Author: The Nation

AHEAD of Bayelsa State governorship election scheduled for November, a coalition of Ijaw youths has purchased the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship form for a real estate magnate and chieftain of the party, Chief Festus Daumiebi.

Members of the coalition, under the auspices of New Bayelsa Movement (NBM), who marched in their numbers along major roads in Yenagoa, presented the form to Daumiebi at his home in Opolo, Yenagoa, yesterday.

Daumiebi said in his acceptance speech that he was overwhelmed by the sacrifice and support of the youth in making efforts to woo him to join the governorship race.

He said it would be wicked and devilish of him to reject the patriotic call of the coalition to serve the state.

He called on the leadership of the party to do the right thing and not take the actions of youths for granted if the party must reclaim its mandate in the state

Spokesman for the youth and former Chairman of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Jonathan Lokpobiri, said it was time youths took political action and took their collective destiny in their hands, adding that they were clamouring for Daumiebi because he is young and has made a name for himself.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential standard-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will emerge with a landslide victory in Saturday’s election, a group, the South-South Movement for Tinubu/Shettima Ticket (SSMTS), has said.

It made the declaration at a news conference in Warri, Delta State.

Noting that AsiwajuTinubu remained the best candidate to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, SSMTS National Coordinator Samuel Eyengho urged eligible voters across the geo-political zone to come out en masse and vote for the Tinubu/Shettima ticket.

He said: “From all indications, our principal, Asiwaju Tinubu, is winning by a landslide in the February 25 presidential election based on our conviction and track record.

“We, therefore, humbly call on eligible voters across the Southsouth to turn out in their numbers and vote for Asiwaju Tinubu and other APC candidates.”

Eyengho said the body had taken the Tinubu/Shettima campaign of renewed hope to the nooks and crannies of the Southsouth, noting that the APC candidate would end Nigeria’s woes, especially those peculiar to the region.

“Asiwaju Tinubu has over the years promised to tackle restructuring with a view to strengthening the component units of the Nigerian federation, which will grow according to their potential, as well as issues of recurring decimal vis-à-vis state police, resource control, etc.

“He is a true Nigerian that can be best described as a unifier. He is not a religious bigot like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, who speaks of his religion alone or the Labour Party (LP) standard-bearer, who runs from one church of worship to the other, seeking sympathy.”

“Leadership is by antecedent and experience. Tinubu cannot be seen to be a fanatic, but a cosmopolitan. He can further be described ‘on a lighter note as MTN, everywhere you go’.”

Leaders of markets in Abia South Senatorial District, including Committee, Zonal and Line leaders, have endorsed Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for Senate and Chief Okey Ahiwe for governor in the forthcoming elections.

Speaking at a well-attended event held in Aba, a representative of the traders, Chief Lucky Akabueze, who is also the ASMATA president, extolled the governor for being a trader-friendly leader, who always fought for their welfare.

He described Ahiwe as a leader whose time had come.

The traders displayed their permanent voter cards (PVCs), which they renamed “OVI PVC” and enjoined all traders in Abia State, regardless of their state of origin, to turn out en masse with their families on Saturday and vote for the governor, who had the capacity to redeem the glory of Abia South at the Senate, saying they believed in him.

A highly elated Ikpeazu described the traders’ kind gesture as gratifying and an acknowledgement of the work he had done in the past eight years to improve their welfare.

He vowed to take up the Aba-Ikot Ekpene and Aba-Port Harcourt federal roads with the relevant federal agencies during his first four years in office, to ensure the Federal Government reconstructs the roads.

Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Chief John Kalu, thanked the traders for the support they had shown to Ikpeazu over the years and said the governor will work for them in Abia and from Abuja when the time comes.

• Vows to increase IGR to N25b

Accord Party governorship candidate in Rivers State, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs,

has unveiled his manifesto with a promise to increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N9billion to N25billion, if elected.

Stakeholders from all walks of life yesterday in Port Harcourt attended the formal presentation of the manifesto contained in two documents titled: “My Covenant” and “Prosperity for All”.

Lulu-Briggs, a billionaire businessman, said under his administration, Rivers’ economy would witness a sharp recovery and would radically replace unemployment and poverty with quality jobs and social property.

He said: “I aim to expand IGR from the current N9billion to about N25billion monthly by the end of the first term in office. My mission is to restore property to all in Rivers by laying the foundation for an exponential increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), from its current annual value of $20billion to about $350billion in 12 to 15 years.”

Lulu-Briggs noted that Rivers was created with an economic destiny of bringing prosperity to Eastern Nigeria from the Southsouth to Borno in the Northeast.

