Category: Featured

Three men were reportedly injured in a gas tanker explosion on KM 38 of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed the incident occurred on Sunday evening.

The fire was said to involved a Liquefied Petroleum gas tanker moving towards Sagamu Interchange on the outward Lagos section of the expressway.

Read Also: VIDEO: Scene of gas explosion in Bayelsa oil rig

FRSC operatives from the Sagamu and Mowe Unit Commands have been deployed.

They were joined by men of the Ogun State Fire Service to bring the situation under control.

Details shortly…

Two more bodies were on Saturday night recovered from the debris of the collapsed 21-storey building at Ikoyi, bringing the death toll to 44, rescuers said on Sunday.

The bodies, both males, were discovered and extricated around 10pm and midnight respectively, hours after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu pegged official deaths in the disaster at 42.

Sanwo-Olu, during his visit to the scene, announced that chances of rescuing any victim alive were slim as he disclosed that 47 families had reported their loved ones, believed to have been in the building missing.

Acting Southwest Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the recoveries, adding that no additional bodies were brought out on Sunday.

He said people were still believed to be trapped in the rubble, adding that rescuers were hopeful to achieve ground zero by Monday.

Read Also: Lagos building collapse: Sanwo-Olu says rescuing more survivors now extremely tough

According to Farinloye, the Federal Government’s deployment of the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers to assist in the rescue operation on Sunday evening was turned down by the Commissioner for Special Duties, Bamgbose Martins, on ground that the work was almost over.

The Federal Government directed the Army Engineers to deploy equipment to the site and assist in removing the rubble but the Commissioner informed the team that resources on ground were enough to complete the job left.

“Further to the deployment of Disaster Response Unit (DRU) on the first day of the incident, the FG directed the Army Corps of Engineers to assist in the operation. The Head of Army Corps Of Engineers, Brig.-Gen. Omali on arrival was received by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) who introduced the team to Lagos State Commissioners for Special Duties and Physical Planning.

“The Corps Engineers’ team explained that a directive from Abuja directed the corps to deploy equipment to assist in carting away the rubble.

“The Commissioner for Special Duties in response informed the team that the work is almost over and what was on ground was enough to complete the work left,” Farinloye said.

It is unlikely that any one still  trapped in the Ikoyi,Lagos collapsed building can be brought out alive a week  after,Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said late Friday.

The governor,on a fresh inspection of the site told Channels Television that the chances of rescuing more victims alive at the scene was  extremely tough.

Sanwo-Olu was back at the site again yesterday with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State.

He put the death toll at 42,those registered as missing at 49 and survivors at 15.

Among the survivors are six new ones who  are currently being treated at the Police Hospital in Falomo, Ikoyi.

He named them as  38-year-old Glory Samsom, Ndajor Ahmed, Yunusa Abubakar, Ajiboye Habib, Jeremiah Samson, and one man identified as Emem.

He said: “There are additional six people that we’ve also been able to identify and who were on site when the building collapsed. They were taken to the Police Hospital in Falomo for treatment and some of them have been discharged.

“We have taken the full records of survivors in the incident. And this gives a total of 15 people rescued alive. We have a total of 42 bodies that have been recovered.

Read Also: ‘All Nigerians are responsible for building collapse’

Sanwo-Olu said 49 families had filled the missing persons’ register as at Saturday morning. He said the register had helped the State Government to reconcile the details of victims rescued alive and also medically account for bodies recovered.”

The Governor said identification of bodies by relatives had commenced, adding that DNA examination was being undertaken on some of the bodies that are difficult to be identified by their families.

“There is a sum of money that has been reserved by the State Government for succour and to give  befitting burial for those who died in the incident. “Families that so wish to accept it are being supported for the burial arrangement.

“Also, survivors in hospitals have been given the financial support to help them settle and cope with challenges of feeding in the aftermath of the incident.

The emergency management officials,he said,had  started the process of clearing the rubble to create more space in a tight compound.

He said  the work at the collapse building site had reached a stage  where using earth-moving equipment was  becoming very difficult.

Earlier on Friday,the state governmente government asked  families of the deceased to go to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) Yaba to identify the corpses of the victims.

Information and Strategy Commissioner  Gbenga Omotoso said work was still ongoing and would continue until the government could account for everybody inside the building at time of collapse and certify that nobody is left behind in the collapsed building.

He said: “For bodies that may be very difficult to identify, we are going to be conducting DNA tests for such bodies to be identified. There are rules for giving bodies to people.

“There are some of the bodies that are in a state that it would be unprofessional for the hospitals to allow people to look at them in that present state and for them to be released the way they are. That is why we have the little delay that we are having. But if you go to IDH, Yaba from 4pm, you should be able to see some of the bodies and be able to identify who you want to identify.”

The multi-sectoral search and rescue operation is being led by teams of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with the support of construction giants, Julius Berger, Craneburg, HiTech and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).

