Author: The Nation

By Damisi Ojo, Akure

Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has relieved his Special Assistant on Political Matters, Augustine Pelemo, of his appointment.

The governor has directed that Pelemo, who was attached to the Office of the Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, should henceforth cease to serve in that capacity.

But a statement by the  Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, said the directive was with immediate effect.

“This underscores the need to instill sanity and nip in the bud, divisive acts and tendencies inimical to the existing cordiality and cohesion in the administration led by the governor,” it said.

Read Also: ‘Why Akeredolu sacked Political Aide’

Wishing Pelemo well in his future endeavours, the governor  directed his former aide to hand over all government property in his possession to the deputy chief of staff without delay.

Meanwhile, more facts have emerged on why  Pelemo was shown the way out.

Sources hinted that the governor allegedly sacked Pelemo for calling the wife of the deputy governor, Mrs. Ajewola Agboola Ajayi, an acting First Lady on his Facebook page while wishing her happy birthday.

Akeredolu and his wife, while travelling out of the country, handed power to the deputy governor to take charge of the affairs of the state through a letter he transmitted to the State House of Assembly.

This might not be unconnected with the reason Pelemo addressed the wife of the deputy governor as acting First Lady while rejoicing with her on her birthday.

Chairperson of the Women Development Programme and wife of Owan West Local Government Chairman Mrs. Patience Azegbe Ilaboya has urged women of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to support the re-election bid of Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu.

Mrs. Ilaboya, who spoke at a meeting with APC women leader, said the support for Obaseki was to ensure continued progress of the state. She hinted of the scheduled women rally for Obaseki, and urged them to return to their wards to mobilise for the rally.

Read Also: Buhari, APC women leaders meet in Aso Rock

She said: “As you are aware, there is need to declare our support for Governor Godwin Obaseki’s re-election so that he can continue to make our state an enviable one. Never in the history of Edo have women been given such great recognition. Women have been empowered to carry out meaningful ventures; Obaseki will certainly do more when re-elected.”

APC’s woman leader in Ward 6 Mrs. Ehimigbai Eunice said they were ready to support and mobilise APC members to vote for Obaseki.

She said they have endorsed Obaseki and his deputy for a second term.

By Oyebola Owolabi

Experts have advocated proper waste disposal to stem pollution.

They recommended the Expended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system where manufactures/producers collect their used products.

At the maiden edition of the Pollution Control Conference, convened by Wunmi Ogunde, they reiterated the need for  waste recycling to ensure a sustainable environment.

Afolashade Nubi, a cvil and environmental engineer with the University of Lagos, lamented that Nigeria was the 10th most polluted country, with Kano and Onitsha being the most polluted cities.

She identified population explosion and industrialisation as major causes of pollution, saying measures need to be taken to rescue the environment.

Read Also: Deadly consequences of improper e-waste disposal

Nubi stressed the need to ensure manufacturing firms provide disposal techniques before launching products.

She said: “I recommend a lifestyle change where citizens understand the need to only buy what is required. The government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and environmentalists also need to enlighten and sensitise the people on waste generation and management.

‘’The people should be educated in the language they understand so the message can sink. Reduce, reuse and recycle backed by law and incentives with more emphasis in the Expended Producer Responsibility (EPR), where manufactures/producers are mandated to collect their used product, will also go a long way in curbing pollution from improper waste disposal.

“Incentives can help to encourage people to sort their waste from point of generation. We need to look at the peculiarity of our environment. Nigeria is different, so we need to look at what will work for us. We should think of methods that will fit our own reality; we have to give the people alternatives – incentives, reuse of bottles, punishment, manufacturer doing something to better the environment, and the likes.”

Managing Director of E-Terra Technologies Limited Ifeanyi Ochonogor lamented that improper disposal of electronic waste was more harmful than other wastes.

E-Terra Technologies specialises in recycling electronic waste.

Ochonogor advocated proper education and communication so people would know the effects of improper waste disposal, especially e-waste.

Agharese Ojelede, a health, safety and environmental specialist, urged firms to be responsible

She said firms should manage their operations so they don’t affect the safety of workers, consumers and the environment.

