News
COVID-19: Govs Back Buhari On Lockdown Extension
The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said the two weeks extension of the lockdown in the FCT, Lagos and Ogun states would be “tough” but was “the right way to go”.
Fayemi said this during his 1st teleconference meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Head, Media and Public Affairs of the NGF, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, said the teleconference meeting, which was at the instance of the forum, was warmly embraced by President Buhari, in a statement issued on Tuesday night, and made available to newsmen, yesterday.
He told the president that his address captured the mood of the nation and showed that his administration is in touch with the plight of the man on the street.
The governor also told the president that though the targeted testing strategy adopted by the country has done a lot, there was need for more testing.
He added that the governors were desirous of having some more testing facilities so as to deepen the gains already made by the NCDC.
Fayemi, who briefed Mr President on the distribution of palliatives, urged him to instruct the relevant authorities to use the machineries of the state governments so that the palliatives would penetrate all nooks and crannies of the country.
“Palliatives,” the NGF chairman explained, “would be even more meaningful if they were distributed through the state governors.”
Fayemi told President Buhari that since the outbreak of the pandemic, governors have been meeting on a regular basis and met four times over an initial span of 12 days.
The SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha; the PTF Coordinator, Dr Sani Aliyu; the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele; Aliko Dangote and Herbert Wigwe addressed the governors at yesterday’s meeting.
The meeting between the NGF chairman and the President stretched into the economy where the NGF chairman told the President that states are going through rough times and would like to appeal to the president to take certain decisive decisions to ameliorate the sufferings of the Nigerian people.
Fayemi thanked the president for the approval of the release of $150million to augment projected FAAC shortfall in June but added that more needs to be done to keep the states properly afloat.
“More needs to be done,” he told the president.
The NGF chairman alluded to the revenues from the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which he said could help in assuaging some issues related to revenue shortfalls, and reiterated a point from the 4th NGF teleconference meeting of the governors where they called for the suspension of all deductions by the Federal Government so that states can address the COVID-19 challenge from a position of economic strength.
Fayemi also hinted the president that there was the need to streamline all multi-lateral and bilateral interventions and funding so that states are also integrated, and considered because of the difficulties that they are going through.
He lauded the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 which he said is doing a great job because the challenges that the Coronavirus has thrown at them was huge but added on a lighter mood that “Hunger-vid is equally as lethal”, noting that because it puts governors at the receiving end of the hardships, as all governors would be happier if their requests were met.
Fayemi also hailed Mr President for the manner in which he has always rescued the states, recalling presidential approvals for bailouts, budget support facility, London Paris Club refund, etc.
The governor assured Mr. President that if established FGN debts to states like the outstanding PAYE are defrayed, the poor and vulnerable in the country and the citizens would be better taken care of.
“I know your penchant for caring for the poor and the downtrodden in the country, Mr President, and I am telling you that allocations from FAAC have dropped significantly so if you turn your magnanimity towards governors and their states into looking at other debts that continue to linger in the system and prioritise their payments, poor people will be the happier,” the Ekiti State governor added.
The NGF chairman told the president that all the 36 states’ governments were currently reviewing their budgets downwards to conform with the prevailing realities.
Fayemi stated that the forum members align themselves with the efforts of the Federal Government and called for synergy in governance.
He urged the President to also encourage the evolution of a national strategic plan that would encompass the sub-national level so that the country will find a fast and easy way out of the woods.
Fayemi ended his conversation with the President on the plight of informal sector workers who are daily paid in the country whom he said have not been captured in the national register and were therefore exempted from the conditional cash transfer.
He said that their plight needs to be quickly addressed before our situation crumbles into the “Ecuadorian Alternative” where the poor and vulnerable people of Ecuador flocked into the streets in violation of the stay at home order in their country.
Buhari, while responding, commended Fayemi for providing decent leadership at the forum and keeping all governors on course which he said has helped the Federal Government to find easy access to the sub-national level.
The President then asked the NGF chairman to formalise all the requests of the governors and forward them to him, promising that they would be promptly addressed.
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.
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.
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
-
News3 days ago
FAAN Diverts Flight Operations As Fire Breaks Out At Lagos Airport
-
Politics3 days ago
Edison Ehie: Clearing The Doubts
-
Sports3 days ago
Cricket: Nigeria Wins ICC Award
-
News3 days ago
Shops Allocation: Fear Not, Gov Fubara Assures Mile One Market Traders
-
Nation3 days ago
Customs Intercepts Over 6,000 Explosives In Kebbi
-
Niger Delta3 days ago
APC S’South Executives Strategise For Victory
-
Business3 days ago
Empty ATMs: ‘Entrepreneurs, Customers, Banks, PoS Operators Accountable’
-
News3 days agoUNN Begins Innovative Forum To Reduce Graduate Unemployment