 

Candidates in the Anambra State governorship election are returning to the trenches today after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday extended,by 24 hours, voting in the contest.

The extension was forced by widespread logistic hurdles,particularly malfunctioning Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS).

Many prospective voters were kept waiting for hours while efforts were being made to rectify the faults.

Labour Minister Chris Ngige had to leave his polling station after waiting for some hours.

It took  five hours of waiting for the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA),Professor Charles Soludo to vote.

Voters and the parties inundated INEC with complaints and the commission resolved that the best thing to do in the circumstance was to allow the people vote today where the exercise failed yesterday.

But contrary to fears in many quarters,the turnout of  voters was high in many places.

The exercise was also generally peaceful save some cases of ballot box snatching in Onitsha by hoodlums.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Nkwachukwu Orji told reporters in Awka,the state capital that the polls extension  was to allow those who could not vote yesterday because of the system’s failure in their areas to exercise their franchise.

He also said collation of the results at the local government level would begin today.

Early results of the elections favoured  Professor Soludo.

Results from over 800 of the 5720 polling units had been uploaded by INEC on its portal last night.

Orji  regretted that some of the challenges faced yesterday  were caused by  withdrawal of drivers who had collected up to 50 percent of their fares, and trained ad-hoc staff at the last minute.

Orji, said the Commission was working to make sure those challenges were rectified immediately.

He said: “the extension of time arose out of several field reports that voters have had problems with accreditation.

“The commission is currently investigating the reason the  accreditation devices, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), have worked perfectly in some Polling Units, but not in others.

“In some of the cases, it would seem that this resulted from software glitches. Our technicians have already built an update to the devise software to prevent further challenges.

“The update is currently being installed in the concerned BVAS and we request voters, candidates and agents to be patient and allow our technical staff to solve the problem.”

He said with this extension of time and the recommencement of accreditation where the BVAS consistently malfunctions  “the Commission assures that no voter will be disenfranchised.”

The REC said  deployment of ad hoc staff and distribution of electoral materials were  adversely affected by transportation challenges in some locations.

His words:”It must be noted that on account of security concerns, some of the transporters that were mobilized and collected 50% of their sign on fee backed out at the last moment, leaving some of our ad-hoc staff stranded. Also, some of the trained ad-hoc staff backed out at the last moment.

“The Commission is on top of these challenges and extant regulations and guidelines will be applied on a case by case bases.

” Consequently, we are harvesting areas where voting will realistically no longer take place today, including places where substantial disruption has occurred, to enable a possible recommencement of voting at another time, in line with extant laws and the regulations and guidelines of the Commission.”

He  appealed to all voters, candidates, stakeholders communities and political parties to remain calm and law abiding.

He  pledged   that the commission would   make all votes count in the election State.

In an update last night,Orji said the collation of the election  results at the  local government level would  start  today.

He said the    technical glitches experienced during voting yesterday had been largely solved.

He said:”The report we got from our field officers and independent observers,  convinced us that most voters were able to vote with the BVAS, following the extension of voting period to 4pm and our regulation that any  voter on the queue  at the time must be allowed to vote.

“The election is by no means over, we have now entered a critical stage of the process, namely collation of results.

“We have made adequate arrangement for collation of results at the registration area, local government areas and the state level.

Read Also: Anambra deputy gov displays ballot paper to electorate before casting vote

“Results for polling units are already being uploaded in our  IRev portal and registration area and the registration area collation has been progressing well.”

 

Hoodlums snatch ballot boxes in Onitsha

Some hoodlums stormed  the Immaculate Heart Catholic Church and St Faith Catholic Church both at Fegge,Onitsha and snatched ballot boxes while voting was on.

The hoodlums shot into the air to scare voters and officials before making away with their targets.

 

Soludo: My victory  certain even if  only 100 people vote

The APGA flag bearer ,Prof  Soludo exuded confidence that he would win the election after casting his vote  at  about 5pm at polling unit 002, Isuofia ward  in Aguata Local Government Area.

The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor said he sure of  winning “even if only 100 people vote” in the election.

He said:”I always say that I am an incredible optimist and I always believe that somehow it (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) will come through. When we were in court after the primaries, I did make a statement that the judiciary will always come through and that went to the appeal court and the supreme court. They actually came through,” he said.

“Today, I was very upbeat and optimistic. I know that APGA is Anambra and Anambra is APGA. Even if only a 100 people vote within the state, we will still win.

“It is not just winning, but winning with a mass movement because this is a journey that has been propelled by the people – self-funding support groups with over half a million members that compelled me to contest.

“They were the ones who urged me to come and run in the first instance and I was expecting that we are going to break the jinx of over a million votes to victory, but when we had these glitches I was feeling very worrisome.”

He had earlier expressed   shock over the technology breakdown of the Bimodal Verification Accreditation  system,saying: “This BVA technology is a complete failure, and by almost 1.p.m. in the day, voting is yet to start in most of the polling units in the state.

