sokoto and some Northern governors who have always explicitly or implicitly expressed sympathy or outright support for this group that has killed well over 5000 people in the last three years.
Lastly, it is our resolve to continue to sound it loud and clear that Nigeria remains a secular state with diverse cultures, tribes and religions that can only peacefully coexist through mutual respect and upholding the constitution of the land. We will resist any attempt by any group or individuals to do anything to the contrary. Enough of the impunity! Enough of the rascality! Enough of the conspiracy! Enough is enough.
As a part of measures to check youth restiveness, the Bayelsa State Government has mapped out training programmes for its teeming youths, aimed at empowering and putting them in the right stead to be able to compete favourably with their contemporaries from other parts of the country.
To this end, youths in the state have been urged to key into the restoration agenda of the Governor Seriake Dickson-led administration by availing themselves of the various youth empowerment programmes being put in place.
Governor Dickson made the plea during an interactive session with members of the newly established Bayelsa State Youth Development Committee at the Banquet Hall of Government House, in Yenagoa.
According to the Governor, “some of such programmes are being fine- tuned to enhance the capacity of youths and make them contribute their quota to the development of the state.”
The Governor noted that there are several empowerment programmes in the offing for them in the areas of agriculture, training in other fields both within and outside the country as well as develop policies that would cater for about five thousand youths.
Hon. Dickson stated that already, government has awarded scholarships from primary to Post Graduate levels and urged them to prevail other youths across the State to advantage of the programmes to improve themselves and be more useful to society.
He declared that, “we are in a new Bayelsa and we want to work with the young people to take responsibility for their future.
“Those days when youths feel that some other persons should be responsible for their lives, which was a life of slavery occasioned by what has happened in the country, our people have had a mentality of over-dependence on others.
“I want to work with you to teach our boys and girls how to earn a living and be respectable”.
Governor Dickson remarked that he was appreciative of their support especially during his campaign, describing them as the true heroes of the prevailing peace and stability in the state.
The Governor urged his representatives on Youths in charge of the various Local Government areas to work closely with the youths and sensitize others on the various ongoing programmes and policies of government.
He also urged the youths not to allow themselves to be used by self seeking politicians to divert the attention of government from effecting the desired changes in the polity.
Responding, a representative of the youths, Mr. Odimiekumo Ogori thanked Governor Dickson for the empowerment programmes being packaged for the youths.
He also hailed the Governor for the various construction projects in the state, adding that his works would speak for him.
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN (L) WITH THE SHEHU OF BORNO ALHAJI ABUBAKAAR IBN EL KANEMI DURING THE VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT THE SHEHU OF BORNO IN MAIDUGURI ON THURSDAY
A Northern Christian group known as Christian Awareness Initiative of Nigeria has hailed the president, Goodluck Jonathan, for rejecting the call for amnesty for the Islamic Terrorist sect, Boko Haram. They also condemned the Sultan of Sokoto for even thinking of such a call when thousands of the victims if the sect have been left to their fate by the Islamic establishment of the North.
Below is their full statement.
Amnesty for Boko Haram: The President Must be Hailed for Denying Sultans Request!
Our attention at the Christian Awareness Initiative of Nigeria (CHAIN) has been drawn to the highly irresponsible call by His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, to the Federal Government to grant “total amnesty” to Boko Haram and other Islamic terrorists who have killed thousands of Nigerians and destroyed hundreds of churches sometimes with worshippers inside.
We find this call extremely insensitive especially as the Sultan of Sokoto has not deemed it fit to spear head the call for the payment of compensation to innocent Christians who have been killed by the sect nor has he championed the rebuilding of the hundreds of churches that have been destroyed by Muslims in Northern Nigeria.
We also use this opportunity to hail Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for rejecting this call to grant amnesty to Boko Haram. Indeed Mr. President was right when he said “We cannot declare amnesty for Boko Haram because we cannot declare amnesty for ghosts”.
Nigerians have not soon forgotten that when Muhammadu Buhari was identified by Boko Haram as one of those whom the respect and nominated to be their negotiators, he denied them and said he does not know them. So, does the Sultan know them? Dies the Sultan want government to declare amnesty to unknown persons?
