The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Presidential election dispute: Judgment likely on Sept 13

    Parties to the dispute over the February 23 presidential election won by President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are to know their fate this week, The Nation learnt on Sunday.

    The Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) must give judgment in the suits instituted by the parties not later than September 14, as provided in Section 134 (1) to (3) of the Electoral Act, the petitions having been filed on March 18.

    Apart from Buhari and the APC, other litigants are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar. They are challenging Buhari’s victory.

    Although the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has up to September 14, 2018 as provided in Section Section 134 (1) to (3) of the Electoral Act, the petition having been filed on March 18, 2019, the verdict may be delivered on Friday, September 14 being Saturday.

    A reliable source told our correspondent: “We are aware that the court is working towards September 13, 2019 for the judgment.

    Read Also: Presidency tackles ex-Vice President Atiku over Obasanjo

    “You know they (the court) have up to September 14, by virtue of the provision of the Electoral Act, the petition having been filed on March 18 this year.

    “So, we are comfortable with the date, because it is still within time. It will afford the petitioners the time to work on their appeal.”

    The PEPC, sitting in Abuja, last sat on August 21, 2019 and adjourned for judgment after entertaining final submissions from lawyers to parties.

    Presiding Justice Mohammed Garba, announced, while adjourning proceedings on August 21, that parties would be notified when the court decides on a date for judgment.

    Some lawyers to parties in the case said they were yet to be informed by the court about a date for judgment.

    “My friend, we have not heard from the court. You know we were last there on August 21 for the final adoption, following which the court adjourned for judgment and promised to inform parties.

    “As I speak, we are yet to be informed. I don’t know if others ave been sent hearing notice. But we are yet to receive any,” a senior lawyer to one of the parties said.

    The petitoners’ legal team had last week written the PEPC and prayed that it, among other things, promptly deliver its judgment in their petition.

    While making their final submissions on August 21, Buhari and the APC, the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC),  who are respondents to the petition,  noted that the petitioners failed to disprove the claim that Atiku is not a Nigerian by birth and as such was not qualified to contest the election.

    Buhari, APC and INEC described the petition by Atiku and the PDP, challenging the outcome of the election as worthless and time-wasting. They noted that the petitioner, in prosecuting the petition, starved it of necessary evidence and urged the court to dismiss it with substantial cost.

  • Access Bank partners Ogun on job creation

    Ogun State government and Access Bank Plc have agreed to partner on the job creation initiatives of Governor Dapo Abiodun.

    The governor recently launched the Ogun State Job Portal with the aim of providing jobs for the army of unemployed graduates and non-graduates in the state.

    The portal is to register, on a regular basis, unemployed youths with the objective to providing them with jobs and training opportunities.

    Access Bank, in a letter to the Chief Economic Adviser to the governor, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, expressed its readiness to partner with the state government in achieving the objectives of the job creation initiative.

    Read Also: Lagos, Ogun to take over critical roads

    The letter signed by the bank’s Regional Sales Manager Bunmi Awodipe and Regional Sales Director, Bolaji Aboderin, said: “We wish to congratulate you and the state government on the successful launch of the ‘Ogun State Job Portal’ by His Excellency, Governor Dapo Abiodun, in furtherance to the realisation of his determination to empower the citizens through a laudable job creation initiative.

    “This initiative aimed to create opportunities, upskill and expand the job space for the teeming young men and women, and those with special talents from the state is highly commendable.

    “In the light of the above, Access Bank Plc, a leading, full service Tier 1 Commercial Bank operating through network of over 650 branches in Nigeria, is desirous to partner with the state government as a measure of support to all the stakeholders involved.

    “The partnership and support will involve vocational training programme, empowerment schemes and special financial products that will facilitate access to finance.”

  • Masari, Matawalle, Tambuwal, seal security pact with Nigerien counterpart

    Three northern states governors Aminu Masari (Katsina), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) have jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Governor of Maradi Region in Niger Republic on best approaches to addressing the security challenges in their domains.