“And in places where it is working, it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to capture a voter. With this crowd, even if the device starts working now, it is not possible to finish up within record time.

“It raises fundamental questions because I’m quite shock to hear that this technology breakdown is happening all over the state.

“May be we will still be optimistic that the challenge will be fixed. I have been here for over 20 minutes, yet no way”

Soludo also decried the inadequacy of INEC staff and security personnel in some polling units.

The  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate , Valentine Ozigbo, was no less confident about his chances of carrying the day.

Ozigbo voted alongside his wife, Orjiugo , at PU 010, Social Centre square, Amaesi Ward in Aguata Local Government Area at about 11am.

He cast his vote  after about 20 minutes of accreditation delay but  expressed worry that all willing electorate might not be able to vote if the 2:30 pm deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was to be adhered to.

He said: “Thank God it is peaceful and we have been able to vote, but it is a mixed feeling, I am a bit worried by the time it took us to vote, verification was slow.

“We had to use hotspot before it worked, while I commend INEC for the technology, I want to say that it must be improved.”

Labour Minister Ngige who waited for about an hour at his own polling unit said INEC should start using every equipment sent to it immediately without keeping them in the warehouse, for too long, adding that he believed it was the reason for the failure.

Governor  Willie Obiano and his wife ,Ebelechukwu,voted at  Eri Primary School Ward 1, Aguleri, Anambra East Local Government Area

The governor urged Anambra people to troop out in their numbers and vote for the only candidate capable of sustaining his good work.

Obiano commended the security arrangement in the area and appealed for calm.

The  Anglican Bishop of the  Diocese on the Niger, the Rt Rev. Owen Nwokolo described the exercise in Onitsha as peaceful and orderly.

The turnout of voters was generally impressive in Awka South, Njikoka and Idemili North Local Government Areas.

Security was tight .

Voting commenced in Umuaka Town Hall Ward 001 and Ward 005 both in Nibo about 9a.m as voters were being accredited with the card reader working effectively.

The exercise took off peacefully in Ogidi at 9a.m. too.

At Onua Square, Abagana, Emmanuel Akaogu told NAN that there was initial hiccup because the card reader was not identifying his finger print, adding that he later voted.

He said that security arrangement was “superb” and praised INEC and security operatives for the arrangement.

Read Also: Counting of votes begins in Anambra governorship election

Mr Obi Ilochi, who voted at Ogidi Town Hall Ward 005, said he was happy that government was able to provide  a conducive environment for people to participate in the election.

“We are happy that the whole place is peaceful because it will be bad for Anambra to be the first state to record constitutional crisis as a result of not having election in our area,” he said.

Mrs Agnes Okoli, a septuagenarian, told NAN at Amesi that she  got to the polling point as early as 7:30 a.m and had to wait till officials arrived.

Okoli said the she was impressed with the peaceful manner everyone conducted themselves and expressed hope that it ended that way.

 

Early results favour Soludo

Early results from some of the polling units where elections were concluded yesterday showed that Soludo was leading the pack.

Results from 871 out of the 5720 polling units in the state had been  posted by INEC at about 6.30 pm.

At Ward 10, Agulu IV PDP had 472 votes as against 344 votes  for APGA and 99 for APC while APGA polled 690 votes at Awka IIV, ward 11 followed by PDP with 329 and APC with 273.

APGA also led with 407 votes  at Adazi-Ani I Ward 1,while APC  got 173 votes and PDP 121.

Voters in Adazi – Ani II,ward 11 gave 239 tickets  ,APGA 231 and APC 106.

At Akwaeze Ward 12 APGA made it 422 votes,APC 142 and PDP 131 while APGA  polled  26 votes at Abba Town Hall II with  APC and PDP receiving  six votes each.

Eighty votes went the way of APGA at  Obeagu Uruogbe Hall I ;PDP had 26 and APC 10

At Ire Village Hall, it was 89 votes for APGA,39 for APC and seven for PDP while APGA and APC polled 20 each at Nkwo Ide Public Square 1 and  PDP six votes.

Of the 22 votes at  Public Square V, APC got eight,while APGA and PDP received five each.

At  Nkwo Ide Public Square III APGA accumulated  17 votes, APC 12 and  PDP 6  while APC had 13 votes at Public Square IV, APGA six and  PDP three.

It was 298 votes for  APGA at Adazi Enu II Ward 004,91 votes for PDP and 72 for APC.

Six hundred and one  votes were cast for PDP at Nri I Ward 17,237 for APGA and 136 for APC while it was 493 for APGA at Nise II  ward ,152 for PDP and 93 for APC.

Andy Uba wins polling unit

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Andy Uba,  got 80 votes to win his Polling Unit 17,ward 16  in Uga, Aguata Local Government Area.

Soludo of APGA had 10 votes while the candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Ifeanyi Uba,  polled five votes.

Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got two votes.

Police dismiss protest of personnel on election duty

The Police Command in Anambra State yesterday  social media reports that personnel on  election duty were protesting  alleged non-payment of allowances.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)  in charge of Operations,Mr Aderemi Adeoye, said all the police personnel mobilised for election duty had been paid their allowances  via the IPPIS platform and electronically through the banks.

He said some officers including the senior ones had not received their pay but would be paid in due course.

He said:”The alleged video of police officers protesting  nonpayment is not true as portrayed in the clip.

“The morale in the force is high, all personnel deployed for this assignment have reported at their duty post.

“The Police  remain focused and committed in protecting the sanity of the electoral process in Anambra state.”

More than 50 electricity poles and transformers suddenly surfaced in Gberefu in 2007, an island community in Badagry, in the 70s to the delight of residents. The poles were installed from Aivoji, a neighbouring community and extended to Ganyingbo, Gberefu and Yovoyan, ending at Ilaje community. It was a project that could have brought electricity supply to the residents.

The communities had never had electricity even though Gberefu is a crucial part of Nigeria and West Africa’s history.

Gberefu is a coastal community of mostly farmers and fishermen in Badagry, a border town in Lagos, Lagos State, Northwest Nigeria.  It was from here that thousands of Nigerians were kept and sold during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The sites and relics of that history are still there to remind visitors of the tourism allure of the community.

Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the island was a major slave port after it was opened in 1473 during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade era. The over 550,000 African slaves transported to Europe, South America, and the Caribbean in the 18th century, all passed through this Point of No Return, symbolized by two poles slightly slanted toward each other and facing the Atlantic Ocean.

Many tourists and historians visit the town and one of the Jackson Brothers, Marlon Jackson, had visited the waterside community with plans to build memorabilia that will cater to the country’s growing tourism industry, particularly African-American tourists who wish to trace their Nigerian roots.

The community expected the electrification project to kick off immediately and open up the town to tourists and businesses. But it never rid. The people still wait for electric power more than two decades  after.

Today, the transformers rust away while the poles have become abodes for termites and rodents. It was a hope dashed and money wasted. Many young people in the community, like Jimoh Salako, the youth leader, grew up seeing the utility poles for the failed project.

 

A mystery project

No one in the community seem to have any useful information concerning the project, including the traditional ruler, Najeem Sanni. He claims that the electricity project was abandoned for a proposed deep sea port project that never took off.

The story in the community is that some contractors had surfaced after the equipment were delivered. They informed Sanni that an electricity project would be delivered to the community. Then the engineers visited a few times and disappeared.

The contractor, Tommy Construction Company, Iwoye-Yewa Ogun, has a website but the address on the site could not be traced. The phone number on the website also connected to a wrong user when our reporter called the number.

Efforts to track the company on the Corporate Affairs Commission website also didn’t yield any fruit as the system continually responded with “no record found.”

Some residents, following up on why the project was abandoned, told HumAngle it was a  project of  Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure(DFRRI), established in 1991 under the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida. However, no record was provided to support this.

DFRRI was established to, among others, provide economic and social infrastructure, including Feeder Roads, mobilization for mass participation in rural development, production of agricultural inputs and the development and dissemination of improved technology to enhance agricultural and rural housing.

Mr Sunny Ajose, who was said to have overseen the project, did not respond to calls and text messages. Salako told Humangle that the electricity infrastructure was part of the  coastal road project that was intended to link Badagry to Takwa Bay.

The reporter also visited the Lagos State Government Secretariat in Alausa to make further enquiries. She visited the ministries of works, agriculture and rural Development to find out which is responsible for the defunct DFRRI.

The Director of Public Relations at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Jide Lawal, said that DFRRI was most likely inherited by the Ministry of Rural Development and Community Service.

HumAngle reached out to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs without getting any useful clue.

An official of the Lagos State Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development said that the project can only be taken over and completed after express permission from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

“Even when we create a scheme for rural infrastructure, we still have to liaise with the energy ministry; they, in turn, will work with the electricity company to see how the community can be connected to the grid,” he said.

David Otu, the Media Assistant to the Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency, Ahmad Salihijo, in response to the query the reporter made to the agency in Abuja requested for details of the project on a project sign post.

This reporter was, however, only able to provide the information on the transformer and the pole because the sign post had since been lost.

“Since this is all we have, no REA signboard, I have doubts if this project is ours. But I’ve forwarded all the images to the technical team,” he said.

There has been no further communication from Otu afterwards.

Further findings reveal that the transformers were separately provided as a  Zonal Intervention Project of the Federal Government. Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP) popularly known as constituency projects are nominated by lawmakers in the National Assembly (NASS) to serve members of their constituents.

Read Also: ‘Ondo communities to get electricity after 14 years blackout’

Investigations show that the lawmaker, Rafeeqaut Onabamiro, who represented Badagry between 2011 and 2015 in the Federal House of Representatives, facilitated the project as a constituency project.