By Robert Egbe

The Hallmarks of Labour Foundation has conferred 11 eminent Nigerians with its highly coveted annual Role Model Awards.

The recipients include Supreme Court Judge, Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, who bagged the Life-Time Achievement Award for exemplary/courageous service to the advancement of the legal system and President of African Development Bank (AfDB) Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, who received the Emeka Anyaoku Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his performance as Nigeria’s outstanding international icon.

Minister of Science and technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, also got the Life-Time Achievement Award for excellence in leadership and good governance.

Six others received Role Model Awards for excellence in different spheres of endeavour.

They are: Justice Banji Orilonise, Prof Anya O. Anya, Prof Oladele Kale, Prof Nimi Dimpka Briggs, Prof Idris Mohammed and the only female recipient, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, who is the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria PLC.

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar, Prof Is-Haq Oloyedesaid, won the Umaru Shehu Award, while Channels TV Chairman John Momoh took home the Christopher Kolade Award.

Adesina, who spoke on behalf of the awardees, said they were not heroes but servants in the cause of Nigeria’s progress.

He thanked the foundation and other Nigerians for being “excellent examples for us”.

The negative media campaign against the yet-to-be inaugurated board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been attributed to the fear of probe in the commission.

The oil and gas producing Host Communities of Nigeria (HOSTCON), which spoke in a statement yesterday, aligned with the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to reposition the agency.

The statement, signed by HOSTCON’s National Director of Media and Publicity, Okakuro Whiskey, noted that the NDDC had failed in its assignment of taking development and good life to the region, hence the need to infuse fresh blood as represented by the Bernard Okumagba-led management.

It added that Okumagba’s nomination as managing director of the board was strategic and in order, noting that Okumagba would bring in the same thoroughness and prudence with which he straightened the economy and finances of Delta State as commissioner for Economic Planning Commissioner and Finance.

Read Also: NDDC board controversy: Abia APC chieftain backs Nwoga

The statement reads: “For those who see the NDDC as their personal estate, where they operate without questions, they are now afraid that the MD-ship of this well trained technocrat will expose a lot of their secrets. “A new sheriff is coming to town and all patriotic Niger Deltans who are not comfortable with the current state of things at the NDDC are watching. Let the truth be told, NDDC has not lived to its constitutional mandate and, therefore, the leadership of Host Communities of Nigeria (HOSTCON) will be glad to associate with President Muhammadu Buhari’s intentions to ensure that things are done properly at the commission.

“It is becoming clearer that those fighting the new NDDC Board appointments have something to hide, or there is something they have not told Nigerians. It is a well established fact that it is the turn of Delta State to produce the Managing Director.

“It is also a well known fact that the Urhobo in Delta Central, and by extension, their brothers of Delta South, are major producers of crude oil, and are blessed with huge natural gas resources, as can be seen from Oturogun Gas Plant in Ughelli South the second largest gas plant in Africa. If these verifiable facts are not disputed, then the question now is why this fight?”

Speaker of the House of Representative Femi Gbajabiamila has said the National Assembly will challenge the ruling which restrained it from taking over legislative functions of the Edo State House of Assembly.

Gbajabiamila spoke when the Progressive Governors’ Forum visited the leadership of the National Assembly in Abuja.

He said: “While addressing the issue of one party and one government, myself and the Senate president will want to draw our attention to the issue of the crisis in Bauchi and Edo states. While we resolved the issue in Bauchi, we could not do same in Edo State. I think this is what we have to look at and prioritise. We should consider how to constitutionally address the issue.

“The National Assembly is surprised that the exclusive constitutional roles given to us as prescribed in Section 12 of the Constitution, which is written unambiguously clear was being tested. We are a bit concerned about that. Of course we have three arms of government and on the basis of that, we will be going to court to resolve not just the judgment, but to ensure that any other related issues like that do not come up again.

“The House of Representatives has adopted a theme: “The nation building is a joint task”; that is how we operate in the National Assembly irrespective of our political divide. We have resolved to come together when it comes to national issues. We believe since there is one government, there should be a symbiotic relationship between the governors and the legislators.”

