Featured
Wike Berates Buhari’s Failure To Sign Electoral Act …Says It’s A Ploy To Rig 2019 Polls
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has declared that the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the amended Electoral Act was part of the plot to rig the 2019 elections.
In an interview at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Wike stated that the plot by the APC Federal Government was basically to write results against the wishes of Nigerians.
He said: “Why has the President not signed the Electoral Act? What is the fear? What do you mean by mistakes? Oh my God what is a mistake? Errors you didn’t see by one month’s time? Errors for the first time, the second time, the third time. Does it not tell Nigerians these people are not prepared for election?
“All they are prepared is to write the results and let heaven fall. Most of them who have left PDP to APC told me that, My Brother, look I can confidently tell you that these people are not prepared for the election. All they want to do is write the results, let heaven fall.”
Wike noted that the APC Federal Government and the security agencies would not succeed in rigging the elections in Rivers State.
He said: “In my State? It won’t happen. I know they will kill a lot of people. I can tell you, they will kill a lot of us. No problem, if that is the sacrifice we will make.”
Wike explained that intelligence at the disposal of the Rivers State Government indicates that indicted SARS Commander, ACP Akin Fakorede and DCP Stephen Hasso feature prominently in the rigging plot of the APC-led Federal Government in the state.
He said: “They are planning for Rivers State as I speak. Let me tell you. They are promoting my Commissioner of Police to Assistant Inspector-General of Police, they are promoting the Deputy Commissioner of Police, who was just made a Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) to be Acting Commissioner of Police and the SARS man who took Rivers State Government to court, who has perpetrated rigging of election even by INEC report, they are going to make him the man in charge of operations just for the purpose of 2019 elections.
“Akin Fakorede, to be made the Head of Operations of the State Police Command, then Stephen Hasso who is the Deputy Commissioner of Police will be made the Acting Commissioner of Police and the current Commissioner of Police will be appointed Assistant Inspector General of Police for the purpose of 2019 election and they think that we don’t know.”
The governor said that the international community was under obligation to take proactive action against officials of the APC-led Federal Government who destroyed the foundation of democracy and the rule of law, and called for the revocation of their visas.
“If it were where things are done rightly, they should revoke all the visas of those in government who are opposed to democratic rule principles, rule of law. Let me tell you whether you like it or not, this government is bent on eliminating the key opposition”.
He stated that the electoral criminality plotted by the APC-led Federal Government was exhibited during the cancelled Port Harcourt State Constituency three election where security agencies and APC thugs were unleashed on the constituents.
The governor said: “Look at the bye-election in Port Harcourt Constituency three comprising eight wards, 142 polling units within the same area. It is a ring road like this; it will not take you thirty minutes to cover them. The Commissioner of Police as I speak to you since after the election has not seen me to explain to me why all the atrocities were perpetrated, snatching electoral materials, and beating INEC officials.
“I am not happy with INEC for one reason, Yes I am happy with them for one way that they stood up but then, this is the same police, the same SARS that you indicted in the 2016/2017 re-run election and what has happened?”
Wike noted that the APC-led Federal Government plots to use security agencies to promote mass violence across Rivers State on the day of the governorship election in 2019, so that it would be postponed for them to have time to invade the state with hundreds of thousands of security personnel for rigging purposes.
“First of all, as far as 2019 election is concerned, there will be no election. The security agencies will help them to show that there is so many crises in the entire local governments, shooting everywhere and then they will postpone the election. When they postpone the election, then they will now bring down all their security agencies to the Rivers election”.
Wike further explained the modalities for the planned rigging by the APC-led Federal Government.
“We know, we have people inside the system who also working with them who are also letting us know these are the plans they are hatching and it has been happening. Port Harcourt showed it, I told my people don’t do anything.
“Allow them to show their hands and they did by coming with criminals and SARS wearing their uniforms. SARS protected them to cart away materials. INEC REC from Akwa Ibom, not Rivers State INEC, from Akwa Ibom, one of the three RECs that were sent here said, he saw, he witnessed, he couldn’t believe it. That at this our time, security agencies will lead people to cart away materials. So, for 2019, it is to make sure no election takes place in the first instance.
“As I speak to you, they will shoot everywhere and INEC would say, No, there will be no election. We cannot handle it that is the strategy for 2019. Tell the people, tell the public, tell Mr President. That they will make sure that there is so much violence in Rivers State so that elections will be postponed and then when elections are postponed, other elections in other states will take place, then, they will now move down all the security men to Rivers State.”
Wike berated the APC for selecting a murder suspect as one of their factional chairmen in Rivers State and ordering security agencies to protect him.
He said: “A man who is facing multiple murder trials, the court said, he must be arrested for murder, ordered the Commissioner of Police to arrest him. They say, they can’t find the man but the man is the one who will come out and say, he’s contesting for the Chairman of the APC? What a shame to this country, what a shame to the security agency. They should bury their heads in shame.