The FG allocates N100 billion yearly for the execution of constituency projects.

In a conversation with Onabamiro, who was outside the country, on phone, she said that the transformers given to the Gberefu community is one of her projects in fulfillment of her  campaign promises.

“I only had an obligation to deliver the transformers, it wasn’t part of my duty to get them electrified,” she said.

She further explained that it is the community’s duty to get the transformer working as it is not part of her campaign promises.

The lawmaker’s Personal Assistant, Rasheed Kuponu, told this reporter that the Energy Commission of Nigeria undertook the project in 2012. Director-General of the Commission, Mr Eli Jideere Baale, did not respond to emails sent to him.

Gberefu has remained a dark relic of the country’s history while its residents remain desperate and frustrated. They are left to the option of generators,  in order to live like other Nigerians, with its attendant health and environmental implications.

Absence  of electricity causing low school enrollment

On a hot Tuesday afternoon in October, pupils at the Local Authority School Keta-West, listen attentively as their teacher walks them through the lesson of the day. It is the only public school for children of the mostly low-income farmers and fishermen in the beach town of Gberefu.

Dozens of pupils, wearing pink uniforms, sit on cement bricks in rapt attention as their teacher continues with her lesson.

Their teacher, Moriamo Agbatumo, who teaches a combined class of primary two and  three, gives them an assignment to be submitted by the end of the week. She is, however, worried that many of them will struggle to do it. A majority of her students live in the border town which has never been powered by electricity.

“When I ask them why they don’t do their assignments, they say they don’t have light to do it when they get home,” She told  Humangle, and added that many of her pupils have to study with lanterns and candles.

The reporter visited Sito-Gbethrome Secondary School which offers secondary level teaching to students coming from LA West Primary School, Keta West. The Principal, Agnes Oladapo, said she had thought the students do not enrol as a result of bad roads but she later realised that the power problem discouraged many from furthering their education.

The principal said, of the 31 students posted to the school by the state government from Keta West, only six showed up in the ongoing registration process for the 2020/2021 session after six weeks of resumption.

She added that 16 out of the 24 students from the school registered at their secondary school for the 2019/2020  academic session and only six of the 13 pupils posted from LA Primary School, Keta West registered at her school in 2017.

The above estimate shows a steady decline in the number of pupils who enrol in the secondary school from the only public primary school in Gberefu community.

Another teacher in the school, who didn’t want to be named for fear of government backlash, insisted on simply being addressed as “Miss Yemisi.” She bemoaned how the continual blackout affects the children’s psyche. She noted that every night fall, the students are forced to go to bed without studying.

“My pupils do not even return their take-home assignments due to the lack of motivation they experience as a result of the age-long blackout,”she said.

“Many of my classmates have dropped out of school because of the light and the bad roads,” said Adoration Agbagba, who  just graduated from Badagry Model College.

The 19-year-old  told Humangle that the lack of power has frustrated her education. “The lack of light has affected our lives in several ways. One of them is the fact that we spend money on buying lanterns, candles and kerosene every day. A lot of my classmates have dropped out of school as a result of the power issues and bad roads.

“When the lantern goes off, I lose the  motivation to study as there is no alternative to continue. We sleep in the dark every day. If there was power, it would enable us stay focused because, despite the struggle with light, I still managed to complete my secondary education.

Eko Excel, not here

In January 2019, the Lagos State Government in collaboration with the state education board  under the Eko Excel  program gave teachers and students a tablet and headset.

The programme, according to Governor Sanwo-Olu, is to equip pupils in the state’s public schools with   skills that would keep them at par with their counterparts globally.

Some of the teachers were seen using the device to teach their students, but a lot of students have stopped using their devices because they don’t have electricity at home and at the school to power them on.

The devices were given to them to help enhance audio learning and phonics. Many of them stopped using it because they couldn’t afford to power it on.

According to one of their teachers, many parents “can’t afford generators and fuel.”

Brilliant school records

Despite the poor condition of learning in the community, those who managed to go to school show signs of academic excellence—a statement to the authorities on what the people can achieve if provided necessary amenities.

Available records show that students in the community record a 100% pass rate in the 2014 Common Entrance examinations. Gberefu and neighbouring Yovoyan communities with a population  of over 4,000 people,  have only two schools.

The proprietor of the only private school, Wilson Memorial Nursery and Primary  school, Mr Innocent Glasglo, said the poor number of schools and state of the communities is responsible for its lack of basic infrastructure.

The school records show that in 2015, out of 19, seven scored above 60 cut off, in 2016, there were three fails and in 2017, only three  pupils scored above 50 out of a total of 19 pupils who sat for the Common Entrance Examinations. This is evident of a decline in number of passes.

Glasgo said many pupils can’t use gadgets like tablets that would help them learn and carry out research on their own.