Read Also: JUST IN: Restraining Order on Edo Assembly crisis worries NASS leaders

President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan described the meeting as a special moment for the National Assembly. “This is a special moment for us; this is the first meeting between the leadership of the National Assembly of the APC stock and the progressive governors. It is a fact and a truism that our party, particularly our governors, did so well, they work so hard and assiduously to ensure that the leadership of the National Assembly emerged with little or no hitch in the 2019 leadership contest. We thank you for that show of trust.

“We believe that you have done your part by giving us all the support that we needed. The ball is now in our court to take this leadership in trust and we intend to remain resolute, we intend to remain very loyal to the party and the principles that we stand for.

“We intend to remain committed and dedicated to the Nigerian ideals of making sure that the country provides all the necessary services to citizens especially when it comes to the area of ensuring security, safety and welfare of citizens.”

The governors’ forum was led by its Chairman and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Abubakar Bagudu.

Present were All Progressives Congress governors Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Nasir Elrufai (Kaduna); Babagana Zulum (Borno); Mohammed Yahaya (Gombe); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Sani Bello (Niger); Mai Mala Buni (Yobe); Abdulrahaman Abdulrazak (Kwara) and Godwin Obaseki (Edo).

Nasarawa’s State Deputy Governor Emmanuel Akabe represented the governor.

Both chambers of the National Assembly in June resolved to take over legislative duties of the Edo State House of Assembly following the proclamation crisis.

For the second time, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni has slammed security agents for their inability to prevent attacks on innocent citizens.

The governor had, while at his home town, Buni Gari, during an earlier visit, queried why security agencies could not be proactive in preventing Boko Haram attacks before they were executed.

However, this trend does not seem to have ceased, as the insurgents last Saturday launched another unchallenged attack on Babangida town, setting ablaze the emir’s palace. Other houses in the area were not spared.

Represented by his deputy, Alhaji Idi Barde Gubana, during a sympathy visit to the Emir of Jajare, whose palace was burnt down, the governor challenged security operatives to step up their action against the insurgents.

Read Also: Ogun raises N1bn to fight insecurity

“The government has been providing the necessary logistics and support needed by the security agents, yet Babangida and Buni-Gari remain easy targets for the terrorists. This is unacceptable.

“We cannot always wait for our people to be attacked and then we come to console them.  Proactive measures should be put in place to frustrate these attacks before they are hatched,” Buni said.

He advised security agencies to change their tactics and approach, in order to protect the people and build confidence among the indigenes.

The governor sympathised with the emir, whose section of the palace was torched and valuables carted away by the attackers.

Police Commissioner Yahaya Abubakar, represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police Ishaku Muhammed said the Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) would clear the affected areas and routes taken by the attackers to remove any Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that might have been planted by the insurgents.

The Nation reports that Boko Haram insurgents last Saturday attacked Babangida town, the headquarters of Tarmuwa Local Government, torching part of the emir’s palace and stealing belongings, including a Hilux vehicle.

By Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has told his commissioners that he will not tolerate failure.

He said they should discharge their duties efficiently.

Lalong said he would not hesitate to query or sack any commissioner who failed to live up to government’s expectations.

He spoke on Monday at the Government House, Rayfield, Jos, while swearing in 23 commissioners.

Lalong said: “Today marks another day in the history of Plateau State, as a team of commissioners that will assist in delivering our second term mandate is being inaugurated.

“Now that you have been sworn in and taken your oath of office, you have been legally equipped to discharge your duties in your ministries. Let me on behalf of the government and good people of Plateau State congratulate you. You should see yourselves as first among equals.

Read Also: Lalong pledges full implementation of SDGs

“This mandate, however, goes with huge responsibilities of service delivery to our people within the ambit of the policy thrust of the second phase of the ‘Rescue Mission’.

“Shortly after securing victory for a second term, I inaugurated the famous Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to undertake the task of developing a five-year development plan for Plateau State, which will shape our final term in office.

“As you assume duties, remember that everything you will be engaging in revolves round our three-point policy thrust and the strategic plan document of this administration.”