The governor, who issued the warning in Hausa during a visit to him by members of his political camp, Team Bindow, said the Nyako political camp has been making denigrating comments about his administration which, he claimed, is focused on delivering democratic dividends.
Friday, 30 September 2016
I’ll Expose Nyako If Pushed, Says Governor Bindow Of Adamawa State
The governor, who issued the warning in Hausa during a visit to him by members of his political camp, Team Bindow, said the Nyako political camp has been making denigrating comments about his administration which, he claimed, is focused on delivering democratic dividends.
Mr Ibu-I felt like committing murder when a Luth doctor asked to use my son's corpse for experiment.
John Okafor, aka Mr. Ibu has recounted the sad take of how his son died
at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba. He was so bitter
that he almost instituted a court action against the management of the
hospital and confesses he felt like committing murder.
Recounting what happened in an interview with Punch,he said
(Pics)Muslim woman names baby after Igbo soldier who helped her during labour
Rihanna's mum slays at her Fenty x Puma Paris Fashion Week show
Meet the Iraqi housewife who boasts about cooking the heads of ISIS fighters
She reportedly leads a force of 70 male fighters in the town of Shirqat, 50 miles south of the Iraqi city of Mosul.
Wahida Mohamed.
Nigeria's hairiest woman,Queen Okafor flaunts bra in risque car selfies
Kim Kardashian rocks yet another risque outfit as she reunites with Kanye West in Paris
She also showed off her huge new diamond ring, a gift from Kanye.
Kourtney Kardashian steps out in sparkling bra(Photos)
Ooni of Ife honours 2face Idibia as an Ambassador of Peace
African music legend, 2afce Idibia was honoured yesterday by the Ooni of
Ife .He was awarded with an Ambassador of Peace title .This comes
months he was honoured in Kaduna by the Galadima of Kudendan with the
‘Tafidan Kudendan’ of Kudendan(Ambassador of Peace)title .
She wasn't a virgin when I raped her twice- Dad confesses to raping his 15 year old daughter
A 49-year-old man, yesterday, gave a graphic description of how he had
been sleeping with his 15-year-old daughter in their Oko-Oba home in
Abule-Egba area of Lagos State.
The suspect, Tony Ehumadu, who hails from Mbaise area of Imo State, was
caught in the act by his wife, a Customs officer. Ehumadu, a
businessman, was arrested after one of his brothers-in-law reported the
case to the police.Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room Assesses Edo State Election
NJC Forcibly Retires Corrupt Enugu Chief Judge Innocent Umezulike
SaharaReporters has learned that the National Judicial Council (NJC)
has, this evening, compulsory retired the Enugu Chief Judge Innocent
Azubike Umezulike. Mr. Umezulike, the highest ranking justice for Enugu
State, has been embroiled in numerous controversies related to his
corrupt and fraudulent activity.
SaharaReporters previously reported that Mr. Umezulike was accused of
forging legal judgments for personal gain, accepting N10 million in
bribes, and ordered the unlawful arrest of petitioners against him by
the Commissioner of Police.
Ethno-Religious Cleansing At Federal University Dutsinma: Matazu Lied- Dr. Maryam Ati
Dr. Maryam H. Ati, a former lecturer at the Federal
University, Dustinma in Katsina State, has described, as a parade of
lies, the attempt of Mr. Habibu Garba Matazu to paint the institution
as a hotbed of ethno-religious bigotryunder the former Vice Chancellor,
Professor James Ayatse.Nigeria at 56 - By Reuben Abati
PSquare's kids adorable in traditional outfits(Photos)
Basketmouth's kids in traditional outfits for school's Independence day celebration
Code Of Conduct Bureau To Probe Amaechi, Ngige, Fashola, Malami & Others Over Assets
The Code of Conduct Bureau has begun massive verification of assets
declared by top serving and former public officers at the federal, state
and local government levels.
A statement by the Chairman of the CCB, Mr. Sam Saba, released by the
Press and Protocol Unit of the Bureau on Thursday, stated that the
exercise involved the physical appearance of the concerned public
officers before the bureau for conference and field verifications of
their declared assets.
The Code of Conduct Bureau has begun massive
verification of assets declared by top serving and former public
officers at the federal, state and local government levels.
A statement by the Chairman of the CCB, Mr. Sam Saba, released by the
Press and Protocol Unit of the Bureau on Thursday, stated that the
exercise involved the physical appearance of the concerned public
officers before the bureau for conference and field verifications of
their declared assets.Conference verification requires public officers to present documents relating to their declared assets to designated officials of the Bureau.