    The Director-General, Press Affairs to the Zamfara governor the governor, Yusuf Idris, dropped the hint in Gusau yesterday.

    He said that the meeting was called at the instance of Maradi Region Governor Mallam Zakari Oumoru.

    Idris said that the meeting, which was held at the Government House, Maradi, dwelt on trans-border crimes, especially banditry, kidnappings and cattle rustling in the four states which share common borders.

    The director-general stated that the participating states agreed to maintain good neighbourliness and cooperation among themselves, while jointly addressing the issue of security.

    Read Also: Speakers meet over insecurity

    He said that the MoU agreed to uphold the renewed efforts of the three Nigerian states and Maradi of Niger Republic in curbing the menace of armed banditry within their borders.

    Other areas covered by the MoU included, the governors’ resolve to join hands in the fight against banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping and armed robbery within the affected borders for the purpose of having peaceful states.

    In his remarks, Matawalle described peace, dialogue and reconciliation as necessary tools of curbing the insecurity situation in the four states.

    He explained that his administration had adopted dialogue with bandits after very wide consultations and later created contacts with men of the underworld, which led to a joint meeting with all the groups.

    The governor further said that the peace process had yielded positive results, as peace had since returned to the state.

    The heads of security agencies, including the army, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Directorate of State Security (DSS) in the participating states were present at the meeting.

  • Lagos, Ogun to take over critical roads

    The Lagos and Ogun state governments are seeking Federal Government’s approval to take over the management of the Lagos – Abeokuta Expressway.

    Also being proposed for takeover are the Epe-Ijebu and Ikorodu-Sagamu roads.

    If granted, the approval would see the two states tolling the highway after reconstructing it to recoup their investment under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

    According to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, he and his Lagos counterpart Babajide Sanwo-Olu had met with President Muhammadu Buhari and requested that the road be ceded to them.

    Prince Abiodun said that he took the joint request to the President in Abuja few weeks ago.

    He said the President saw the propriety of their request to take over that strategic road in order to bring succour to motorists, travellers and residents on that corridor.

    Read Also: Motorists lament increasing traffic robberies on Lagos-Abeokuta road

    The Governor spoke at the weekend in in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. It was during his investitures as the honorary Patron of the Abeokuta Club and the induction of 30 members. He said the planned joint takeover of the road was part of his strategies to develop the infrastructures in Ogun.

    He explained that the road would be commercialised and tolled for easy maintenance and thus ease movement of people and goods from Lagos to other parts of the country.

    Besides, Abiodun said the rebuilding of the road would drive development not only on that stretch, but across the Gateway State.

    The governor lamented that the last contract for the expressway was awarded and signed in 2001 with about N26 billion debt still hanging on it, saying given the N1 billion annual budget for servicing of the road every year and paucity of funds at the federal level, that road may never be completed without the PPP approach.

    He said: “You cannot expect people to come to our state if they can’t move around with ease or they can’t even begin to move from Ogun State and get to other state. We all know that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is ongoing and the truth is that the road won’t be completed until December next year.

    “However, as a government, we have done a lot of road count and have come with the fact that if that road is completed, it does not have the capacity to transport the population of people that pass through that corridor.

    “Consequently, I met with my counterpart, Sanwo-Olu and we decided that as a matter of urgency we need to take over some roads which include: Epe-Ijebu, Ikorodu-Sagamu and Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta roads. The motive is to reduce the volume of passengers plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    “Sanwo-Olu and I met with the President to hand over those three roads to us. We sat down with him and he told us to put it in writing. We wrote a joint letter which have our two logos on that letter, we both signed it and I personally handed it over to Mr. President few weeks ago, asking the president to hand over the roads to us.

    “The Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta was signed in 2001 and today there is a debt of about N26 billion hanging on that road, the servicing of that road is exceeding N1 billion every year and that road would never be completed by this government and it is because of the paucity of fund at the federal level.