A key administrator in the school told this reporter many times that the number of pupils from the school posted by the Lagos State Government doesn’t correspond with the number who sat for the exams.

“I understand better the plight of those students now,” the principal said, adding that the electricity problems can impede the learning process of young learners.

 

• This story was produced in partnership with Civic Media Lab under the Grassroots News Project

 

 

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has elected a former President of the Senate, Senator Iyorchia Ayu as its next National Chairman. In this report, Assistant Editor, ‘Dare Odufowokan, examines the expectations of the party’s chieftains and members from the new leadership as well as how the incoming party boss plans to tackle the tasks ahead.

Following months of uncertainties and tension, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria’s leading opposition party, finally held its much awaited national convention last weekend, precisely on October 30 and 31 as earlier scheduled by the party’s National Convention Organising Committee, chaired by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State.

To pave the way for the eventual holding of the convention amidst controversies, the Court of Appeal, barely twenty four hours to its commencement, dismissed a suit filed by the embattled immediate past National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, seeking to stop the convention and challenging his suspension from office. The court refused to halt the conduct of the convention.

Arguing that Section 59 (3) of the PDP Constitution stated that the ward or the state executive committee of any state has no power to suspend any national officer of the party, the former party boss wanted the court to nullify his suspension, noting and urge the party to allow him conclude his tenure on December 9, having been elected for a four-year term.

But Justice Haruna Tsammani-led three-member panel of judges of the appeal court held that it found no merit in Secondus’ appeal, saying he voluntarily relinquished his position since he did not challenge his removal at ward and local government levels. Consequently, the court declined to halt the national convention of the leading opposition party. “By the result of this decision, the 6th Respondent (PDP) is empowered on the authority of this court’s decision to convene and to hold its National Convention without let or hindrance,” the court held, ending the anxiety over the future of the party.

Thus, a former President of the Senate, Senator Iyorcha Ayu was elected the National Chairman of the party while Senator Samuel Anyanwu emerged as National Secretary.  The party achieved consensus candidates for 18 out of the 21 elective national offices of the party while agreement could not be reached for three offices. The three offices were the Deputy National Chairman (South) and Deputy National Chairman (North), as well as the National Youth Leader of the party.

While Taofeek Arapaja, ex-deputy governor of Oyo State, eventually emerged as National Deputy Chairman (South), beating former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Umar Damagum was elected Deputy National Chairman (North) ahead of Hajia Inna Ciroma. Elected as National Youth Leader is Mohammed Suleiman at the expense of Usman Elkudan. All other officers of the new NWC were returned unopposed. The new members of the National Working Committee are expected to assume offices after the tenure of the incumbent members expires on Dec. 9.

 

Starting afresh?

Many people, within and outside the PDP are hoping that the outcome of the convention will mark a turning point for the party which has been enmeshed in a series of internal crisis since it lost the 2015 presidential election to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Efforts to strengthen the party ahead of the 2019 general election in order to return it to winning ways failed and the PDP was once again floored by the APC at the last presidential election.

It appears the National Chairman-elect understand the yearning of the majority of party chieftains and members. In his appreciation remarks, Ayu said that the PDP was back to take over Nigeria and develop it. According to him, the major task ahead is to win elections. “Many people imagine that this convention will lead to the breakup of PDP. Those people who are dreaming like that, their dreams were misplaced. PDP will come back to unite our people, put them together, north and south, east and west. We will move ahead to win elections and develop this country. We did it before. We are going to do it again. I want to thank the governors,” Ayu said.

Ayu spoke well in the opinions of many observers of the fortunes of the troubled PDP. The party lost a lot to the internal crises that ravaged it in the last six years as well as to the rampaging APC. The gale of defections from the PDP was one of the reasons Secondus came under criticism and was forced out before the end of his term. Three PDP governors, namely Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, Ben Ayade of Cross River and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara states, defected to the ruling APC while the wrangling last.

Several legislators, elected on the platform of the party also dumped the PDP. Senators, members of the House of Representatives, members of state Houses of Assembly as well as other chieftains also left the party. And almost all of the defectors listed the leadership crisis rocking the party as one of their reasons for jumping ship and berthing in the ruling party. There is no gainsaying the fact that concerned leaders and chieftains of the PDP were displeased by the development.

Read Also: PDP’s loss in 2015 a blessing, says Ayu

At the height of the defection galore, several chieftains of the party heaped the blame on Secondus and some actually called for his resignation as National Chairman. Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, former Kano Governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, Hon. Rimamnde Kwewum, a member of the House of Representatives, who represents Donga/Takum/Wusa federal constituency of Taraba State, former national publicity secretary of People Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Emmanuel Ibeshi, as well as some members of the NWC under his chairmanship, among numerous others, all blamed Secondus for the defections and urged the party to bring in a leaders that can halt the gale.