On the other hand, field verification involves public officers taking CCB officials to locations of their declared landed, fixed and other assets that could not be conveniently moved to the bureau’s office.
He stated that by virtue of Paragraph 11 of Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), “every public officer is required to submit to the Code of Conduct Bureau a written declaration of all properties, assets and liabilities and those of his/her spouse (if not a public officer) and his unmarried children under the age of 18 years.”
He added that any statement in the declaration, found to be false by any authorities or persons authorised to verify it, “shall be deemed to be a breach of the code”.
He stated, “To this end, the Bureau has commenced its 2016 4th Quarter Cycle of Conference and Field Verification of Assets of top public officers. Accordingly, letters of invitation have been dispatched to ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, service chiefs, and other top public officers.
“All invited public officers are to note that failure to honour the invitation by the CCB in this regard is a breach of the provisions of the constitution and could lead to prosecution under the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
“Public officers not yet invited are to await their letters of invitation.”
He listed 76 public officers that had been invited by the Bureau with a threat of the possibility of prosecution if they fail to honour the invitation.
Among the 76 invitees are 30 ministers whom, according to the Bureau, have yet to submit themselves to the exercise.
According to the Bureau, ministers who have yet to submit themselves for the verification are Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation); Babatunde Fashola (Power, Works and Housing); Ibe Kachikwu (Petroleum Resources (State); Abubakar Malami (Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice); Adebayo Shittu (Communications); Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Solid Minerals and Steel Development); Audu Ogbeh (Agriculture and Rural Development).
Others include Senator Aisha Alhassan (Women Affairs and Social Development); Solomon Dalung (Youths & Sports Development); Osagie Ehanire (Health (State)); Usani Usani (Niger Delta Affairs); Prof. Anthony Anwukah (Education (State)); Lai Mohammed (Information and Culture), and Gen. Ali Mansur (retd.) (Defence).
The list also includes Senator Udo Udoma (Budget and National Planning); Ibrahim Jibril (Environment (State)); Suleiman Adamu (Water Resources and Rural Development); Mustapha Shehuri (Power (State)); Prof. Claudius Daramola (Niger Delta Affairs (State)) and Kemi Adeosun (Finance) as those who have not submitted themselves to verification.
The rest are Prof. Isaac Adewole (Health); Okechukwu Enelamah (Trade, Investment and Industry); Geoffrey Onyema (Foreign Affairs ); Muhammadu Bello (Federal Capital Territory); Senator Hadi Sirika (Aviation (State)); Hajiya Khadija Bukar (Foreign Affairs(State)); Senator Chris Ngige (Labour and Employment); Heineken Lokpobiri (Agriculture and Rural Development (State)); Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu (Science and Technology); and Abubakar Bwari (Solid Minerals (State) ).
The rest of the public officers still expected to submit themselves to the bureau are the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Oyo-Ita Ekanem; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olanishakin; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Sadique; and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibas Ibok.
Also on the list are the immediate past Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase; Chairman, Police Service Commission, Chief Mike Okiro; Controller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Babatunde Mohammed; Executive Secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Waziri Adio; Director-General of National Pension Commission, Mrs. Chinelo Amazu; and Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Export Promotion Council, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo.
Also yet to turn up for the CCB verification are the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps, Brig.-Gen. Sule Kazaure; Executive Secretary, Nigeria Sao-Tome & Principle Joint Development Authority, Kashim Tumash; Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru; Controller-General of Federal Fire Service, Anebi Garba; Director-General, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze, and Managing Director, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Commission, Ibrahim Umaru.
Others include the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Adamu; Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Mrs. Hadiza Usman; Managing Director, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, Ahmed Kuru, and Controller-General of MSCDS, Muhammad Abdullahi.
The Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, who are on the list, are Ntom Chukwu, Folusho Adebanjo, Emmanuel Inyang, Maigari Dikko, Joshak Habila, Shuaibu Gambo, and Hyacinth Dagala.
An Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Abdul Bube, is also on the list.
Military officers, whose names appear on the list, are Real Admiral Joseph Osa (Commandant, Operation Delta Safe) and Major General M. A. Koleoso (GOC Tradoc).
The CCB also listed a number of Federal Commissioners of the Civil Service Commission and three Group Executive Directors of the NNPC, who are yet to submit themselves to the CCB’s verification.
In the statement, the CCB stated that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, and five other ministers, among 15 other former and serving public officers, had submitted themselves to the asset verification.
