Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo Presides Over National Economic Council (NEC) Meeting at the State House on 20 / 9 /12
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Call for the Sack of FCT Minister/Probe of His Stewardship
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NATIONAL CONGRESS OF DEMOCRATS
(An affiliate of CACOL)
The Secretariat: CRDP, Opposite the Residence of the late Wazirin Keffi,
Keffi Local Government Area,Nasarawa State,Nigeria
(Motto: Transparency for Democracy)
GSM: 0803-4164262, 0803-7929097
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His Excellency,
The President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces,
FederalRepublicofNigeria,
The Presidential Villa,Abuja.
Date: September 14,, 2012
Sir,
CALL FOR THE SACK OF FCT MINISTER/PROBE OF HIS STEWARDSHIP
Mr. President Sir, in your declaration speech to Nigerians, you promised to offer an effective service delivery to transform the country to a better place within a short period.
As partners in nation building and anti-corruption crusaders, we deem it imperative to draw your attention to the urgent need to reshuffle your cabinet and inject new unpolluted blood into the system for positive results and the realization of your dreamtNigeria.
2. Your Excellency, it may interest you to know that after several efforts to get an answer to our questions bordering on corrupt practices and epileptic service delivery you’re your Honorable FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed seeking failed to yield fruitful result, in pursuance of clauses 2 (1), 3 (3) (i) and 3 (4) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, we submit that having exhausted the normal procedure of obtaining response failed, it became glaring that the Honorable Minister must have either abused the trust reposed in him by you and Nigerians or has skeletons to hide that constitute threat to national development and the efforts of transformation.
Even though, we are at liberty to institute a case in the court to further press for response as contained in the Act, we have chosen to first intimate you before heading to the court.
ALLEGATIONS FOR FURTHER CLARIFICATION AND SUBSEQUENT ACTION:
a) Despite the huge budgetary allocation at the disposal of the Honorable Minister, the FCT is gradually retrogressing to a mere gloried village status that suffers from epileptic portable water supply, security to lives and property, qualitative medical care in public health institutions as well as collapsed infrastructure that were inherited in good working conditions as can visibly be seen and touched.
b) Apart from allocating of plots of land to selected applicants at choice areas, seizure of already certificated plots and re-allocation of same to the highest bidders and award of bogus contracts that have no direct bearing on the lives of the majority, the present FCT administration has outlived its usefulness to residents of the territory and Nigerians. It has over the years brought more hatred to your administration than what you expect.
c) We have carefully observed with concern that what is obtainable in the FCT is a family and friends system of administration loaded on the people with little concern to the welfare of the majority through effective service delivery that is not in existence.
d) As a representative of the North-East sub-region in the Federal Executive Council and member of the Ambassador Galtamari Presidential Committee on security challenges in the sub-region, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed, has over the years failed woefully to support the efforts of the Federal Government to achieving a lasting solution to the on-going terrorists activities in the sub-region at least in his personal capacity as a son of the soil and a patriot that he is expected to be.
e) The city of Abuja which was hitherto rated amongst the most secured, beautiful and cleanest in Africa, is today fast becoming a shadow of its former self due to poor service delivery and in-effective administrative policies tailored towards personal aggrandizement and institutionalization of corrupt practices and other related crimes. Today, the city has been overtaken by refuse heaps just as most of the created Green Areas meant for beautification are over grown with wild weeds and allowed to waste despite their costs implications on national resources.
f) The FCDA and its affiliate, AGIS, have been transformed to breeding ground for all sorts of corrupt practices including extortion from prospective land applicants with a working system that favors only touts and fronts. Requests and demands of touts and fronts are usually attended with lightening speed while genuine government business and other honest transactions and policy implementations perceived to have direct bearing on the lives of the majority are ignored and in most cases thrown to the garbage.
g) It was widely reported by across section of the media and later verified by several anti-corruption groups that in one of the personal bank accounts of a former Special Assistant (Land) to the FCT Minister, Manu Muhammed who is a blood brother to the Minister, a whooping sum of over N4billion was discovered just as one Abdul Azeez Muhammed a staff of the Civil Defence Corp attached to the minister was reported to have extorted over N300million from prospective land applicants.