    “What we intend to do is to commercialise this road and turn it to a private-public-partnership and we have people that are awaiting to enter a PPP with us so that they will fund the road, they will toll it and this would allow the people to move from Lagos to Abeokuta with ease. It will open Ogun for development.”

    On his investitures, the governor praised the club for the honour bestowed on him,

    He described it as a platform for socio interaction for sons and daughters of Egba, which has become a melting point of ideas that have impacted positively to bring about progress not only to Egbaland but the entire state and beyond.

    Unlike his predecessor, Abiodun assured the Egba people and the rest of the state that he would not develop any part of the state at the expense of the others.

    “We would not develop any part of the state at the expense of others. In the course of my campaign, I also made a commitment that my administration would complete all ongoing projects, particularly those that will offer a line of service and be a benefit to the people of Ogun State.”

    Thy governor promised not to abandon and people-oriented project.

    He said: “We are presently constructing the Adigbe Bridge; we are reconstructing the Elite Road and Obantoko Road. We would also commence two housing projects in Abeokuta – one is a 200 units low-income housing estate in Ibara and the second is a 50 units middle-income to high-income estates and others across the state.

    Similar projects, the governor noted, were ongoing in other parts every part of Ogun state.

    “I have just been informed that Ijaiye State Hospital lacked very essential medical technology and we have also ordered for modern equipment from the United Kingdom for use of the hospital.”

  • Report: how ex-Kwara officials converted over 90 govt houses

    Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said over 90 public property were unlawfully appropriated by former government officials.

    The governor has set up a 15-man committee, chaired by ex-Chief Judge Justice Raliat Elelu to clean up the state and ward off environmental disasters. The initiative is under the Kwara State Social Assessment Vulnerable Indicator (KW-SAVI) Parameters — a key part of AbdulRazaq’s plan.

    Secretary to the committee is Shuaib AbdulGaniyu, an assistant director in the Governor’s Office. It will be inaugurated today by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Mamman Saba Jibril.

    On the misappropriation of public property, AbdulRazaq said a report by the Senator Sulaiman Ajadi Committee, which he set up to look into the handling of public assets since 1999, lamented that with the illegal acquisition, Kwara was unable to accommodate dignitaries visiting the state.

    Read Also: Kwara moves to sack unqualified teachers

    “The (Senator Ajadi) committee did a very good job. They submitted two reports and we’re waiting for the final report. It is unfortunate that from my little reading of it …people just shared government property as if it was their fiefdom. They did not even think for one second that it was government property,” AbdulRazaq told reporters.

    “…some of them just live in those houses without paying …while most of them only started paying after the election …to the extent that the state government does not have enough …to accommodate dignitaries and traditional rulers from other states … That’s how they shared the property and we are looking at more than 90 properties … We’ll …make sure the proper thing is done.”

    The governor said the Raliat Elelu committee would look into environmental issues, such as unlawful dumping of waste and other violation that hurt planning and endanger public health.

    “We have also set up a committee …headed by Justice Raliat Elelu to look at the issue top down on environment and once they submit their report things will start changing. If you drive through our major roads, you will see rubbish … But give us time all these will be a thing of the past,” the governor said.

  • Bauchi vows to tackle yellow fever

    Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has vowed to end yellow fever in the state.

    About 600 residents in Duguri district of Alkaleri Local Government were vaccinated following outbreak of yellow fever in the area.

    State Primary Healthcare Development Agency,  on  Thursday confirmed three cases of yellow fever in Alkaleri and Tafaw Balewa  local governments.

    Four students of the College of Education, Waka-Biu, in Biu Local Government of Borno State were  reportedly killed  while 12 were hospitalised after a trip to Yankari Game Reserve in Alkaleri.

    Read Also: Yellow Fever: Ebonyi to commence mass immunization of residents

    However, the governor who spoke during a media chat to mark his 100 days in office, said his government requested vaccines from the World Health Organisation.

    He said six million doses of vaccines were needed to stop yellow fever.