Buratai recently became the target of scathing public scrutiny when reports of his choice $1.5m properties, which he claimed were acquired in the name of his wife in Dubai, hit the public space.
Saba confirmed to our correspondent on the telephone that all the 15 persons, whose assets had been verified, had been issued a certificate of Conference Verification/Field Verification.
“The Chief of Army Staff was the first to be issued his certificate. We started issuing to others last week,” he said.
Responding to further inquiry about whether the certificate issued by the CCB implied that the cleared public officers were free from liability of criminal prosecution, Saba stated, “Even though the tribunal (Code of Conduct Tribunal) is the institution with the power of adjudication in asset declaration breaches, the certificate means that from our own end, we are satisfied with the verification that we have done.”
The five cleared ministers are Abdulrahman Dambazau (Interior); Zainab Shamsuna (Budget & National Planning); Adamu Adamu (Education); Aisha Abubakar (Minister of Trade, Investment & Industry (State)); and Amina Mohammed (Minister of Environment).
The rest of the former and serving public officers already cleared by the CCB are the immediate past Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim; Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood; a former Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie, and a former Controller-General, Nigerian Prisons Service, Ezenwa Peter.
They also include the Acting MD/CEO, Niger Delta Development Commission, Semenitari Tamunoibim; Controller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Ibrahim Ali (retd.); Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris; Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi; and Federal Commissioner, Civil Service Commission, Hope Ikrirko.
The CCB boss commended those that had turned up for the exercise.
(Photos)Mum cries out for help as anorexic daughter's body begins to shut down
According to the Manchester Evening News.
Yvonne, 47, said:
“There were times when she would abscond, but then we sent her to a secure clinic in London.
“She was there for 12 months, and actually came back quite well. But over the last three years she has relapsed time and time again and has become really ill“We keep asking for help but no one is giving it.
“Her organs started to fail yesterday.“We are begging for help now. We know it’s her last hope, her last resort, she can feel her body shutting down and it’s terrifying
“We don’t want to lose her and we are keeping the faith but it’s like living on eggshells.“Every time we hear something drop upstairs Rick is straight up there checking in case she’s collapsed.“We are waiting and watching her all the time and it’s killing us.
Has President Buhari Lost The Plot? By Ola Balogun*
Many many years ago, when I was only seven or eight years old, my
wonderful father, the late Barrister Olatunde Olarewaju Balogun, took a
lot of time and trouble to make me learn substantial passages of an epic
poem by Lord Macauley entitled; “Horatius at the Bridge”. This is a
nineteenth-century English poem inspired by the story of Horatius, an
extraordinary hero who is reputed to have saved the ancient city of Rome
from conquest and destruction by a marauding horde of invaders led by
Lars Porsena of Clusium.
(Photos)Mum cries out for help as anorexic daughter's body begins to shut down
Angry man walks into Apple store smashes up every iPhone in sight
A vandal calmly walked into an Apple store and began smashing iPhones, iPads and laptops with a metal ball.
Thursday, 29 September 2016
Edo Decides: APC Candidate Wins Edo Governorship Election
Godwin Obaseki, the All Progressives Congress (APC) party candidate in
the gubernatorial election in Edo State, has won the contest in the
two-way race with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), winning most of
the votes.
Pastor Ize-Iyamu of the PDP came second in the votes collated and
announced by INEC.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, announcing collated
results across the state, said APC won 13 of the state’s 18local
government areas.
Details to follow...