h) It was alleged in many quarters that the Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Alhaji Musa Umar Yashi, in less than one year in office, became a proud owner of several landed properties and a mansion situated atNo.36 Medeira Street, Maitama,Abujasaid to have been purchased at over N800million.
i) A junior brother to the minister, Muntaka Muhammed, who is unemployed without a legitimate source of livelihood, owns several mansions in Bauchi that were acquired in less than one year suspected to have been through fraudulent means and in connivance with the office of the minister.
j) A senior brother to the minister and a staff of the Central Bank ofNigeriain Bauchi, Bappah Muhammed, owns several estates inAbujaand Bauchi suspected to have been acquired through dubious means with the connivance of his minister brother. Investigation has shown that the properties were neither acquired with a Bank loan nor an overdraft from any of the Banks including the CBN.
k) A junior brother to one of the wives to the FCT minister, Umaru Shayi who is presently serving as Special Assistant (Domestic) to the Minister, owns multi-million naira filing stations situated along Bauchi – Jos road and the same person in less than one year acquired the property suspected to be sourced from illegal allocation of land in the FCT.
l) The FCT Minister apart from renovating and constructing several Mosques in various places, is presently renovating a single mosque in Bauchi metropolis at well over N300million that was contracted to one of his fronts, Abdullahi Yari. It is not the renovation work that is the problem but the source of the funding remains suspicious as his legitimate monthly take-home and allowances are not sufficient to support such projects.
m) There are several lapses in the FCT land administration system that include;
1 Lack of proper accounting manual
2 Lack of procedural manual for uploading data into the Geographic Information System (AGIS).
3 Very weak and corruption prone financial management system
4 Scientific forgery and recycling of bank drafts for payments
5 Lack of customized corruption prevention mechanism
6 Weak internal control function
7 Very low physical security of sensitive equipment and records
8 Absence of clear line of authority and coordination of land related establishments
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OUR PRAYER:
Having stated some of our reasons for the call, we appeal for a thorough probe of the FCT administration under Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed in view of certain corrupt practices and abuse of office that are on-going while he is holding sway.
The Director of Treasury, Ibrahim Bomoi and the Chief of Staff and the General Manager, AGIS should be directed to proceed on compulsory leave pending the outcome of investigations.
We shall continue to expose corrupt practices in Government business to support your efforts in makingNigeriaa better place for all.
Obediently,
BB Dogonyaro ……………………………………….
(National President)
Yakubu Alhaji Jibrin ……………………………………….
(National Secretary)
Cc: The FCT Minister
Cc: Media Organizations
Cc: The chairman EFCC
Ogun N100billion Bond: Gov Amosun Offers State Assembly N425m Bribe
Information available to 247ureports.com through sources close to the Ogun State House of Assembly indicates the Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun may have doled out the sum of N425million in bribes to seventeen [17] lawmakers of the State assembly in return for a favorable vote on the bill before the Assembly – requesting permission to obtain a loan of N100billion from the bonds market.
On Tuesday, August 28, 2012, Governor Amosun forwarded a bill to the House seeking approval of members to raise a bond from the capital market. The bill, as gathered, did not specify the exact amount sought by the governor. Speculators within the State Assembly grounds peg the requested amount at N100 billion.
The bill was opposed by members of the State Assembly who then resolved to set up a five-man committee to assess the desirability of the bond and make recommendations. Members of the committee included a former Deputy Speaker, Remmy Hassan, the Minority Leader, Job Akintan, and another lawmaker, Joseph Adegbesan.
According to the source, 17 out of the 26 members of the Ogun House of Assembly were offered the ‘Bond’ bribe. The money was shared by Hon. Remmy Hassan on behalf of Gov Amosun. In all, each of the 17 members is to receive N25million. Out of the 25m, N10m was to be paid before the vote while the balance was promised to be paid after the successful passage of the Bill. The Ogun State Assembly is expected to vote on the bill today, September 20, 2012.