If he must achieve his desire to get the party back on the path of winning elections, some observers say that Ayu’s immediate tasks will include rebuilding the party and reconciling aggrieved members across the country who are currently dissatisfied with the state of things within the party. “Many party chieftains, including governors and national assembly members, are hoping that the new leadership will not treat them the same way the Secondus leadership treated them.

“Senator Ayu must identify these people and address their various concerns. There is no hiding the fact that in the last couple of months, our dear party had been greatly troubled.  Many of our leaders, chieftains and members had become increasingly dissatisfied with the leadership of the PDP, especially with Secondus and his handling of party affairs. The party had been divided and weakened to say the least. This is where the healings should start from,” a party leader enthused.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar who described the convention as an opportunity to make decisions that would shape the future of the party for the benefit of all Nigerians, said with Nigeria passing through the most difficult period of its existence, the situation of the country was an opportunity for the PDP to carry out its responsibility and save the country. “We have a chance now to set the ship on the right course; we have a chance to atone for our collective mistakes and those of past leadership. We have a chance to unite the country as we march towards achieving the dreams of our founding fathers at independence so many years ago. We have a chance to set our country on an enviable position in the comity of nations; we can save ourselves, we can save the party, we can save Nigeria together,” he said.

 

Expectations

Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is not hiding his expectations as the new leadership prepares to mount the saddle next month. Specifically, he has asked the new PDP NWC members to immediately begin the work of taking over power from the incumbent APC administration in the country. “You should begin to work in earnest to ensure overall victory for the party at the 2023 general elections. As soon as we leave this venue, work should begin. The peaceful conduct of this convention has confirmed to me that we are indeed ready to take back power,” he said.

Also, former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, said the emergence of Ayu and other national officers should give the PDP the much-needed renewed vigour and focus required to rescue Nigeria. He said: “Given the pedigree and antecedents of our National Chairman-elect and his team, I have no doubt that we got it right. Nigeria is in dire need of rescue from the clutches of divisiveness, criminal cartels, vaunting bandits and insurgents, collapsing economy and secessionist agitations occasioned by injustice and marginalisation.

“There is no doubt that we have in place a highly promising team led by a widely-accepted, disciplined, experienced and pan-Nigerian politician in the person of distinguished Senator Iyorchia Ayu, that will help mobilise party faithful and Nigerians at home and the Diaspora for the success of this mission.”

“The first task before the elected national officers even before their inauguration is to work with the incumbent party leadership and elders to extend hands of fellowship and assuage party members, who are aggrieved for one reason or the other. We are one big family and the larger national and party interest should always prevail, especially at a time like this when the nation is seriously threatened.”

But it was Don Ubani, Deputy Chief of Staff in the office of the Deputy Governor of Abia State and former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, who best captured the task ahead of the new team. In a letter dated November 1st, 2021, addressed to Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and made available to The Nation, iUbani, regretted the challenges that led to the loss of the former ruling party during the 2015 presidential election, reminded Ayu that the challenge before him is enormous.

“By God’s grace, being assiduous, visionary, proactive, and applying the principle of inclusiveness and collective responsibility would make you repeat what your late elder kinsman and Statesman, Chief Solomon Lar did for Nigeria in 1998/99 as National Chairman of PDP. The ball is in your court and, by God’s grace, there must be light at the end of the tunnel. Your emergence as National Chairman of PDP at this crucial moment in the history of Nigeria has naturally conferred on you the onerous task of rescuing the PDP,” he said.

To the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives, the successful conduct of the political party’s 2021 National Convention showed that it was ready to take over power in 2023. The caucus in a statement by the minority leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu said: “Indeed, the unity of purpose and the spirit of sportsmanship witnessed at the event, despite all the challenges, further underscore the democratic credentials of our party as the platform for all Nigerians in the collective determination to rescue our nation from the stranglehold of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and return her to the part of good governance, national cohesion and economic prosperity.

“The PDP national convention further highlights the readiness, capability and willpower of the PDP to regain power in 2023. The widespread interest by Nigerians and the nationwide applause that trailed the successful conduct of the convention confirm the resolve of our citizens to march with the PDP to take back our country from the suppressive grip of APC, come 2023. We must continue to foster an all-inclusive platform which provides a level playground for all. We must bear in mind that the task before us is an enormous one, given the immensity of the confidence Nigerians repose on our party as their only hope.

 

Assurances

Like a man prepared to meet his destiny at the appointed time, Senator Ayo has been expressing his readiness for the tasks ahead and assuring members of the party of his preparedness to turn its fortunes around. Among other issues, the former Senate President has identified defection of PDP chieftains into the APC as a major problem needing attention and he has been speaking on how he intends to stem the tide once he takes office in December. According to him, he will emphasise internal democracy in running the affairs of the party.