Election Tribunal Sacks Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku
The governorship election petition tribunal of Taraba state sitting in
Abuja has nullified the election of the state governor, Darius Dickson
Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic PartyPolice In Kano Fire Into Crowd Of Peaceful Protesters
Eyewitnesses speaking to Reporters said the incident happened
early Wednesday morning when the staff of the company staged a peaceful
protest.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday suspended Abdulmumin Jibrin, a lawmaker from Kano at the centre of the unfolding budget padding scandal, for 180 legislative days. The House seats three days in a week and this consequently means that Mr. Jibrin’s suspension would last more than a year. In a motion recommended by House Ethics Committee chairman, Nicholas Ossai, and adopted by the whole House, Mr. Jibrin will also not be able to hold any position of responsibility for the span of the current National Assembly. Mr. Jibrin began stirring what experts now described as one Africa’s biggest parliamentary scandals in recent memory on July 21, a day after he was eased out as chairman of the powerful committee. Although the House was taking a two-month recess at the time, Mr. Jibrin remained resolute in his quest to “end the massive corruption in the House.” “My resolve to champion this cause was borne out of patriotism and desire to complement the present administration’s anti-corruption war from the legislative front,” Mr. Jibrin said in an email to PREMIUM TIMES on August 21. Mr. Jibrin said the campaign had earned him “blackmail, propaganda and campaign of calumny” from Mr. Dogara, lawmakers loyal to him and their proxies. The assault had been largely targeted at the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, and three other principal officers, whose resignation and prosecution he had continued to demand. Mr. Dogara had announced the removal of Mr. Jibrin in a speech he read in plenary on July 20, alleging budget fraud and serial betrayal of trust. To back his allegations against Mr. Dogara, Mr. Jibrin released damning documents to the media. On July 30, the State Security Service sealed the secretariat of the Appropriation Committee in the National Assembly after Mr. Jibrin raised the alarm that Mr. Dogara had allegedly concluded plans to cart away computers and destroy evidence. Mr. Jibrin also visited law enforcement agencies, including the EFCC, the SSS and the police, where he said he personally submitted petitions detailing evidence of fraudulent manipulation of budget by Mr. Dogara, his deputy Yusuf Lasun, House Whip, Alhassan Doguwa, Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, and nine others. After several days of silence, Mr. Dogara succumbed to public demands for him to defend himself and came out with blistering statements denying all the charges against him. Mr. Dogara took specific issue with the ‘budget padding’ catchphrase, saying it was a strange term to use when describing the actions of the legislature. He also said lawmakers could not be probed by law enforcement agencies over any infractions in the National Assembly, but later walked back this statement. At some point, the APC moved to contain the crisis, but its gag order lasted only a weekend. Consequently, lawmakers began openly criticising Mr. Jibrin for allegedly defacing the National Assembly, dealing a major blow to his crusade. Mr. Jibrin’s isolation became even more pronounced after 10 principal officers of the House released a statement backing Mr. Dogara and denouncing Mr. Jibrin. Amongst them was Femi Gbajabiamila, the Majority Leader who many thought would be reluctant to openly back Mr. Dogara. The development sparked speculation that Mr. Jibrin would be suspended upon resumption of the House from recess. The House resumed on September 20 and a lawmaker loyal to Mr. Dogara moved a motion the next day to have Mr. Jibrin probed for allegedly breaching the privileges of the members. Emmanuel Orker-Jev, a lawmaker from Benue, proposed tough sanctions against Mr. Jibrin for the damage his allegations have allegedly wrought on the House. “The image of the House has never been worse than this before. Hon. Jibrin was reckless and the allegations were false. He knew that the allegations were false and scandalous and he had no regards at all to whether the allegations were true or false,” Mr. Orker-Jev said. The House subsequently assigned the matter to its Ethics and Privileges Committee for further investigation and to report back within a week with its findings and recommendations. Mr. Ossai, chairman of the committee, convened the first hearing on the matter September 23, during which Mr. Orker-Jev submitted his allegations against Mr. Jibrin. Mr. Jibrin received an invitation to appear before the committee on Monday. But decided to boycott the hearing, even though his demand that the sitting be thrown open to the public was met by Mr. Ossai. Mr. Jibrin also asked his lawyer, Femi Falana, to seek discontinuation of committee’s actvities in court. Mr. Ossai said Mr. Jibrin’s failure to appear before his “properly and constitutionally constituted committee” was, in effect, a defence. Mr. Jibrin had on Tuesday alleged subjudice saying the committee should not have sat since the matter was in court. Mr. Jibrin’s suspension would see him banned from the premises of the National Assembly in the course of the disciplinary action. He would also not receive salaries or allowances. Some sympathisers of Mr. Jibrin saw his suspension as partisan, draconian and counterproductive. “This show of partisanship and support for Mr. Dogara is condemnable and too severe,” said a political analyst, Gbola Oba. Mr. Oba said Mr. Jibrin had suffered the same fate as Dino Melaye who was suspended in 2010 for breach of members’ privilege. Mr. Melaye is now a senator representing Kogi West. “We knew they would gang up against him as they did against Mr. Melaye,” Mr. Oba said. “This clearly shows that the House has failed to move beyond its counterproductive ways of suspending anyone who challenges the status quo. “If the House were a serious body, serious attention would be given to Mr. Jibrin’s claim so as to foster a thriving democratic experiment within the country.”
Hoodlums suspected to be political thugs on Wednesday snatched ballot
boxes and disrupted the gubernatorial election process in some remote
community in the northern parts of Edo State.