It will be recalled that Gov. Amosun had condemned the move by the immediate past administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel to raise bond to finance some capital projects in the state. Amosun, who described the last government’s bond bid as “bond of bondage,” had vowed not to borrow from the bond market.
Rivers ACN Blames Eleme Youth Protest On PDP Govt
…Describes It As National Embarrassment
The Rivers State Chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN says whatever are grievances of the Eleme Youths for the early Thursday, September 20, 2012 morning blockage of the Eleme/Onne axis of the East/West Road, the action is ill-timed.
In a statement issued and signed by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Jerry Needam, the ACN said protesting and blocking the major road to traffic on the day of an International Conference at the Onne Oil Free Zone for which the nation’s President, Goodluck Jonathan was billed to host could not have been a coincidence.
Jerry Needam said the PDP Government should be held responsible for the National embarrassment and poor image posture painted of Nigeria and Rivers State in particular by the Eleme Youths action.
The ACN Spokesman noted that there was no way the Rivers State government led by Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi could deny knowledge of the protest but did nothing to avert it.
More worrisome, the ACN said, was the fact that the protest was led by the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Council and a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing the area, all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) card carrying members.
“We identify with genuine agitations including the issues raised by the Eleme Youths but are overtly opposed to any pretext to take advantage of such rights and privileges to whip up unnecessary sentiments that are capable of igniting communal crisis or inter-ethnic clashes and, or embarrass Mr President who is the symbol of the Nigerian nation notwithstanding his political affiliation. Moreso, there are several other ways and means as well as days to seek attention and justice other than blocking the traffic against the President and foreign guests on the day of international conference, the ACN noted.
The ACN therefore called for a proper investigation into the Eleme Youths action, insisting that there may be underlying reasons other than being posted.
US deputy secretary of state visits Libya after deadly attack
US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns arrived in Tripoli, a week after a deadly attack on the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
Burns flew into the Libyan capital where he was due to meet new Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagour and Mohammed Magarief, head of the national congress, Libyan government officials said.
He was also scheduled to attend a ceremony commemorating U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, who died in last week’s consulate attack in Benghazi, they said.
Stevens and three other Americans died when gunmen attacked the U.S. consulate and a safe house. The attackers were part of a crowd that blamed the United States for a video posted online that mocks the Prophet Mohammad.
A top U.S. counter-terrorism official told Congress on Wednesday the assault on the consulate was a “terrorist attack” that may have had an al Qaeda connection.
Poll: Obama widens lead over Romney in Wisconsin
MADISON — President Barack Obama has widened his lead over GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Wisconsin, according to two polls released Wednesday.
Obama dramatically expanded his lead in the new Marquette University Law School Poll, which showed him leading Romney among likely voters, 54 percent to 40 percent. The same poll showed Obama with a much narrower 3-point lead over Romney in late August, 49 percent to 46 percent, before the two parties’ political conventions but shortly after Romney had picked U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville to be his running mate.
Another poll by Qunnipiac University, the New York Times and CBS News, also found Obama widening his lead in Wisconsin, which is widely considered a tossup state. Obama led among likely voters in that poll by 6 percentage points, 51 percent to 45 percent. Late last month, the same poll showed Obama with a narrower 2-point lead over Romney, 49 percent to 47 percent.
The Marquette poll surveyed 601 likely voters from Sept. 13-16. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points among likely voters.
The Quinnipiac poll surveyed likely voters in three states — Wisconsin, Colorado and Virginia — between Sept. 11-17. It found Romney was running about even with the president in Colorado, while Obama held a 4-percentage point advantage over Romney in Virginia. That poll surveyed 1,485 Wisconsin likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent.
Both polls featured live interviewers who called cellphones as well as land lines.
Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette poll, cautioned that the partisan makeup of those polled had shifted from previous polls. He said that in September, Republicans made up 27 percent of the likely voter sample, a decrease from about 30 percent in previous Marquette polls, while Democrats made up 34 percent, up from an average of 32 percent previously. Independents made up 37 percent of the September participants, the same as their average for the year.
The Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) found Obama leads Romney among likely voters by just 1 point, 49 percent to 48 percent, in its latest poll, released Monday. The PPP poll surveyed 959 likely voters.
“Across the three polls we have seen so far this week, the Obama lead has increased,” Franklin said.
The Obama campaign said Wednesday it continues to expect Wisconsin to be a battleground.
“We have always said that Wisconsin will be more competitive than it was in 2008 at the presidential level, and that assessment has not changed,” said Gillian Morris, spokeswoman for Obama’s Wisconsin campaign. “Neighbor to neighbor, door to door, we have been discussing the clear choice in this election for months and will continue to do so in the final weeks of this campaign.”
But Republicans pointed to Obama’s upcoming visit to Milwaukee on Saturday, saying it proves his campaign is floundering here.
“President Obama’s upcoming visit to Milwaukee, paired with ad buys to be released next week show a President desperate to hang on to a state his campaign once thought was safely in their camp,” said Nicole Tieman, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee. “In November, Wisconsin voters will choose a new direction and prove them wrong.”
19-year-old girl becomes FEDERAL LAWMAKER
By News Express
It seems unbelievable, yet it is true. History has been made, with a teenage secondary school graduate winning election to become the youngest ever parliamentarian in African history.
Proscovia Alengot Oromait, 19, last week won election to become a member of the parliament of the east African country, Uganda. She is also the second youngest in the world, according to NTV. New Vision reported that the youngest-ever elected MP was Anton Abele, an activist who was elected to Swedish Parliament at age 18.
Oromait (shown in photo) was planning to go to the university but changed her mind and went into politic after her father, Michael Oromait, a member of parliament in Usuk County, eastern Uganda, died last July.
A report in Ugandan news website New Vision said that the young girl beat eight other candidates to win the seat in last week’s ballot, earning more than double the votes of the nearest runner-up.
The Associated Press (AP) described Oromait Junior’s election as a boon to President Yoweri Museveni’s ruling party, the National Resistance Movement. The international news agency however quoted some Ugandans as describing her election as inappropriate since she is just out of high school.
“I don’t think she was prepared for this. She had even never voted,” Nicholas Opio, a political analyst in Kampala, told the AP.
Michael Mukula, an MP and one of the ruling party’s deputy chairmen, told the AP: “I am a bit concerned and taken aback because of her lack of experience and lack of exposure. This is not a constituency you want to give a child of that age to shoulder.”
Arik Suspends Nigeria Operations
Arik Air the nation’s largest carrier has suspended further operations within the Nigerian airspace indefinitely over what it describes as incessant harassment by officials of the aviation ministry and Federal Airport Authority of Nigerian, FAAN.
The airline will be relocating to Sierra Leone and Niger Republic where it will operate as their local/national carrier. Following this development, the airline has grounded all aircrafts in her fleet leaving air travellers stranded across the nation in the absence of a national career.
What this means is that only AERO CONTRACTOR & IRS airlines are available for commercial air travelers in the whole of Nigeria.
I hope Mr Labaran Maku and the army of journalists undertaking the “Good Governance Tour” in order to verify the much talked about dividends of democracy will make time out of their busy schedule to visit the airport in order to access the level of transformation!
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culled from Victor Ogwezzy
Crude oil exports rebounding, says Iran’s oil minister
Iran’s Oil Minister said on Wednesday that crude oil exports are rebounding after being hit by a European embargo in July, describing for Parliament the strategies by which the Islamic Republic says it is countering punitive measures imposed by the West over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Rostam Qassemi did not provide figures. But some analysts say that exports had fallen in July by as much as 40 per cent, hitting a sector that counts for four-fifths of the country’s foreign revenue. His comments carried by the semi-official Mohr news agency appear part of wider efforts by Iranian officials to show that Iran can ride out the sanctions.
“We have no problem selling our oil,” Qassemi said. “Iran’s crude oil exports are increasing. With the increase in exports, the way has been paved for more currency income.”