We at CHAIN do not believe that Boko Haram are unknown. In fact we believe that the Sultan, Buhari and other prominent Muslims in Nigeria know these people and we say so because Boko Haram suddenly escalated its operations AFTER Alhaji Lawal Kaita, a member of the Northern Elders Political Leaders Forum, promised in October 2010 to make Nigeria “ungovernable” for President Jonathan if he wins the election.
That promise is being fulfilled by Boko Haram, but alas, they have only succeeded in making the North ungovernable and now they realize their follow, they want amnesty for their “dogs and baboons”, but they must expose before that can even be considered.
CHAIN would also want to commend Senator Ita Enang, Chairman Senate Committee on Business and Rules, for exposing the fact that Northerners own 83% of oil wells in the Niger Delta. This revelation should shame the governor of the CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, into resigning. It would be recalled that Sanusi blamed the Boko Haram insurgency on the 13% derivation that goes to the Niger Delta States. But when you calculate the amounts going to these Northerners named by Senator Enang, including Sanusi Lamido’s cousin, Malam Lamido Sanusi (of SAPETRO) it becomes obvious that individuals are making what states in the Nigerian Federation might not even be getting.
We praise the patriotism and courage of Senator Enang and by this revelation no Northerner has any justification to blame the Boko Haram insurgency on paucity of funds because the North is a net beneficiary of monies fro. The South that it could not get on its own!
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Wednesday arrested the Publisher of the National Accord Newspapers, Abuja, Mr Tom Chiahemen, over advertisements his company placed in 2006 and 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Education.
In an online statement sent to FrontiersNews, Mr Chiahemen confirmed that he was indeed arrested.
The statement reads in full:
“Following several telephone calls I received from colleagues, friends and family members, including visits to my office and home, I wish to confirm that I was invited, arrested and detained for over seven (7) hours by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at its headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday. I was also asked to report back at 10 am today (Thursday) and was kept for over three (3) hours before a lawyer-friend arrived to sign my bail forms.
“From 10.00am when I arrive at the Commission’s Headquarters on Wednesday to honour their written invitation, I was not allowed to leave the ICPC until 5:12pm.
“In summary, I would say that I was questioned over the Advertisements placed in several Nigerian Newspapers by the Federal Ministry of Education during the tenure of Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, between August 2006 and May 2007.
“The ICPC had, in a letter dated March 4, 2013 (with reference No. ICPC/CH/FIU.2/126 and addressed to me, said it was investigating “allegations that bothered on the violation of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.” It added that pursuant to Section 28 of the said Act, I was required to appear before the undersigned (Adedayo A. Kayode, Head, Financial Investigation Unit) on Wednesday, 6th March 2013 at the ICPC Headquarters, Abuja by 10.00 hours.”
“I arrived at the ICPC Headquarters a few minutes to 10.00am and spent a few minutes at the reception carrying out all the procedures including surrendering of my telephone handset, before I was shown to the office of Mr. A. A. Kayode.
“I was handed over to one female official of the Unit who took me into a tiny room with a big table surrounded by about four chairs. There was no television or radio set in the room to watch or listen to.
“Without any preamble, she asked me to say all I knew and/or did with the Federal Ministry of Education between 2006 and 2007 while I was a staff of Daily Independent Newspaper.
“I explained to her that a company in which I owned majority shares, Cattigan Communications Limited, was appointed in August 2006 by the Federal Ministry of Education to handle media buying and placements (of advertisements) for the Ministry. In that capacity, I explained to the ICPC official, Cattigan Communications Ltd was expected to handle the placement/payment of all public notices, announcements and other publicity/promotions materials from the Ministry for public/broadcast in the approved national dailies and electronic stations.
“I went further to recall that in the print media, which Cattigan Communications Ltd handled mostly, various advertisements running into almost N30million were placed and paid for by the Federal Ministry of Education.
“I explained to the lady the circumstances that led to the appointment of Cattigan Communications Ltd to handle media buying/placements during the Education Sector Reform Programme of the Ezekwesili/Obasanjo administration. I told her that the Company was nominated and presented to the Ministry by Correspondents of the various national media organisations covering Education Sector, under the umbrella organisation, Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN).
