Author: The Nation

Ten people have died in a predawn auto crash that occured on Saturday at Oniworo stretch of Lagos -Ibadan expressway.

The accident, which happened around 4.30am, also left two persons with varying degree of injuries while seven came out of the wreckage unscathed.

It was learnt that 19 persons were involved in the crash which comprised of 13 male adults and six female adults.

Witnesses said the driver of a Toyota hiace bus with registration number KLD539XA lost control of the wheels and rammed into the rear of an unmarked  Mack container truck packed by the roadside.

Florence Okpe; Superintendent Route Commander and Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) Public Education Officer for Sector Commander, Ogun State Sector Command, Ahmed Umar, who confirmed the accident, attributed the cause to road obstruction on the part of the truck and excessive speed by the driver of the Toyota bus which led to loss of control and ramming into the truck at the rear.

She added that the injured victims were taken to Victory Hospital Ogere for medical attention while the remains of the dead were deposited at Ipara morgue.

Okpe quoted the Sector Commander as being pained that motorists were in the habit of flouting some simple traffic rules which are meant to save the lives of people.

According to her, the Sector Commander FRSC Ogun urged motorists to take cognisance of poor visibility due to harmattan haze and put on the head lamp when the weather is hazy, even as he cautioned the truck drivers for non – display of caution signs whenever there was a breakdown on the road.

The Primate, Archbishop, Metropolitan Church of Nigeria Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba has urged Nigerians to change the mentality that simply praying will change Nigeria. 

He said Nigeria will not get the best leaders during the month’s general elections that will solve the nation’s problem through prayers alone. 

Archbishop Ndukuba said it was time that Nigerians realised that they must match their prayers with practical actions by going to the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to get their permanent voter cards to enable them to participate in the forthcoming elections. 

Speaking with newsmen after he commissioned the Dental and Ear/Nose/Throat Departments of the Good Shepherd Specialist Hospital, Uwani Enugu on Saturday, the Primate also urged Nigerians to de-emphasise issues of political parties, religion and tribe and vote for individuals with character, integrity and capability to solve Nigeria’s myriad of problems.

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“Every Nigerian is aware of something – that things have fallen apart. It is clear that the centre cannot hold anymore because our leaders have in one way or the other, compromised the things that needed to be done for their own selfish or sectional interest. Because of that, Nigeria has become ungovernable in terms of insecurity, poor economy, poverty and all sorts of bad things,” he said.

He decried the high level of injustice in the country, lamenting, “The way things have gone has not been for the good of the citizens of this nation. Those in authorities may have tried their best, but in most cases, they have lacked the political will to take a decision that will be favourable for the generality of the citizenry.

“Again, our political leaders have not shown enough interest in ensuring justice for all. A situation where some sections of the country are oppressed, the country will never be healthy. That is what Nigeria has suffered so far.

“So, ahead of next month’s general elections, if you know that you want things to be better and that you don’t like the way things have been going in this country, go and get your permanent voter cards and use same to make a statement on that election day. Everyone of us as citizens of Nigeria must get involved if we want things to change.

“We want to urge Nigerians not to sell their PVCs because it is their power to make a decision on January 25 when you will go out to vote. While voting, think about the politicians that will be mindful of the plights and sufferings of Nigerians.

“We are believing God that Nigeria must change for good and get better after the elections. We must continue to pray. But prayer alone is not enough. Just take action with your PVC.

“Nigerians must know that time to vote for political parties have gone. This time around, we are voting for individuals with character. So, irrespective of party, when you see a man or woman who will be able to represent us, please vote for that person”.

Ondo Assembly has filed a stay of execution against an High Court judgment which sacked its Deputy Speaker, Hon Samuel Aderoboye and reinstated Hon Iroju Ogundeji. 

It said it has also filed an appeal against thejudgment. 

Spokesman of the Ondo Assembly, Olugbenga Omole, in a statement  said the stay of execution order was filed after after consultations with lawyers. 

Omole stated that the Ondo Assembly would continue to conduct its business in line with global best practices based on the rule of law, strict adherence to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and House Rules and Procedures. 

He reiterated that Ogundeji was validly impeached by members in line with extant rules and procedures. 

According to him: “We have  taken necessary steps to remedy the situation by challenging the High Court ruling at the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Akure Division to set aside the judgement. We also filed a process for an order staying the execution of the judgement pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed against the decision of the High Court,and an order of injunction pending appeal restraining whosoever from giving effect to the judgement pending the determination of the appeal before the Court of Appeal. 

“It is pertinent to inform the public that as at yesterday 11th January,2023 when the ruling was made, Hon Ogundeji is no longer a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly following the unanimous resolution of members on the 31st March,2022 which declared his seat vacant as lawmaker representing Odigbo Constituency 1 in the Assembly. 

” It should be noted that Iroju Ogundeji is currently challenging that decision in the court. 

“We wish to enjoin Iroju Ogundeji and his co travelers to exhaust the judicial process up to the highest point of adjudication rather than resort media propaganda”.

Leaders of ex-agitators have called on the new governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to publish names of persons indicted by the forensic audit report of the commission.

Speaking for other leaders after an emergency meeting of ex-agitators  in Port Harcourt, Rivers State at the weekend, Nature Kieghe Dumale, explained that making identities of such persons public would act as a warning to others seeking to do business with the commission.

Dumale commended the leadership style of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana and congratulated the board, which has Dr. Sam Ogbuku as the Managing Director and Lauretta Onochie as the Chairperson.

But Dumale appealed to the new board to win the hearts of the people by naming politicians, contractors and firms, that were accused by the report of mismanaging their engagements with the commission.

Dumale, who is the Chairman of Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Strategic Communication Committee (SCC) appealed to the board to initiate an inquiry into how former Interim Administrators of the commission spent about N300bn that accrued to the NDDC within his tenure.

He said the board by publishing the names of those indicted by the forensic audit report and probing the N300bn expenditure would earn the confidence of the public and prove that it would no longer be business as usual.

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He insisted that the Niger Delta, that owns the NDDC, deserved to know the outcome of the audit initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari with the consent of major stakeholders and conducted with money that accrued to the commission.

He dismissed claims that publishing the identities of such persons would amount to blackmail and insisted that it would instead act as a deterent to others and strenghten the corporate governance policy of the commission.

Dumale said: “As much as we are happy that after a long time we now have a credible board on ground to pilot the affairs of the NDDC, it is important to also say that we cannot waste money and time investigating the activities of the commission without publishing the result of such expensive exercise.

“People want to see the report. They want to see people punished for their negative role in under-developing the region by collecting money for contracts they never executed.

“The minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Obong Umanah Okon Umanah had alleged that N300billion was frittered away by the past leadership of the NDDC. This allegation and the sum involved are too weighty to be ignored.

“We call on the Laurreta Onochie-led board to set up a panel to look into what such money was used for. This is the only way this board can curry support from the people”.

END.