Connect with us

News

Buhari’s Re-Election ’ll Spell Doom -Secondus …As PDP Urges President To Resign Over Insecurity, Corruption …APC Has Failed Nigerians -Melaye

Published

on

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus, says Nigeria will sink deeper into further crises if President Muhammadu Buhari is given another four-year term in 2019.
He said that all the promises made by Buhari that made Nigerians to vote him in 2015 had remained unfulfilled till today.
Apart from this, he said the President had divided the country along ethnic and religious lines with his alleged divisive style of governance since he assumed power in 205.
Secondus, who spoke in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said majority of those who toiled day and night to get the President elected three years ago were regretting their action.
He said Buhari could have noticed the disaffection of Nigerians to the way he had been administering the country and that, this could be the reason he asked the governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress not to rush him into taking decision on whether he would run in 2019 or not.
Secondus said, “The President may have noticed that Nigerians are eager to end his misrule and that’s why he told the governors of the APC to give him some time before he would make up his mind on 2019.
“The fact, however, is that, allowing President Muhammadu Buhari to rule for another four years as from 2019 will be disastrous for the country and its citizens.
“Buhari promised to fight corruption, he promised to fight insurgency and also revive the economy. That’s good.
“But is the fight against corruption working? Is he not shielding alleged corrupt people in his kitchen cabinet? Are we making progress in the fight against insurgency? Nobody is even talking about the economy because if we have remained where we were in 2015 when he assumed office, it would have been better.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Social Media Organisation has said Nigeria would be better off if the kindergarten President Muhammadu Buhari threw in the towel, having failed abysmally to uphold his Oath of Allegiance to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians as the chief security officer of the nation.
The statement is coming on the heels of an open acknowledgment by Buhari of the rising rate of insecurity in the land occasioned by rampant killings by armed Fulani herdsmen, endless bombings by Boko Haram and the spiralling web of public funds being “swallowed” by snakes, dragons and monkeys under the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government, which claims to be fighting corruption.
In a statement in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the state Coordinator of the social media group, Comrade Abeki Kokobaiye, commended Buhari for “the open confession of his failure”, adding that he should complement his inability to discharge the sacrosanct responsibility by turning in his resignation letter.
Abeki, who regretted that the president had continued to misappropriate billions of naira from the commonwealth of the people, said the recent report by Transparency International, which indicated that corruption in Nigeria had deepened under the present administration, was an open indictment of “a government that prides itself as an agent of change.
In another development, the lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye has taken a swipe at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for failing to meet the expectations of Nigerians, many of whom he said, defied the odds to vote for Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s President in the 2015 general elections.
Melaye who spoke after he was conferred with the Legislator of the Year 2017 at the Daily Asset Newspaper maiden annual awards and lecture in Abuja, also charged Nigerians to conquer fear by rising up to ask critical questions on governance and service delivery.
Prefacing his remarks with his usual coinage; “If you speak the truth, you die. If you lie, you die. I, Dino Melaye has decided to speak the truth and die,” the fiery Senator wooed the audience with his vitriolic against his own party, which he likened to the Public Complaint Commission, apparently due to its penchants for blaming past administrations for its inability to deliver on some of its electioneering campaign promises.
“The APC government has become Public Complaint Commission.
I say this without fear or favour. We have more complaints in the APC and even in the Presidency than service rendered. We cannot as a people continue like this. “The President said two days ago we should all embrace peace but I want to say without fear or favour that there can be no peace without justice.
There is hunger in the land, there is poverty in the land, and there is unemployment in the land. A lot of decision has not been taken; yet we say we want peace. The primary objective of government is the security and welfare of the people.
There is no security, there is no welfare,” he said. According to the federal lawmaker, “Nigeria is not only sick presently but equally suffers from regretful congenital abnormality. There is therefore a serious need for amelioration, palliation and correction.
The question is: are you going to be part of that correction? I want to say that in an unjust society, silence is a crime, and every one of us here today, is the reason why (sic) Nigeria is sick. “It is not about the leadership, it is the inability of the followership to check the leadership.
Today, Nigerians have become indolent, we are suffering and smiling. We are not reactionary. We are not asking questions and that is why we are where we are. “Democracy will continue to be government of the people by the people for the people but what we have today is greedocracy which is government of the greedy by the greedy and for the greedy, “he added..
Many of us are lackadaisical about the future. I delivered a lecture recently at the University of Lagos and some students from very wealthy homes, two of them said they didn’t care who the president of the country is and that it was none of their business because their parents were very successful.
I said to them that when the poor have nothing to eat, they will start eating the rich. “A time will come when it will be difficult to drive your expensive jeeps and cars on the streets.