“After listening to my explanations, she said she believed my story because it tallied with the findings by the ICPC investigators. She told me they had been to the Daily Independent, my former place of work and all that. She however asked if I had any documentary evidence to prove that my company was appointed by the Ministry to handle the job and whether there were any receipts to back up payments that were made to Cattigan Communications Ltd. I told her if I searched my house, I could still locate the letter appointing Cattigan Communications Ltd and other receipts/acknowledgement of the payments. I was then given 10 minutes to produce the above documents from my house, which is not far away from ICPC headquarters.
“To my utter surprise, when I presented the original copy of the said letter dated August 24, 2006 and other documents, the ICPC officials changed their posture. First, they excused me from the Interrogation Room for about 10 minutes, during which the lady and 3 others went over my documents and discussed inaudibly among themselves.
“When I was invited back into the Interrogation Room, I was handed an entirely different form which indicated that I was under arrest and that the statement I was going to make from thence would be used against me. I sought to know if I could call in my lawyer to guide and bail me, but they chorused: “no,” that they don’t allow lawyers to bail people. Then I asked them to explain why I was under arrest.
“To my bemusement, the lady said I lied because the letter dated August 24, 2006 appointing Cattigan Communications Limited to handle advert placements for the Ministry was looking newer and neater than the letter sent to me only three days ago (March 4, 2013) by the ICPC. They all argued and insisted that there was no way a letter issued in 2006 could look so new. I only swore and stood by my word that the letter was indeed given to me by the Ministry in 2006 and that I was touching or bringing it out from the file for the first time as there had been no need to touch it before now.
“Their second complaint was that I wrote two different letters to the Minister of Education on the same day (January 23, 2007) claiming two different sums of money (N33, 395,734.20 and N19, 501,327.95).
My explanation was that the second letter was only a follow-up on the first letter to adjust the number of pages that were to be placed in newspapers with the available funds, in cheque form. I told the ICPC officials that the first letter had proposed a total of 125 pages of Adverts to be placed in 12 different national dailies (The Punch, Daily Independent, Daily Champion, Thisday, Daily Sun, The Guardian, The Nation, Leadership, Daily Trust, New Age and New Nigerian) at the cost of N32, 348,195.13 plus VAT of N1, 047,539.07), totaling N33,395,734.20.
The second letter, also dated 23/1/2007 was written in response to the need to reduce the number of pages of Adverts and the number of Newspapers to publish the Adverts within the sum ofN20million that was readily available to the Task Team to use for the payment of Adverts at the time. This second letter was asking the Minister for the release of the sum of N19,501,327.95 (as against the earlier letter that was requesting for N33,395,734.20). This followed the dropping of two newspapers: Daily Independent and Leadership from the list of papers earlier proposed.
“The ICPC officials further questioned the propriety of me working with Daily Independent and at the same time running Cattigan Communications Ltd which, according to them, was performing similar functions as my employer, Daily Independent. I tried unsuccessfully to educate them that Cattigan Communications was only a consulting firm and that I wasn’t running it full-time; nor was the Company competing with Daily Independent.
“The issue of Receipts and Invoices used in the transaction also came up. The ICPC wanted me to show evidence that the N28. 2million that the Federal Ministry of Education paid to Cattigan Communications was paid to the various Newspapers listed and if so, where are the Receipts (not the Invoices attached) from those papers?
“They again wanted me to prove that the Newspapers said to have been paid the various sums of money actually published the Adverts for the Ministry and if so, where are the copies of the papers as evidence?
“I told the ICPC officials that I had collected both the tearsheets (pages of Newspapers showing the Adverts) and Receipts from the various Newspapers and handed them over to the Ministry’s Task Team led, then by Dr. Okey Ikechukwu.
“One of the ICPC officials did ask me how much of the money went to Dr. Okey Ikechukwu and I said as far as the Adverts placed in the print media were concerned, each of the Correspondents was required to forfeit one per cent (1%) of their commission to Cattigan Communications to settle the bank’s COT, while each Correspondent who was a member of ECAN, contributed 5% of their commission to the Treasurer of the Association.
“The ICPC officials were of the view that Cattigan Communications could be one of the Companies used as a conduit pipe for siphoning government funds and they told me pointedly that it was possible the whole Advert jamboree during the tenure of Dr. Ezekwesili as Education Minister could be a hoax.
“Otherwise, they insisted, I must tell/show the ICPC what each of the Adverts was about (the content), and where the Adverts were published. This is something that took place as far back as between September 2006 and May 2007.