“If my father was a police man, I will tell my father, withdraw as a policeman, it is a shame. A man facing multiple trials, the court ordered that he should be arrested. The police said that they cannot find him, is the man who contested for APC election. He is the man who led what happened in PHALGA Constituency 3 on 18th of August, 2018.”
The Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board says it has begun the compilation of list of retired civil servants who have defaulted on the full repayment of housing loans obtained.
Head of Information and Public Relations, FGSHLB, Mrs Ngozi Obiechina, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, yesterday.
Obiechina quoted the Executive Secretary of the Board, Mrs Salamatu Ahmed, as saying that the move was aimed at recovering mortgaged properties from retirees who failed to meet their loan obligations.
Ahmed noted that the decision followed a recent memo issued by Mrs Patience Oyekunle, Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
According to her, the memo reminded public servants of the mandatory requirement to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness to the FGSHLB and MDA Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society as a precondition for retirement.
The Executive Secretary said that the board would take necessary legal steps to repossess properties where applicable, in line with the terms of the loan agreements.
She said this was in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules 021002 (p), issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
“I am directed to bring to your attention the provision of Public Service Rule (PSR) 021002 (p), which mandates all public servants to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness as a prerequisite for retirement.
“The Federal Government will commence the seizure of mortgaged properties belonging to retiring federal public servants who have failed to fully repay housing loans obtained from the board,” she said.
Ahmed explained that the FGSHLB reserves the legal right to repossess any mortgaged property in cases where a public servant exits service without fully repaying the loan.
She reiterated that the directive also applied to already retired officers who were still indebted.
She urged all affected public servants to regularise their loan status and obtain the required clearance certificate without delay.
“The board is currently compiling a list of such retirees, which will be forwarded to relevant regulatory agencies for debt recovery.
“The FGSHLB remains committed to enforcing compliance and ensuring proper loan recovery procedures are followed, “ she added.
The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
“The expectations are high, and the responsibility is immense. But with commitment and teamwork, we can deliver a more efficient, accountable, and citizen-centred public service.
“This final lap of FCSSIP 25 calls for urgency, accountability, and strategic focus. You must translate vision into measurable results,” she stated.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, described the programme as a strategic investment in leadership capacity and institutional effectiveness.
The sessions featured expert-led discussions, simulations, and strategic briefings facilitated by a distinguished faculty, including Engr. Suleiman Adamu, former Minister of Water Resources; Dr. Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination; Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice; Alh. Yusuf Addy, retired Federal Director; Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Amb. Mustapha Lawal Suleiman, Mr. Adesola Olusade, and Dr. Ifeoma Anagbogu, all retired Permanent Secretaries.
Participants include Dr. Obi Emeka Vitalis, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, Mr. Danjuma Mohammed Sanusi, Mr. Olusanya Olubunmi, Dr. Keshinro Maryam Ismaila, Dr. Akujobi Chinyere Ijeoma, Dr. Umobong Emanso Okop, Dr. Isokpunwu Christopher Osaruwanmwen, Mrs. Oyekunle N. Patience, Dr. Kalba U. Danjuma, Mr. Nadungu Gagare, Mr. Onwusoro I. Maduka, Dr. Usman Salihu Aminu, Mr. Ogbodo Chinasa Nnam, Mr. Ndiomu Ebiogeh Philip, Dr. Anuma N. Ogbonnaya, Mr. Adeladan Rafiu Olaninre, and Mr. Mukhtar Yawale Muhammed, alongside the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi.
The induction programme will feature sessions on public sector leadership, policy delivery, ethics in service, digital transformation, and performance management.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has announced that a forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) will begin soon.
Edun revealed this at the ongoing Nigerian Investor Forum, held alongside the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC.
The minister explained that the recent changes in the NNPCL management are part of a broader effort by the Federal Government to clean up and examine the company closely.
While addressing top global investors, including representatives from J.P. Morgan, Edun shared key reforms the government has introduced to revive the economy and restore investor confidence.
He told the investors that the government’s bold economic steps have laid a strong foundation to attract private investment.
He stated, “Our goal is not just to maintain this momentum, but to accelerate it. We are targeting seven per cent annual growth, and we believe the policies we have implemented have laid the groundwork to achieve this.”
Edun highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has rolled out major reforms that are already making a difference.
He added that the Nigerian economy grew by 3.84 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024 and recorded a 3.4 per cent growth for the year.
Edun further stressed the importance of the reforms, describing them as “unprecedented,” adding that, “We said we would do it, and now we have done it. This time, we’re staying the course.”
He pointed out signs of progress such as lower budget deficits, a better trade balance, and a more stable exchange rate.
He also said that the focus is now on growing key sectors, especially agriculture.
According to Edun, agriculture is at the top of the government’s agenda, with the aim of improving food supply and increasing productivity.
“We aim to close the food supply gap, not by importing more, but by enabling domestic producers to scale and innovate,” he said.
On infrastructure, Edun revealed that the government has rolled out 90,000km of fibre optic cable to improve internet access.
He said this move is crucial for supporting young Nigerians and tech startups.
He also noted that 4,000km of roads have been offered for private sector participation, with the first 1,000km already approved for construction.