The minister told legislators that Iran has found ways to provide insurance to tankers carrying Iranian crude oil to Asian customers, bypassing one of the legal obstacles aimed at discouraging companies from buying and trading in Iranian oil.
“Foreign contractors imposed insurance sanctions on oil tankers. Now we have bypassed those sanctions. Currently, there is no problem to providing insurance to tankers carrying Iran’s crude oil,” the semi-official Mohr news agency quoted Qassemi as saying.
He did not provide details, but Iran had earlier said it was setting up private insurance companies — a possible way by which the country is using its ample oil earnings to offer incentives to offset sanctions.
The US and Europe have imposed a range of sanctions on Iran over nuclear activities that the West claims are aimed at developing a weapon. Iran says its programme is for peaceful purposes.
The International Energy Agency says Iran’s oil exports plunged to 1 million barrels a day in July from 1.74 million barrels a day in June after an embargo by the European Union, which accounted for around 18 percent of Iran’s exports.
Crude oil exports account for about 80 per cent of Iran’s foreign revenue.
The 27-nation European Union stopped all contracts with Tehran on July 1. Meanwhile, the US has been pressuring Iran’s key Asian oil customers such as China, India, South Korea and Japan to look to other suppliers.
China, India, Japan and South Korea are among Iran’s most important oil export markets. The US has exempted its allies South Korea and Japan from US sanctions after they significantly reduced their imports of Iranian oil.
India and Japan are already offering government-backed insurance for ships carrying Iranian crude in order to bypass European sanctions.
Stop The Neglect Of Non-Natives In Kano State!!!
Press Release
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Kano state chapter has observed and identified some laudable infrastructural projects going on in the metropolitan area of the commercial city of kano state. We have also looked at other human development projects being championed by the Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso’s government. In as much as we commend the Governor for his desire to transform Kano, we are taken aback by what has been proven to be absolute abandonment of Sabon Gari axis, an enclave exclusively reserved for the non-natives in kano.
As the apex Igbo cultural organization in Kano, and taking cognizance of the fact that over 90 per cent of the inhabitants of Sabon Gari in Kano are Igbos, we frown at the Kano state government’s tactical refusal to arrest stark lack of infrastructural facilities in Sabon Gari where its inhabitants contribute to about 40 per cents of tax generation and other levies in Kano State, with high concentration of commercial activities.
Over the years, Sabon Gari Kano has been relegated in terms of infrastructural and social facilities such as public schools, government hospitals, portable water and good road etc.
We can recall that there used to be about 10 public schools within Sabon Gari. But now, they have been abandoned and converted to commercial shops under the supervision of government agents. It is, indeed, worrisome that today, there is no single functional public school in Sabon Gari. As a result of this, our people pay through their nose to see their children through primary and secondary schools. Even at occasions where the state government runs scholarship programmes, none of our people benefit from the scheme. This is so because it is difficult to send our wards to public schools outside Sabon Gari because of their curricula which are guided by the dictates of Islam.
Also, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is concerned over the inability of successive governments in Kano state to build even one maternity hospital within the area. This is, indeed, a bad situation in an area that has about two political wards. We can recall that in 1988, there used to be a maternity hospital located on France/Court Road Sabon Gari Kano, but was later demolished at the orders of Government agents and was bought over by a certain Kano business man who converted the maternity hospital to commercial shops.
Pregnant women within Sabon Gari are subjected to the exploitation of private hospitals who continue to hike their bills; and those who cannot afford it take risk as they are forced to trek to the city hospitals, even in the night or live at the mercy of quack local doctors or nurses. As a result of this, the rate of maternal mortality continues to rise among non-indigenes resident in the state.
Kano has one of the biggest water treatment plants at Tamburawa axis, very close to the city. We are aware that the Kwankwaso government has taken steps to improve water supply within the Kano metropolitan city, but what beats our imagination is the inability of the government to include Sabon Gari in the water scheme. In Sabon Gari Kano, the taps are dry; and residents have resorted to other alternatives like bore-hole and water vendors who charge and over-charge buyers. Conservatively, Sabon Gari residents spend over N50 million on daily basis buying water which ought to have been one of the obligations of the government.