A source who voted in the area confirmed to SaharaReporters that the
thugs made away with a Card Reader at Ibilo in Akoko Edo Area of the
state and threatened to deal with some electorates who challenged them
in the process of the criminal act.
The source added that some other set of thugs also disrupted the
exercise at Ward 05 in Sabongari Ora area at Owan West of the state.
House Of Representatives Suspends Jibrin
The Kano State legislator will be suspended from the House for 180 legislative days.
Defunct Nigeria Airways Manager Indicted For N150m Fraud May Be Appointed Federal Aviation Agency CEO
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Soyinka Rejects Role As Negotiator For Niger Delta Militants, Demands National Restructuring
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has disavowed a role as a negotiator on
behalf of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), a militant group that has
claimed responsibility for numerous bombing attacks on oil installations
in Nigeria’s oil-producing delta.
In a press statement he sent to SaharaReporters, Professor Soyinka
declared that he never agreed to play a role as a representative of the
interests of the NDA in any negotiations with the Federal Government led
by President Muhammadu Buhari
President Buhari Approves New Federal Appointments
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
N11Bn Scam: Ex-Gov Audu Attacks EFCC Operative In Court
Nigeria's Financial Crimes Commission Arrests One Its Staff For Collecting N15m Bribe
EFCC Docks Ex-Naval Chief, Others For N600m Fraud
The naval chiefs whilst in office allegedly bought a house worth
N600million from the account of Naval Engineering Services without the
said purchase contract being captured in the budget.
3 housewives arrested for throwing girl into old well in Kano
The Kano State Police Command has arrested three housewives in connection with the alleged attempted murder of a girl.
The command’s spokesman, DSP Magaji Majiya, confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kano.
He said that the girl was thrown into an old well in Gayawa village, Ungoggo Local Government Area of the state.
Who Rocked It Better? Bovi vs Future
Comedian Bovi stepped out in this outfit this week and it looks almost
identical to what rapper,Future wore in DJ Khaled's Keys video which
features Jay Z..
Who rocked it better? Meanwhile checkout what Bovi wrote about the comparison below
Amber Rose flaunts figure in sheer leggings
NASA discovers water 'spewing' on Jupiter moon Europa
Thoughts On The Abuse And Corruption In Nigerian Churches, And Why Religion Cannot Reform The World By Ijabla Raymond
Our governments regard churches as charitable organisations and exempt
them from paying taxes but our wealthy pastors plunder their followers
and spend their spoils on self-indulgent existence. In my view, the time
has come to end these tax-exempt privileges and to force religious
houses to open up their books to scrutiny. Let judgment start from the
house of God. They can run their businesses according to existing
corporate laws, and members who donate to such ventures as private
universities should become shareholders. This will lead to transparency
and accountability.
Abba Kyari: The Thief-of-Staff By Bayo Oluwasanmi
Nigeria: Sale Of Assets As Dangerous Policy Myopia? By Chukwuma Charles Soludo
Nigerian Youths, ‘Shine Your Eyes’ By Carllister Ejinkeonye
Corruption Mobilizing To Fight Back - Falana
As corruption is already mobilizing to fight back the Buhari
administration should ignore the reckless campaign of calumny of certain
people who have lost their sense of shame. As far as they are concerned
the suspects should be left alone to enjoy their loot while soldiers
are losing their precious lives due to lack of adequate weapons. The
federal government should ensure that all individuals and corporate
bodies indicted in the criminal diversion of public funds are made to
face the full wrath of the law.
Witchcraft, Paranormal Claims And Reasonable Journalism In Nigeria By Leo Igwe
We cannot expect to achieve a rational society without a rational media
establishment that presents religious and paranormal issues in a fair
and sensible manner.
Read More
Sam Allardyce faces FA probe after newspaper sting: The key quotes
The FA have asked for the "full facts" following a newspaper sting on England manager Sam Allardyce, but what did he say?
A report in The Daily Telegraph
claims Allardyce told undercover reporters posing as businessmen it was
possible to "get around" an FA rule, introduced in 2008, banning third
parties from owning part of a player's economic rights.The report also alleges Allardyce, who has only been in the job since July, mocked predecessor Roy Hodgson, while the 61-year-old also discusses England's Euro 2016 exit, Gary Neville, team selections and potential conflict in speaking engagements.