    The governor  said the outbreak followed the large population of monkeys around the Game Reserve, adding that government had procured vaccines.

    Mohammed said some partners had granted N6 billion support. “We are on top of the situation…

    The governor said N673 million had been disbursed  in health care, adding that  over N227 million had been spent.

  • Politicians ‘should speak with caution’

    Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State Dr. Ramatu Aliyu has advised politicians to guard their utterances and ensure a violent-free poll.

    Aliyu spoke in Abuja when members of the Kogi State House of Assembly visited her, saying although the primaries had been won, it was not yet time to rest.

    The minister of state noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would work for the continuity of Governor Yahaya Bello.

    In a statement by her Special Assistant Media, Austine Elemue, the minister said: “We came out successful during our primaries, but it is not yet Uhuru … The era of divide-and-rule in Kogi State is over because we are now one big family…

    “The governor should …trust us … we are now one family ready to work for the continuity of our governor. Legislators should go back home and talk to their people for them to win their trust…

    “But more importantly, guard your utterances…Prove to Nigerians that Kogi governorship election is …violent-free, just as we witnessed during the primaries. There will be no snatching of ballot boxes to prove a point to the opposition. I appeal to you to remain calm,” she said

    Assembly Speaker Matthew Kolawale observed that the state ought to have developed more than Lagos as the oldest capital city of Nigeria, just as he regretted that leadership failure had been a major drawback of the state.

    He hoped that with her appointment, she would change the narrative, and appealed to the Federal Government to site a seaport in Kogi.

  • 100 days: ‘How we defeated ex-Governor Abubakar’

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State has said the people resolved to vote out ex-Governor Mohammed Abubakar, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for non performance.

    State party Chairman Hamza Koshe Akuyam, who spoke  during a media chat organised by Governor Bala Mohammed to mark his 100 days in office at the weekend,  said besides non performance , the former governor was no indigene.

    The PDP  chairman added that non-imposition of a candidate allowed delegates to  choose freely among aspirants contesting the party’s ticket in the state.

    He said the party’s free and fair primaries led to the election of Mohammed as flag bearer.

    Read Also: N19.9b probe: Ex-Bauchi governor criticises commission

    Akuyam said the ability of PDP to select a credible candidate was also a factor.

    “Now, the people of Bauchi know that there is a difference between a tenant and the landlord. A tenant does not repair the house he is renting. The former governor was a tenant, so, he could not work for the progress of Bauchi because he was a tenant, so we brought in the son of the soil and drove him out so that the people of Bauchi will have relief,” he said.

    Speaking on the election of Mohammed as flag bearer, he said: “The first thing we did was we allowed delegates to freely choose among the contestants; the PDP did not impose any candidate …so the people were able to vote Bala Mohammed to be the candidate … going by his charisma and experience in politics.”

    Akuyam added  that the determination of Mohammed   made it easy to vote out the former governor.

    The chairman noted that the PDP-led government was  celebrating the governopr’s 100 days in office because the people had seen what the governor had been doing…

    He said PDP was highly impressed that Mohammed had not disappointed.

    Akuyam noted that Abubakar was the first governor to lose election after serving just a tenure in the history of Bauchi.

  • Businessman ‘sues Amuwo Odofin Council

    Lagos businessman Chief Vincent Obianodo (The Young Shall Grow) has taken the Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government, Valentine Buraimoh, to court for the illegal and forceful seizure of a parcel of land belonging to his company, ‘Vinee Oil Nigeria Limited.’

    He complained that the local government authorities illegally trespassed on the land at Second Avenue, Opposite Old NEPA Office, a stone throw from 22 Road junction, FESTAC Town.

    In the suit the 73 year-old transporter is praying the Lagos State High Court, Lagos Division, for an interlocutory injunction retraining further action on the land by the council, pending the determination of the case. He is also seeking N100 million damages for the alleged trespass.