A time will come when it would be difficult to switch on your generator because everywhere around you is dark. Will you be the only one having light? There was no kidnapping before, and kidnapping is seen as the redistribution of both ill-gotten and legitimate wealth.
People now take from the rich and they now appropriate to themselves,” he noted even as he urged the masses to be wary of the elites whom he accused of polarizing the rest of the populace.
“The elites have divided us using tribal sentiments. When you go to the hospital, there is a column for religion on your call card, a column for tribe and local government as if this will in any way facilitate your recovery. We have become too ethnic conscious.
I sponsored a bill that is about to go for a second reading. The bill is saying that we should abolish state of origin and in its place; we should have state of residence.
This is when we will have a true Nigeria when you will not need a Senator’s note to get job with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN or the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC,” he added. APC incapable of good leadership-Makarfi On his part, former Kaduna State governor and Chairman of the defunct National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi who bagged the Man of the Year 2017 award said the APC cannot provide the expected good leadership because the party is made up of strange political bedfellows.
While dedicating the prize to the entire PDP family, Makarfi promised Nigerians that the party will restore their hope and deliver on quality governance if given the opportunity again.
In a private chat with Vanguard, an elated Makarfi said the award would spur him to do more for Nigeria and her people.
“The award will surely encourage me to do much more. As the chairman of the occasion, Babangida Aliyu mentioned, APC is conglomeration of incompatible political interest groups which Senator Melaye re-echoed.
Therefore, they cannot provide good leadership,” he said. APC, not a political party-Aliyu Co-chairman of the occasion and former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu also slammed the APC, saying it was never prepared for governance.
“Why is APC not doing very well? It is because it has not become a political party. It won election before becoming a political party. It is a combination of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and one-quarter of PDP,” said Aliyu who also lamented the lack of unity among leaders in the northern part of the country.
“Why is it that there is the problem of insecurity more in the North? Why is that we cannot speak with one voice?” he asked noting that while the government of President Buhari claimed to have defeated Boko Haram, herdsmen/farmers ‘clashes birthed leading to the death of many across the country.
Tambuwal, Ishaku, Abubakar, others honoured Also honoured at the event were the trio of Aminu Tambuwal, Darius Ishaku and Mohammed Abubakar, the governors of Sokoto, Taraba and Bauchi States respectively as Governor of the Year 2017. Other awardees included Nnamdi Okonkwo, Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank PLC (Banker of the Year 2017); Luke Onofiok (Young Achiever of the Year 2017); Igho Charles Sanomi (Business Person of the Year 2017 and the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (University of the Year 2017).

Continue Reading

News

Bonny-Bodo Road: FG Offers Additional N20bn, Targets December Deadline

Published

on

The Federal Government has agreed to offer additional N20.5 billion for the completion of the Bonny-Bodo road project in December.
The government, however, said if the construction company, Julius Berger, was not ready to accept the offer, the contract will be terminated.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, said this during a meeting with the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Lars Ritcher and members of Bodo-Bonny Road Peace Committee, on Wednesday in Abuja.
The reports that Julius Berger had requested asking for a N28 billion variation on the 82 per cent completed project.
The company hinged its request on the rise in exchange rate, construction materials, and diesel among others.
Umahi, however, said the government was willing to provide N20 billion out of the N28 billion that Julius Berger requested for.
According to him, the Bonny-Bodo road contract which was initially awarded at the cost of N120 billion in 2015, was later varied at N199 billion with a completion dateline of December 2023, which has since elapsed.
The Tide’s source recalls that in 2017, an agreement between the Federal Government, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and Julus Berger on modalities for funding the project cost of N199.923 billion, without any further increase.
“If you do not accept the Federal Government’s offer by Friday and resume work on the site, the previously expired 14-day ultimatum for termination of project will be enforced.
“I want to let you know that we are the client. No contractor will dictate for this ministry, and there is no job that is compulsory that a particular contractor must do.
“We give you an offer. If you do not like the offer, you walk away. You don’t force us or we don’t force you.
“Agreement of contractual relationship is a mutual understanding,’’ the minister said.
Umahi said that had Julius Berger adhered to the project timetable, the project would have been completed on schedule before the impact of foreign exchange.
“Our position is very simple, we reject the conditions of Julius Berger totally and we ask Berger to please go back to the site to complete the project based on our offer.
“Our offer is unconditional and we say, accept or reject, so you cannot subject our offer to your conditions ,’’ he added
Umahi said the company should be humble in its dealings and exhibit solidarity during challenges.
Earlier, Richter had explained that the company suspended work on the site to seek some clarifications from the ministry.
According to him, the company asked for the augmemtation of N28 bilion because as at the time the contract was awarded the exchange rate was N305 to a dollar and diesel was N350 eor litre.
“We will still require some outstanding materials; that means that the initial agreement can’t fly because the variation of project is not sufficient and the exchange rate is also not in our favour to compensate the additional costs.
“That is why we decided to go back to our original proposal of the augmentation. Augmentation is a very normal process for all contracts,” the managing director said.
Chief Abel Attoni, Palace Secretary, Bonny Kingdom, expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the decision to complete the Bodo-Bonny road project.
Attonu urged the parties to be patriotic and make the necessary sacrifice for the actualisation of the project.

