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Jonathan, Mark Blast Maku Over Defection …President Rules Out Sambo As Successor
President Goodluck Jonathan; Senate President, David Mark; and a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Ali, yesterday expressed anger at the way the former Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) without exhausting all avenues for dialogue within the party.
While Jonathan described Maku’s action as anti-party, Mark said the former minister was a liar while Ali described him as an ingrate. They spoke at the Lafia Township Stadium during the PDP presidential rally, yesterday.
The President said he could not be involved in anti-party activities, adding that he did not at any time have any discussion or encourage Maku to join another party.
Mark on his part said Maku has to apologise and retrace his steps, before he could be accepted back to the party.
The Senate president said the North Central was solidly behind Jonathan, and will vote for him because he has brought democracy dividends to bear on the region.
Ali also described Maku as an ingrate, saying that despite using the platform of the party to rise to stardom, he jumped the ship because of greed.
He said the president had never asked anybody to join any party to canvass for him, ýsaying Maku’s intention is to smear the image of Jonathan and portray him as a religious bigot.
He accused Maku of dropping the name of the president in his bid to realise his ambition, which he insisted, will never happen because he lacks the required integrity.
However, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday tacitly ruled out having Vice President Namadi Sambo as his successor, saying the next Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president must be below 60 years of age.
Addressing a large crowd at the Lafia Township stadium during his presidential campaign tour to Nasarawa State, Mr. Jonathan said his administration believes in the youth and will do everything possible to support the younger generation.
“Obasanjo was president at 70, Yar’Adua at 60 and me close to 60 so the next president must be younger than me,” Jonathan said.
Vice president Namadi Sambo is already 60 years old. If Mr. Jonathan wins re-election on February 14 and leaves office in 2019, his remarks means he would not support Mr. Sambo to succeed him as the vice president would have turned 64.
Jonathan said the PDP administration will invest in the younger generation and ensure that a space is made available for them in the future.
He explained that his administration has taken keen interest in educational development which is a yardstick for developing the younger generation.
He laid emphasis on youth empowerment which he said will be cardinal principle of his government if re-elected.
President Jonathan said the Doma Dam in Doma Local Government Area of the state will be completed to pave way for agricultural development that will create development for the youth.
He added that the PDP administration will work to integrate Nasarawa within the Federal Capital Territory in the next 25 years.
Earlier, the National chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Muazu, reiterated the party’s concern for the next generation and promised that the party will continue with policies that will develop the youth.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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