President Buhari Approves New Federal Appointments
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved new leadership appointments for
13 Federal Government agencies, the presidency said on Monday.
Read More
Buhari's Niger Delta Minister, Uguru Usani, Was Indicted In Cross River For Fraud
The recommendations of the committee and approval of the state government were published as Cross River Gazette titled, ‘Views of the Cross Rivers State Government on the Report of the Financial Impropriety/Verification Standing Committeecontract involving Usani and which was investigated by the committee is titled in the Gazette as 'The Case of Gersh Henshaw & Company.' It involved “the contract for the valuation of vehicles, workshops/equipment of the Cross River State Water Board”, awarded by Usani as the then Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development to Gersh Henshaw & Company, Estate Surveyors, and Valuers.
Usani was said to have paid about N20,750,000 to the company for the execution of the contract. The Head of Practice of the firm, Mr. Gersh Henshaw, was said to have testified before the committee, giving the impression that the firm did the state government a favour by accepting the lump sum of N20,750,000 from the then commissioner for the execution of the job.
But the committee stated that in line with the approved scale of fees for the valuation work done, Gersh Henshaw & Company ought to have been paid only N4,426,850.
The committee recommended that the sum of N16,323,150, being the excess of the payment, be recovered from Usani.
Buhari's Niger Delta Minister, Uguru Usani, Was Indicted In Cross River For Fraud
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Uguru Usani, was indicted for fraud and abuse of office during his tenure as a commissioner in Cross River State, SaharaReporters learned on Monday. Usani was the Commissioner for Agriculture, Water Resources, and Rural Development during the last military administration in the state, which was headed by Col. U. F Ahmed (Rtd). It was Military Administrator Ahmed who handed over to the elected governor of the state, Mr. Donald Duke, at the beginning of the Fourth Republic on May 29, 1999
Monday, 26 September 2016
Zenith Bank Staff Breaks Wife's Legs, Abandons Daughters
Touts Take Over Lagos Airport As Security Personnel Collect N1000
\
An investigation by our correspondent revealed that security personnel,
especially the Aviation Security (AVSEC), a department under the Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), also connive with touts in the
airport environment by collecting the sum of N1000 per shift daily from
them for the touts to continue their activities without harassment.
Despite the current unpleasant security situation in
the country, touts and touting activities have continued to take center
stage across Nigerian airports especially the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
An investigation by our correspondent revealed that security
personnel, especially the Aviation Security (AVSEC), a department under
the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), also connive with
touts in the airport environment by collecting the sum of N1000 per
shift daily from them for the touts to continue their activities without
harassment.Our correspondent, who carried out the investigation at the airport for almost a week, disclosed that staff of one of the major cleaning services at the airport, Patovilki Industrial Planner Ltd, also plays an active role in touting activities at the airport.
For instance, some of the cleaning service staff engage in the sales of duly stamped yellow cards to passengers between N2000 and N3000, depending on the passenger's bargaining power, without medical examination as required while the same card is received at N1000 at a Port Health Office at the airport, after medical examination of impending travelers to some countries, which still require it.
The same staff also abandon their cleaning jobs and engage in the sales of keys, bags (Ghana Must Go bags) and other accessories at the airport, rather than store owners who rented shops from the FAAN at exorbitant rates.
The collaboration between security personnel and touts go as far as the screening points within the airport.
For instance, some of them engage in money laundering for some passengers by ensuring that their luggage stashed with foreign currencies are not checked at the screening points by security agents.
For them to do this, the touts approach the security agents ahead of their clients who now bargain with them, depending on the amount of money involved.
It was further revealed that some of the touts rent trolleys from the company in charge of trolleys at the airport at N500 each and use such to besiege air travelers inside vehicular traffic even to the car parks within the airport.
The touts charge between N500 and N1000 from such travelers for helping them to carry their luggage to the departure terminal.
A source at the airport told our correspondent that some of the touts have access to restricted areas within the airport even without a valid On-Duty-Card (ODC), which is a requirement for accessing some areas at the airport.
“It is unbelievable that some of the people you see inside the terminal don’t have anything doing at all at the airport. When those accompanying travelers are denied entry into the terminal by security operatives, touts have direct access to the terminal without being challenged. They have so much penetrated the security personnel attached to the airport to the extent that some of us who are airport workers are afraid that these people may cause mayhem for us one day," the source told our correspondent.
“In fact, through their activities, some air travelers have been robbed while others duped, and these people also pilfer checked in luggage. AVSEC look the other way round because they collect the sum of N1000 from them per shift daily. They share the largesse among themselves later.
“They also engage in money laundering for several people. They go as far as taking their luggage beyond the check-in areas. Though, they do it with the connivance of security personnel at the airport. In fact, some of them go as if they are engaging in prostitution,” the source added.