Continue Reading

News

Court Vacates Arrest Warrant Against Ehie, Five Others

Published

on

The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, yesterday, set aside the warrant of arrest against Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Rivers State, and five others.
Justice Emeka Nwite stated this while delivering his ruling in an application seeking to vacate the warrant of arrest which he issued on January 31, 2024.
The Judge said he was misled by the police in ordering the arrest of Ehie in connection with the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly on October 30, 2023.
The Police, had told the court that Ehie and five others masterminded the bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly amid a plot to impeach Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
The five others are Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri, and Chibuike Peter, alias Rambo.
Justice Emeka Nwite while setting aside the warrant said it has now become a mere academic exercise.
The judge further granted same to the 2nd to 5th Defendant/Applicant in same suit.
Femi Falana, SAN, and Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, who appeared for the defendants in separate suits, held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to have granted the order.
While Falana filed a motion seeking an order to set aside the January 31 order by Justice Nwite, Aladedoye applied for a stay of execution of the arrest order.
In a motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/112/2024 dated February 2 and filed on February 7 by Falana, Ehie sought two orders, including “an order setting aside the order made on January 31 for want of jurisdiction.
“An order of this honourable court staying the execution of the order made on the 31st January 2024, pending the hearing and determination of this application.”
Giving six grounds of argument, Falana argued that the complainant had not filed any criminal charge or motion before the court.
The senior lawyer argued that the court lacked the territorial jurisdiction to entertain the ex-parte application as the alleged offences of conspiracy, attempted murder, murder and arson took place in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
“He submitted that the court lacked the vires to grant an application to arrest and declare his clients wanted in respect of the alleged offences.
“The complainant/respondent (IG) did not adduce evidence of terrorism in the affidavit in support of the application.
“The complainant/respondent did not cite any section of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013 (as amended) alleged to have been contravened by the applicants,” he argued.
Aladedoye in a motion on notice dated and filed February 9, on behalf of the five defendants, sought two orders, including
“an order staying execution or further execution of the order(s) of this honourable court made on the 31st of January, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed by the applicants.
“An order of injunction restraining the complainant from carrying out or further carrying out the orders of this honourable court made on the 31st January 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed by the applicant in this case.”
Giving a three-ground argument, Aladedoye said that a notice of appeal had already been filed against Justice Nwite’s orders.
According to the senior lawyer, the notice of appeal contains grounds that challenge the jurisdiction of the honourable court.
The Inspector-General had, in a charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, arraigned the defendants on a seven-count criminal charge bordering on terrorism and murder.

Continue Reading

News

13 Students Bag First Class, 182 PhD As IAUOE Graduates 5,550, Today

Published

on

The authorities of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUOE), Rumuolumeni, in Rivers State, have stated that 13 students will be graduating with first class while 182 graduands will bag Ph.D during the 42nd convocation ceremony of the university billed to hold today and tomorrow.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, disclosed this during pre-convocation press briefing held in his office, yesterday, to unveil the programme for the convocation ceremony.
Onuchuku said that the 13 students were among the 4,653 graduands expected to graduate for the 2022/2023 academic session with first degree, while 897 students will be graduating with postgraduate degrees.
The Acting Vice Chancellor while giving the breakdown stated that 13 students made first class, 890 students bagged second class upper while 2,739 students had second class lower for first degree.
He further stated that 182 graduands bagged PhD, 667 got master’s degree and 48 got postgraduate diploma, adding that the convocation ceremony will hold today and tomorrow for first degree graduands and postgraduate graduands respectively.
He said that a total of 47 programmes out of the 54 programmes being undertaken at the first degree levels had been given full accreditation by the National University Commission (NUC) as well as all the programmes at the postgraduate school.
“We have ensured that our programmes both at the first degree and post graduates are in line with the NUC stipulated guidelines and speculations. We have also ensured that we are in line with both our academic and administrative policies,” he said.
Prof. Okechukwu urged the graduating students of the institution to always remember to use thier positions to help their alma mater as well as project the institution in a good image in the larger society.
“Try to ensure you finish any project you want to do, evaluate it first and avoid unfinished or abandoned projects. We will be graduating first degree graduands on Friday while Saturday will be for postgraduates, “he added.
Prof. Onuchukwu also said his administration had achieved a lot since he assumed office as Acting Vice Chancellor, stressing that his administration had improved on the welfare of the staff and the students.
“There are a lot of projects completed in the school; we have also given scholarship to some students and also encouraged departments to do same. We also impacted positively on our host communities”, he said.

Akujobi Amadi

Continue Reading

Trending