By the time I was released to go home on Wednesday, it was 5.12pm and I was asked to report back on Thursday for continuation of the interrogation.
“When I reported at the ICPC headquarters today, I was handed sets of the documents that had been collected from me on Wednesday and photocopied. I was asked for write “certified true copy, my full names, designation, cattigan Communications Ltd, my signature and date.”
“After the exercise, which took almost 30 minutes to complete, I was told to go to the gate of the ICPC and make phone calls and bring somebody to come and bail me. I went to where I had earlier surrendered my handset, made several phone calls, first to the Chairman of the Abuja council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), friends, colleagues and family members. I went back to the financial investigation unit and waited for about one hour before a friend (names withheld) arrived and was handed my bail forms to complete and sign. He was told to be ready to produce me any time the ICPC needed me.
“As I was signing a section in the form meant for me, I noticed that the offence against me was: violation of the corrupt practices and other related offences Act 2000.”
Obviously, this arrest is as a result of recent allegation made by Dr. Oby Ezekwesili that Jonathan’s administration has siphoned $67 billion Foreign Exchange Reserve left by Late President Musa Yar’Adua and President Olusegun Obasanjo, an allegation that the presidency has described as “deliberate dissemination of falsehood, unsubstantiated and malicious claims.”
Kenya’s presidential race has tightened as Uhuru Kenyatta’s lead narrowed over his main rival, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, raising the prospect of a second-round run-off.
A final result was expected on Friday, but the close race and a troubled vote count are sparking fears of the kind of violence that ripped through the country after its last national election in 2007.
With just over a quarter of constituencies still to report results, Kenyatta, the deputy prime minister, was hovering around the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.
As of 0545 GMT, Kenyatta had won 4.7 million votes compared to his rival Odinga’s 4.1 million, with as many as three-quarters of Kenya’s 14.3 million registered voters estimated to have cast a ballot.
If no candidate achieves 50 percent in the first round, the top two go to a run-off tentatively set for April. But the Kenyatta and Odinga camps have both raised questions about the vote process, so legal battles could push that date back.
Turnout was estimated by election officials at more than 70 percent of the eligible voters, who were undeterred by pockets of violence that killed at least 15 people.
Kenyatta, 51, who is due to go on trial at The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the violent aftermath of the last election, had led since results started trickling in after polls closed on Monday.
Despite the delays and technical glitches, international observers have broadly said the vote and count were transparent.
‘Vote-rigging’
The tallying process – now entering its fourth day – has been marred by allegations from both sides, including charges by Odinga’s party that results had been “doctored”.
The political coalition led by Odinga, currently running in second, called for a stop to a tallying process it said “lacked integrity”.
The statement by Odinga’s running mate Kalonzo Musyoka said the counting process should be restarted using primary documents from polling stations, but the election commission insisted there was no way to doctor the results.
Kenyatta’s party has also raised concerns over the slow-moving vote count, complaining that the inclusion of spoiled ballots in the overall total could potentially tip the balance in favour of a second round.
Issack Hassan, chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, said the count would not stop and said the vote tally was genuine.
The European Union ambassador to Kenya, Lodewijk Briet, said the vote-counting was sound and should be allowed to continue. The poll is seen as a critical test for East Africa’s largest economy, whose reputation as a stable democracy was damaged by the bloodshed that followed the last election in which more than 1,000 people were killed.
Much will rest on whether the final result is accepted, and whether any challenges take place in the courts or on the streets. Though Musyoka, Odinga’s running mate, said his party’s challenge to the vote count was not a call for mass action and urged voters to stay calm and patient.
It is all past history that Lagos State Deputy Governor Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire started out as a regular hairdresser before she was invited into partisan politics by her father, Chief Orelope, a polygamist and a popular grassroots politician in days of yore in Alimosho, the biggest local government area in Lagos State.
And now with so many connections made from the time she was a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly in the Third Republic, Adejoke whose name then, was TAWA would no doubt have plenty to talk about.
At a time she was a Commissioner for Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation under immediate past Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and at another time, she held the same portfolio during incumbent governor’s first term.