Motorists in Sabon Gari Kano see hell on the roads every day, despite the fact that the master plan of the area was among the best designed by the late Commissioner of Police, Audu Bako’s government who was the first military administrator of Kano state in the late 60s. Since after the Audu Bako regime, successive governments in Kano have not rehabilitated one single road inside the heart of Sabon Gari, except Igbo Road and Festing/Burma Road which are usually used by politicians to campaign in the area during elections.
Over 50 roads within Sabon Gari have been in deplorable condition, despite the billions of Naira being generated by both Fagge Local Government and the State government from the area. Whenever it rained, motorists and pedestrians in the area go through pains as they struggle to maneuver waters lodges, floods and pot-holes. Drainages in Sabon Gari are in bad shape; and anytime it rains, resident are exposed to communicable diseases, as dirty running water over-flow and flood the compounds. Motorist in Sabon Gari change tyres on weekly basis owing to consistent punctures because of bad roads. Even in the face of this neglect, agents of Kano State Environmental Agency storm the area on daily basis with intimidating security, destroying people’s property with reckless abandon.
We can also recall that during the Governor Kwankwaso’s electioneering campaign in 2011, he had taken residents and stakeholders of Sabon Gari in confidence, promising to alleviate all these problems facing the area; but to our greatest surprise, for over one year running, the Kwankwaso government has not done anything in this direction, even when it is too glaring that residence of this area are suffering. We had expected that the Sabon Gari problem would have been included in Kwankwaso’s maiden budget owing to the fact Sabon Gari residents gave him the votes that gave him victory over the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) government.
Then the pertinent questions remain: has Governor Kwankwaso forgotten so soon, the promises he made to non-indigenes, particularly, Sabon Gari Kano residents? Why is it that successive government in Kano has refused to address the nagging problems facing non-natives in the state? Or is it that the Kwankwaso has special hatred for non-natives in the state, because by this systematic marginalization, one cannot but conclude that the Kano state government is deliberately suffering inhabitants of Sabon Gari simply because they are non-natives?
From our observation, the only ‘good thing’ the Kwankwaso government has done is to appoint non-native Special Advisers without recourse to the relevant of the characters to the community they ought to represent. Taking the Special Adviser of South-East Affairs as a case study, Ohanaeze Ndigbo can categorically state that such appointment was not made in faithfulness and sincerity. We say this because we have not seen any single project being under taken by the Special Adviser that can have direct impact on the Igbos in Kano. Most Igbo stakeholders in the state do not even know that they have a representative in the state government; and Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Kano officially declare such appointment as a ploy to deceive the Igbos and make it look as if we are part of his government. whereas we are not.
As stakeholders in Kano, Ohanaeze Ndigbo demand from the Kwankwaso Government, the plans he has for the Igbos and non- natives in Kano. We control a reasonable percentage of commercial and business activities in the state. Kano is estimated to be the highest population in the country and this is not by accident because Ohanaeze can boast of four million Igbos resident in Kano, despite another huge number of our people that visit the city on daily basis for business activities. We believe that we belong here. Kano gets huge amount from the Federal Government monthly allocation to states, and this is due to its acclaimed huge population of which our people are part of.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, hereby urge the Kwankwaso government to map out a project for the Igbos and Sabon Gari residents in terms of road construction, provision of portable water, security of lives and property, health-care centres and schools for our children etc. We make an urgent call on the governor to alleviate the sufferings of our people. We chose to use the media because Governor Kwankwaso does not give listening ear to non-indigenous stakeholders. We have severally written him for a meeting to discuss issues such as these without getting a reply from him. We do not know if it is part of his policy to shun talks with non-natives or that his handlers deliberately and consistently shield the letters addressed to him.
Yours faithfully,
For and on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,Kano State Chapter.
Hon. Chief Tobias Michael Idika
President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Kano State Chapter.
