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PDP Tasks Buhari, APC On US Corruption Charge …As Wike Urges Youth To Vote Out APC In 2019
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to quickly respond to the damning report by the United States government on increasing corruption and abuse of human rights in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary of the party in Abuja, yesterday, it said the report further exposed the festering corruption, impunity, gross violation of rights and killings under the watch of the Buhari Presidency.
According to the statement, this report by the US Department of State further vindicates the opposition party’s stand that the Buhari-led APC government is “overtly and inherently corrupt, vengeful and has been engaging in smear campaign against the opposition to divert public attention from its atrocities.”
The party observed that the US report directly indicted the APC-led Federal Government of official corruption, secretiveness, high-handedness, restriction of personal freedom and rights, executive influence on the judiciary, wanton arrests, detention and persecution of opposition as well as extra judicial and arbitrary killing of citizens by state-controlled security forces.
It pointed out that the report also directly discredited President Buhari’s fight against corruption as targeted against opposition members while government officials and APC members, openly indicted of corruption, especially those close to Mr. President, are not prosecuted.
The statement added: “From the report, the world can now see that the PDP has not been raising a false alarm on the unbearable savagery and massive corruption of the APC administration, which has proven to be the worst in the history of our country.
“The world has now known why the APC-led Federal Government has been fixated at silencing opposition voices using the tyrannical instruments of intimidation, arrest, detention, trumped-up charges and media trial while emasculating free speech and press freedom in our country, all designed to hide their atrocities from the world.
“Today, it is clear to the world why Nigerians are leaving their country in droves to other parts of the world even at the peril of slavery and death.
“Under President Buhari and the APC, our country is in great pain. Our constitution appears to have been technically suspended. Citizens now live in fear; bloodletting by marauders and extra judicial killings have become the order of the day; billions of naira meant for the rehabilitation of victims of the insurgency are daily frittered by government officials while fundamental human rights have become essential commodities.
“While we urge Nigerians to remain calm, we are surprised that the Buhari Presidency has suddenly become dumb in the face of obviously overwhelming allegations, believing that the tide will flow by.”
The PDP, therefore, challenged the Presidency and the APC to end “their arrogant disdain for the people and immediately respond to all allegations raised in the report.”
It said these are weighty issues and they can no longer hide under the canopy of politics to dismiss them with a wave of the hand as they did in the past.
The PDP called on United States President Donald Trump to note the damning finding in the report by the US Department of States and review his earlier invitation to President Buhari until the issues raised are addressed.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has stated that Nigerian youth have a responsibility to vote out the failed All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government in 2019 that has destroyed the country.
This is as the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association; Rivers State Branch endorsed the governor for a second term, citing his performance as the reason behind their decision.
Speaking during a solidarity visit by the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association, Rivers State Branch, last Monday, at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Wike said that the APC-led Federal Government has no plan for the future of the country, hence it has destroyed all viable sectors.
He said: “A government that has no plan for the people, does not think of their welfare and security, goes ahead to say that the youth are lazy.
“Having collapsed the country, they want to blame it on others. Things were not like this before they worsened the situation. I am happy that we now know our mistakes, and we are not going to continue with that mistake in 2019”.
The governor said that contrary to the presidential declaration, Nigerian youth were not lazy.
“I know that our youth are not lazy. The only power we have is our Permanent Voter Card. If you don’t have your Permanent Voter Card, then you are lazy. We must use our PVCs to chase away this lazy party out of Nigeria”, Wike said.
Speaking further, Wike said that his administration has a deliberate policy to grow the state’s economy and empower the youth.
“Members of the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association, Rivers State Branch will benefit from the monthly N200million interest free loans set aside by the state government. The funds will be released to different traders and young entrepreneurs on a phased basis”, Wike said.
He added: “Once you get the loan, apply it to your businesses and trades to grow the state’s economy. I also plead with you to work with the state government to ensure that your members don’t ply your trade on the main road”.
On national security, Wike stated that the APC-led Federal Government should be held responsible for the unbridled killing of innocent Nigerians across the country.
“APC is responsible for the bloodshed in the country. This is a party that believes in sucking blood. If the party does not believe in sucking blood, they would have checked the shedding of innocent blood”, he said.
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
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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