She has been doing well for herself for some time. She has choice properties across Lagos and also has abroad. Her children (one of them Yinka) from her first marriage to Toyin Kenbi, an ambulance driver with popular Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi are all doing well in schools.
And like most other politicians Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire made money from underhand deals she pulled off in government. For quite some time, the Lagos deputy governor’s company has been one of the two tailoring firms that are clothing members of Neighborhood Watch, a community security agency, which was established by the Lagos State Government during the time of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Lagos governor.
Sources told orijoreporters that the initial thrill, which Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire’s siblings and her father’s wives had when Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) declared her as Lagos State Deputy Governor in 2011 has since given way to frustration. They had campaign vigorously for her and Gov. Babatunde Fashola in Alimosho to the point that one of them was shot by gunmen believed to be working for the governorship candidate of a rival party. So their expectation was high.
But contrary to their expectations they were disappointed as there were no jobs for the boys from her. Most of them are jobless and some are working as labourers in construction sites.
Just yesterday, her father’s last wife, popularly called Mama Akeem died of hunger at Ilepo Alhaji area in Alimosho where she lived. She had been very sick and was only taken to hospital after her condition spiraled out of control.
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN (R) BEING RECEIVED BY GOV KASHIM SHETIMA DURING THE PRSIDENT’S OFFICIAL VISIT TO BORNO AND YOBE STATES IN MAIDUGUIRI ON THURSDAY
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN (L) BEING WELCOMED BY GOV IBRAHIM GAIDAM OF YOBE STATE DURING THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE STATE IN DAMATURU ON THURSDAY
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN (M) SHEHU OF BORNO ALHAJI ABUBAKAAR IBN EL KANEMI (4TH L) GOV KASHIM SHETTIMA OF BORNO (4TH R) PDP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, ALHAJI BAMANGAR TUKUR (2ND L) AND SOME EMIRS DURING THE VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE PALACE OF SHEHU OF BORNO IN MAIDUGURI ON THURSDAY
FROM LEFT; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN; SHEHU OF BORNO ALHAJI ABUBAKAAR IBN EL KANEMI AND GOV KASHIM SHETTIMA OF BORNO DURING THE VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE PALACE OF SHEHU OF BORNO IN MAIDUGURI ON THURSDAY
FROM LEFT: MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE, ALHAJI BUKAR TIJANI; SHEHU OF BORNO ALHAJI ABUBAKAAR IBN EL KANEMI; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN; GOV KASHIM SHETTIMA OF BORNO AND FORMER GOVERNOR OF BORNO, ALHAJI ALI SHERIF MUSA DURING THE VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE PALACE OF SHEHU OF BORNO IN MAIDUGURI ON THURSDAY
FROM LEFT: SHEHU OF BORNO ALHAJI ABUBAKAAR IBN EL KANEMI; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND GOV KASHIM SHETTIMA OF BORNO DURING THE VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE PALACE OF SHEHU OF BORNO IN MAIDUGURI ON THURSDAY
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN (L) WITH THE SHEHU OF BORNO ALHAJI ABUBAKAAR IBN EL KANEMI DURING THE VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT THE SHEHU OF BORNO IN MAIDUGURI ON THURSDAY
THE GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN LIBRARY COMPLEX INAUGURATED BY PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN AT THE YOBE STATE UNIVERSITY DAMATURU, DURING HIS OFFICIAL VISIT TO YOBE STATE ON THURSDAY
CROSS SECTION OF PARTICIPANTS AT A TOWN HALL MEETING DURING THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO YOBE STATE ON THURSDAY
FROM LEFT: MINISTER OF STATE FOR FINANCE, ALHAJI YERIMA NGAMA; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN; GOV IBRAHIM GAIDAM OF YOBE STATE; DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF YOBE STATE, ALHAJI ABUBARKA ALIYU AND FORMER GOVERNOR OF YOBE STATE, SEN BUKAR ABBA AT A TOWN HALL MEETING DURING THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO YOBE STATE ON THURSDAY
FROM LEFT: GOV IBRAHIM GAIDAM OF YOBE STATE; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND THE MINISTER OF WORKS MR MIKE ONOLEMEMEN CUTTING THE TAPE TO INAUGURATE A ROAD PROJECT DURING THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO YOBE STATE ON THURSDAY
FROM LEFT: VICE-CHANCELLOR YOBE STATE UNIVERSITY, PROF MUSA ALABE; GOV IBRAHIM GAIDAM OF YOBE STATE; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, PROF RUQAYYATU RUFA’I CUTTING THE TAPE TO INAUGURATE THE YOBE STATE UNIVERSITY IN DAMATURU ON THURDSDAY
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN RECEIVING PHOTO ALBUM FROM GOV IBRAHIM GAIDAM OF YOBE STATE DURING THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO YOBE STATE ON THURSDAY
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN (2ND L) WITH GOV IBRAHIM GAIDAM OF YOBE STATE (L) AND SOME EMIRS URING THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO YOBE STATE ON THURSDAY
The students’ Union Government of Abia state University, Uturu says there is no iota of truth in the recent sun newspapers report alleging that soldiers and policemen attacked and beat up students of the institution for protesting against the withdrawal of the degree certificate of the former governor of Abia state, Dr. Orji Uzor kalu.