He said although the historic purpose of the state seemed lost, he would revive it by tapping the abandoned fortune of the state to make Rivers the economic hub of the eastern flank.

“I have set out the 23 local government-specific mini-development plans, which will deliver accelerated growth and development to every council in the state. There will be specialised industrial clusters in all local governments producing along various value chains for local and export markets,” he said.

Lulu-Briggs promised to invest heavily in tourism to connect all parts of the state to the Atlantic Ocean and harness culture, adding that he would improve the educational system to give children access to best education, while attracting students from parts of the country and the world to Rivers’ schools.

The candidate said his health policy would be more preventive than reactive to birth a healthier labour force, greater productivity, economic wealth and social well-being.

He said: “As part of boosting human capital levels, I commit to a drastic increase in the skills set of our working population, especially in our youth demography.

“This, combined with our expected high rate of economic expansion, will reduce the unacceptable high levels of unemployment of about 40 per cent and underdevelopment of about 20 per cent, which combine to about 60 per cent in the state.

“This whole vision can only happen in a safe and secure state. Therefore, my first priority is to ensure excellent security levels in Rivers before the end of 2023 and to boost global investor and tourist confidence in the safety and boundless business potential in the state.”

Lulu-Briggs appealed to the people to judge candidates by their characters, integrity, antecedents and not by their political parties or godfathers.

He said the elections should be a watershed for the fortunes of the country where sentiments should not be allowed to derail any effort aimed at returning Rivers to glorious heights.

The National Chairman of Accord, Mohammed Lawal, described Lulu-Briggs as a man of his words, saying he possessed the qualities to become the country’s President one day.

He urged Rivers people to elect Lulu-Briggs, to experience prosperity in the state, saying the candidate had impacted positively on the lives of the people.

Anambra State Government has cautioned against trivialising the forthcoming National Population and Housing Census.

Information Commissioner Paul Nwosu said this yesterday at a one-day capacity building workshop for journalists on effective reporting of the exercise slated for March 29 to April 2.

He regretted the negative disposition of the people to previous headcounts, stressing the need for this year’s exercise to be accorded the importance it deserved, in view of its significance to economic planning and development.

Nwosu urged the participants to take the training seriously by paying attention to the facilitators, to ensure better appreciation of their professional roles for effective education and mobilisation of the public towards the exercise.

He said: “We’ve been interfacing with the National Population Commission (NPC) for the past months because this census is very consequential to us as a government and people.

“Previously, our people had treated census with certain level of levity, perhaps because they didn’t understand its importance and implications 

“Unfortunately, our northern brothers seem to appreciate the import of the exercise more than us. This is why they mobilise and deploy all manner of logistics.

“It’s important we change the attitude of our people through robust and effective communication. The earlier they realise that government relies on statistics for effective planning, the better.”

NPC Federal Commissioner Mr. Chidi Ezeoke said the workshop offered the commission opportunity to share its vision with reporters as well as draw their support to ensure broad-based national cooperation.

He reiterated the importance of credible and reliable census, reassuring people of the commission’s commitment and professional capacity to deliver on its mandate.

“The commission is on course in its mission of delivering an accurate census to Nigerians. A strategic partnership with the media will form a tripod upon which the census architecture will stand to reach out to the people,” he added.

The state Chairman, Nigerian Union of journalists (NUJ), Mr. Odogwu Emeka, pledged the readiness of journalists to partner NPC, especially in mobilising residents towards a successful census.

• High alert at INEC’s office

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says sensitive election materials have arrived in Enugu, ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Mr. Rex Achumie, INEC Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) in Enugu State, confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu yesterday.

He said: “INEC top officials have gone to inspect sensitive materials received at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Enugu branch.

“Just this morning, we went to CBN, Enugu branch, to confirm receipt of sensitive materials, especially election result sheets.

“However, INEC will be distributing the result sheets in full glare of heads of security agencies, political parties, media, observers and other stakeholders on February 23, from the CBN.”

Meanwhile, NAN correspondent observed the arrival of 1088 cartons containing the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine at INEC state headquarters in Enugu.

Each of the cartons has four BVAS machines, totalling 4,352 for the state.

The BVAS machines will be deployed in the 4,145 polling units across 260 Registration Area Centres and 17 council areas of the state.

Security has been beefed up around the INEC headquarters in Enugu for the presidential election.

NAN reports yesterday that the police had mobilised its bomb squad unit to routes around the commission’s headquarters in Enugu.

Apart from other routine checks, vehicles are searched with specialised gadgets.