It would be recalled that about a year ago, officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested an official of FAAN, Mr. Akinyele Adetula, for trying to launder $1.4m for one Mr. Ifeanyi Urama, a bureau de change operator who also doubles as a clearing and forwarding agent.
According to the EFCC, the suspect was able to pass through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) security checks because he was wearing his identity card and therefore did not draw any suspicion.
Ministerial Screening: Saraki’s Gamble Fails, APC Chiefs Insist On Code Of Conduct Tribunal Trial
The APC, a party born of the quest for democratic good governance, is under critical threat by those who managed to be in the party but never of it. From the party’s inception, the principles of democratic fairness and justice were to guide APC internal deliberations. Party founders realized that only by intramural fair dealing could the party remain faithful to the progressive ideals that we presented to the Nigerian electorate as our governing creed. If the party could not justly govern itself, it would find it difficult to establish and maintain just government throughout the nation.
In essence, the party was the embodiment of a democratic promise made between its members as well as a democratic vow made to the public. Evidently, some errant members believe promises and vows are mere words to be easily spoken and more easily broken. Chairman John Oyegun has breached these good pledges in a most overt and brazen display. In doing so, Oyegun has dealt a heavy blow to the very party he professes to lead. It is an awful parent who suffocates his own child for the sake of a few naira. The party was supposed to buttress APC members elected to government at all levels. Because of Oyegun’s conduct of our affairs, the party is rapidly becoming an albatross to those it was meant to help.
Oyegun’s comportment regarding the Ondo State primacy will become the textbook definition of political treachery and malfeasance of the basest order. In early September, the state primary was held. A purported winner was named. Having faith in the ways of the party, Tinubu publicly accepted what he assumed to be a verdict honestly derived. As a democrat, one must face the possibility of defeat and accept such as outcome with as much grace as one would embrace victory. One of the few bright spots during the conduct of the primaries was Jigawa Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar
He chaired the primary convention with decorum and impartiality. He was unaware that a tampered list had been slipped into the process.
Indeed within hours of the announcement, news began to filter in that gravely disturbed me. Credible allegations of fraud troubled the waters. The delegate list had been materially altered by someone in a strategic position to so do. The names of over 150 valid delegates were excised to make room for an equal number of impostors. This was not a clerical error. The alteration was willfully executed that the primary would be directed toward a chosen end that bore nothing in common with the will of most state party members. A cunning few had tried to deceive the many into believing they were outnumbered.
A conspiracy to steal the Ondo primary had been uncovered. Fortunately, the grand deception afoot had been unable to cover its tracks fast enough. Truth began to cry for justice.
Several candidates filed petitions contesting the result. The party established an investigative board to review the evidence. In a two to one decision, the panel found the delegate roster had suffered tampering. The panel recommended that a new primary should be held using the valid delegate list. This recommendation was tabled before the National Working Committee (NWC).
After many hours of deliberations spanning several days, a final vote was held by the NWC. Before hand, NWC members agreed that the decision of the majority would become the stance of the party. Such is the way of democracy. The NWC voted six against five to cancel the fraudulent results and hold an honest primary. For a moment, it seemed the party would restore its integrity by giving democracy a chance. However, those who sought to scam an entire state would not let the vote of 11 people spoil their enterprise.
After the NWC vote, a noticeably agitated Chairman Oyegun proposed the NWC engage in prayer before concluding the meeting. Adhering to this chairman’s request, NWC members began to pray. Seeing that the others had taken his bait, Oyegun used the prayerful interlude to secretly excuse himself from the meeting. Contravening the NWC decision and in violation of all rules of fundamental decency, Oyegun decided to safeguard the fraud done in Ondo by perpetrating a greater fraud. Oyegun arrogated to himself the right to submit the name of Rotimi Akeredolu to INEC as the candidate of the party.
Truth has finally come to light. There exists a regressive element in the party that cares nothing for the progressive ideas upon which this party was founded. They joined the APC because it was the best ride available at the time. Now they want to guide the party into the ditch. They want to turn the party into a soulless entity incapable of doing good, just like they are. When such a person tastes power, they shed all good restraint. They come to abuse the trust given them as if they are the owners of that trust and not its mere custodians. These people did little to build the party but now will do much to wreck it.