Speaking when the students union Government of Abia state University, Uturu paid a solidarity visit to the governor at Government house, Umuahia, the SUG president, comrade Eke Obinna NathClinton said that no student of Abia state university was beaten up or attacked by soldiers or the police as purpoted by the report.
He said that Abia state University senate is a duly constituted body that has the right to revoke any students’ certificate found to have been earned through fraudulent means and commended the vice chancellor and the senate for protecting the sanctity of their certificates.
They called for an unreserved apology from the sun newspaper over the report as well as to withdraw the false report which portrayed them as lawless and rascals.
Receiving the students, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe frowned at the situation where a national daily will target its report at maligning the students and the government and warned that government will not fold its arm and watch such act continue.
He called on the sponsors of such malicious write ups to desist or face the wrath of the law.
According to him, the government has provided the enabling environment for learning at ABSU and pledged that the government will work towards protecting the lives and property of the citizenry of the state at all times
The attention of the All Progressive Grand Alliance(APGA) Imo state has been
drawn to the recent plot by the Presidency and Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to
distort the activities of the Imo State House of Assembly, promote disaffection
in the ranks of the state government and if possible execute the long conceived
agenda of impeaching the Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Benjamin
Uwajimogu and Gov. Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
This ill-conceived move is not unconnected to the ongoing investigation by the
state legislature over allegation of financial gratification leveled against
the Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso by one of the major contractors handling
the state government road projects.
Recall that His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, a few days suspended his
oversee trip to intervene when events as regards to this subject matter almost
assumed a very negative direction.
We are therefore surprise with the way and manner the Presidency and national
leadership of the PDP unexpectedly showed interest on the matter and
subsequently declared support for the Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso, who is
not a member of the PDP.
However, we gathered that the 12 PDP lawmakers in the state legislature
summoned to Abuja a few days ago, met with the national chairman of the party
and its Board of Trustee Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Chief Tony Anenih
at Nicon Hilton where the lawmakers were told in clear terms not to participate
in the ongoing investigation on corrupt allegation against the Deputy Governor.
According to our source, this position is an aftermath of Chief Martin Agbaso’s
recent deal with the PDP. The senior Agbaso had as part of the clandestine
moves to save his younger brother, struck a deal with the PDP promising to
remain in APGA as against his earlier intention to join the All Progressive
Congress(APC). He also pledged to work for the PDP presidential candidate in
2015 which President Goodluck is favored to pick.
The lawmakers, our source further hinted, also met with the Political Adviser
to the President, Alhaji Ali Gulak and National Vice Chairman of PDP, South
East, Col Akobundu(Rtd) in another location also in Abuja and were mandated to
support to the Deputy Governor even if he is found guilty of the allegation.
They were also ordered to strategize and actualize the impeachment of the
Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Uwajimogu and Gov. Owelle Rochas Okorocha as both are
perceived to be their problem and not the Deputy Governor. The PDP lawmakers
who could not meet with Mr. President as earlier scheduled were said to have
been settled with 50,000 Dollars each .
In view of the above, we wish to warn against any form of invasion in the
affairs of the APGA-led state government and will definitely end at nothing to
resist any plot hatched to destabilize the state by any group or individual.
We also support the ongoing investigation by the Imo State House of Assembly
which obviously is in tandem with the zero-corruption disposition of Gov.
Okorocha-led administration.