    Crisis had broken out between the prominent businessman and the council, following the illegal seizure of the land near Agboju Market, and its conversion into the proposed ‘Ope-Oluwa Market’ by the council.

    Read Also: Businessman issues creditor N5m dud cheque

    Obianodo, who is still recuperating from the gun shots he received from suspected kidnappers in Lagos, urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the House of Assembly to prevail on the council chairman to stop the illegal acquisition of his land.

    His counsel, Kennedy Okwara, said the council trespassed on the land in violation of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law (2016), which forbids forceful takeover of another person’s property.

    He recalled that, following the acquisition of the expansive FESTAC/Amuwo Odofin land from Oluwa, Alado, Alamuwo and Onitire families in 1976, the land was vested in the Federal Housing Authority, which allocated it to Chief Obianodo in 1992.

    Okwara stressed: “As a registered petroleum, oil and associated products’ dealership company, upon application, our client was formally allotted the parcel in 1992 by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), and following its acceptance of the offer of allocation and compliance with all stipulated conditions, it was let into exclusive and undisturbed possession thereof.”

    The lawyer said the allotted parcel, which was overgrown by wild bushes, marshy, water lodges and unattractive asset, was sand filled at the cost of N10 million between 1995 and 1996.

    Okwara lamented that around May 25, the council chairman, accompanied by his agents, security men, contractor, together with bulldozers, pay loaders, graders and other heavy equipment, supervised the destruction of the concrete structures on the land and the dispersal of indigent petty traders on the land.

    Decrying what he described as an “indiscriminate, reckless, irresponsible, mindless, criminal, trespassorial and illegal destruction,” he said the chairman resisted efforts to reach him and ignored the “stop work orders” and written cautions served on him by the FHA, which is the allocating and supervising federal agency in charge of Festac Town.

    Okwara urged Sanwo-Olu to prevail on the council chairman to desist from the “sustained provocative and illegal activities of the chairman,” thereby preventing the temptation to resort to self-help.

    He added: “We hereby implore you, as governor and chief security officer of Lagos State, to step in, not only to call the chairman of Amuwo Odofin Council to order, but also direct him to vacate our client’s parcel.”

    Also urging the House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, to wade into the crisis, Okwara said: “The council chairman has violated the Lagos State Properties Protection Law 2016, which was conceived and midwifed into operations by the House under your leadership. We urge you to urgently intervene in this matter, investigate it and of found liable, the culprit should be subjected to punishment or penalty.”

    Efforts to get the reaction of the council chairman were unsuccessful as he did not respond to repeated phone calls to him.

  • APC to Kwarans: be patient with AbdulRazaq

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Publicity Secretary Mallam Lanre Onilu, at the weekend, urged the people of Kwara State to be patient with the Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration.

    He said although 100 days were not enough to assess the administration, he added that the government had not disappointed Kwarans with his actions, decisions and policies.

    Mallam Onilu spoke in Ilorin at a prayer organised for the governor, Minister of State for Transportation Senator Gbemisola Saraki and himself by the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq Progressive Platform (AAPP).

    The spokesman dispelled rumours that the three of them had a sour relationship.

    Read Also: AbdulRazaq to spend N14b to improve facilities in primary schools

    Represented by one of his aides Sarafadeen Onilu, he said: “…Governor AbdulRazaq, Senator Gbemisola Saraki and Lanre Onilu are on the same page.

    “I urge you …to relay the message to our people at home. I also want you to appeal to them to exercise patience with …Governor AbdulRazaq as 100 days are not enough to judge his performance…”

    Earlier, Coordinator of AAPP Alhaji AbdulWaheed Aduagba urged the people to be patience with the governor as he takes “practical measures to right the wrongs of the past government…’’

    “Our people should not expect the old ways of doing things like giving handouts; but should be more concerned with the provision of the democratic dividends for the generality of our beloved people of the state.

    “The delay in the constitution of his cabinet is to avoid the mistake of the past administrations and to accommodate the interest of all necessary stakeholders in order to ensure the right people are given the right position.”