Such a man is Oyegun and those who conspired with him to sabotage justice and democracy in Ondo. Our party was to stand for change. Oyegun and his fellows seem to be on a different wavelength. They are the cohort of Unchanged. The APC wants to guide Nigeria into a better tomorrow. Oyegun and the cohort of unchange want to pull Nigeria back into the past where rigging and vote stealing were the old and new testaments of politics. They want the people to think that there is no alternative to their reactionary system of skewed politics and imperious government. Thus, they seek to turn the APC into a factory of the very political malpractices the people soundly rejected in the past election. To choke the APC in this manner is to kill the chance for progressive reform for the foreseeable future. Much more than the Ondo primary is at stake. Oyegun has revealed his team’s game plan: It is the destruction of progressive politics and governance on behalf of the people.
As party chairman, Oyegun was supposed to protect our internal processes and be an impartial arbiter, a person in whom all had confidence. Instead, he donned the garment of a confident man, duping the NWC, the party, and INEC in one fell blow. He has robbed APC members in Ondo State of the chance to pick in a fair manner who they believe is the best candidate.
As such, he has broken faith with the party and probably has broken a few laws. The consequences of what he has done are more expansive than a man of his scope can fathom. There must is a powerful and sinister arm at work to compel a man of Oyegun’s age to steal the decision of the party in a manner so crude that it would embarrass even the commonest thief.
With strong expectation, we await a response to Oyegun’s wrongdoing from those who clamored so long and loudly about Tinubu’s alleged role in the Ondo primary.
Leading into the primary, a prominent lawyer from Ondo published lengthy missives alleging that Tinubu was a malicious hand intent on rigging the primary. His letters spoke of his great love for democracy and justice. Though Oyegun has assaulted democracy in a most public and vulgar way, this lawyer’s prolific pen will remain stilled. He dares not publish a word about this travesty. His silence will be the sign for all who care to decipher its meaning.
The plan was to point the accusing finger at Tinubu. With everyone focused on Tinubu, they would have distracted all attention from the heist they had set in motion. As fate would have it, the trickery they hoped to conduct in the shadows has come to light.
Thus, Oyegun was forced to undertake his desperate fraud in broad daylight in order to salvage the wrong initiated under the lamp of darkness. Those who so actively attributed imaginary wrong to Tinubu now stand dumb and mute in the face of confirmed impropriety. They remain silent for reasons they cannot divulge. Oyegun and his ilk turn out to be gangsters adorned in the tunic of party authority.
Oyegun has engaged in the strange math where five is greater than six. This smacks of how the PDP conducted its affairs and orchestrated its own downfall. Tinubu disparaged such malpractice when it was not in his party. Tinubu surely disowns it now that it has invaded the party he helped bring to fruition.
Tinubu has consciously refused to hold any official position with the party to avoid the perception that he was trying to control all and sundry. Tinubu has even kept his peace for some time despite many things that happened within the party that were not quite right. He exercised this forbearance because the party is young. A collective endeavor cannot avoid the mistakes and errors of organizational newness and evolution.
Yet, the wrongs Oyegun committed had nothing to do with newness or the mistakes occasioned by the path of reform. His actions are in the nature of the old wrongs that have afflicted our national politics much too long. If Oyegun wants to walk backward into the past, he has every right to it. However, he has no right to drag the party or any of us with him. Against our choosing.
The informal title of national leader of the party was given to Tinubu at the onset which he accepted it as a sign from those who wished to recognize my contributions to the party’s formation. It is an honorific title which he has been proud to wear until today. I would rather not have any title yet reside in a party that honors democracy than hold a title in a party that says it honors me but that treats justice with indecency. I find greater honor and comfort where democracy and fairness are found and respected.
Oyegun has done the irredeemable. His coup is an insult to party and to patriot, to reason and to the reform agenda of this government. To remain silent would be to admit the defeat of the reform and progressive change many have labored to bring forth. While the forces resistant to change and reform are strong, Tinubu dare not submit to them. Tinubu encourages all party members not to submit to them. If we acquiesce in this wrong, the one greater than this shall cascade upon us.
Oyegun’s transgressions are a warning. He is but the mercenary of forces that seek to return the nation to the old ways. If they get away with this infraction, no telling what or whom they will undermine tomorrow. Much is at stake. On the chopping block, lies the future of the political party in which the majority of voters had placed their confidence. To rescue the party, Oyegun must go. He has shown that he and democratic, fair play cannot exist in the same party at the same time. If Tinubu is to choose between John Oyegun and progress toward a better Nigeria, the choice has already been made. For those who care about the party, who care about Nigeria and its chance for a better tomorrow, now is the time to stand against this brewing evil before it grows to encompass all we have built and all we hold dear.
Ondo Primary: Crisis Hits APC As National Leader Tinubu Demands Party Chair Oyegun's Resignation
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