“Once we start promoting internal democracy in the party, those defections will stop. They can’t stop totally but they will be minimized and I believe that there are so many who left that will come back to PDP. Many of them are already calling me that they left in error. If you check the top list of APC members, most of them are former PDP elected governors, senators etc. I believe they will all come back. I believe PDP will get stronger and will be in very good shape in a few months. We’ll mobilize ourselves, mobilize the country and fight for the election as a democratic party,’ he assured.

Speaking on ongoing fears that the PDP may delve into another crisis over who the presidential candidate of the party should be in 2023, the new party boss said he does not see any crisis over the PDP presidential ticket in future. He expressed his ability to steer the party away from crisis by ensuring a free, fair and credible process of selecting the party’s candidates at all levels. “I was not produced in the North by Atiku Abubakar. The whole of the North backed me and everybody in the North supported me and I believe that when I go to the convention, there is still going to be an election and I believe the whole country will elect me.

“So, I will represent the interest of the whole of Nigeria. As a party Chairman, you are a father to all. There are so many others who are my friends that will still express interest. Yes, Atiku Abubakar is my long-standing friend because we have been in politics for a long time together, so is Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor Tambuwal who ran before and several others that may come up. So, there’s no fear, I alone cannot stop anybody,” he said.

He added that “I told you that there’s going to be a National Working Committee made up of so many people, almost 30 people and, ultimately, we are going to have a convention committee just like the one that is going to handle this convention. The subsequent ones that will produce the President will still be there, therefore, there will be a level-playing ground just like we did in Port Harcourt and whoever emerges as the presidential candidate of the PDP, Nigerians will support that candidate.”

Explaining that beyond the presidential candidacy, the PDP must work hard to get right the process of choosing its flag bearers for future elections if it is serious about returning to winning ways, Senator Ayu reiterated his determination to take a closer look at the process of conducting primary elections within the party. “This is what PDP is known for. We are not like the other party that imposes candidates on the people. I have done it in the past and I will continue to uphold democratic principles,” he promised.

A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday restrained  President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and five others from proceeding with the planned deduction of about $418 million from the accounts of the 36 states in settlement of alleged debt from the Paris Club Refund and judgements got by some individuals and firms against the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON).

Justice Inyang Ekwo issued the order after listening to Jibrin Okutepa (SAN)  and Ahmed Raji (SAN) who argued the states’ ex-parte application.

Also restrained by the court order were the Accountant General of the Federation, Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Debt Management Office (DMO) and Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) -who are all listed as the first to seventh defendants   in  suit FHC/ABJ/CS/ 1313/2021.

But the federal government insisted ,last night,that the deductions were lawful.

While moving the ex-parte motion filed by the 36 states, Otukepa, argued that his clients  would be crippled if the Federal Government, acting through the first to seventh defendant, went  ahead to deduct the huge amount from the bank accounts of the States.

He said the Federal Government claimed that the planned monthly deduction, scheduled to commence at the end of November, was to settle debts for contracts allegedly executed for the states.

Otukepa, however, said that the 36 states’ Attorneys-General have read the purported judgment displayed by the Federal Government and found that the states were not parties to the court cases which led to the judgment debt.

He added that the purported contract claimed to have been executed for the states was not known to any of the 36 state governments and is therefore a phony contract.

Okutepa noted that the Federal Government was the only party to the court case that resulted in the judgment and therefore such judgment is not binding on the state government.

In a brief ruling, Justice Ekwo granted three of the four reliefs contained in the ex-parte motion, with the one that sought a refund, which Okutepa agreed to withdraw on the grounds that no deduction had been made.

Justice Ekwo then adjourned further hearing till November 30.

 

Deductions lawful, Federal Government insists

Reacting, the Federal Government faulted the claim by the 36 state governments that the planned deduction of $418million was unlawful.

It said  the debt arose from contracts willfully entered by the states and Local Government, which resulted in litigations and judgments given in favour of the consultants engaged by them.

Read Also: $151m Paris Club refund: Why I reported Abia to EFCC, by Witness

Umar Gwandu, the media aide to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami,said in a statement that  the Federal Government gave  funds to the states and Local Governments, between 2016 and 2018, to defray consultancy fees and related expenses incurred by them.

The FG wondered why the same states and LG, that had paid part of the Paris Club refund debt to the same consultants, were now opposed to its move for final settlement of the outstanding debt.

He said:”It is remarkable to note that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) at various times in 2016 and 2018 received payments from the Federal Government under the guise of legal and consultancy fees related to the same Paris Club refunds.

“Specifically, NGF was paid US$86,546,526.65 and N19,439,225,871.11 in 2016 and US$100,000,000.00 in 2018. It was, however, convenient at that time not to complain about payment of consultants,” the FG said.

The statement reads: “It can be noticed that some reports contain willful statements suggesting that some government officers were acting without due process in the settlement of certain judgment debts (totaling US$418million) arising from the deduction and refunds due to the States and Local Governments from the Paris Club loan refunds.

“It is important and necessary to state, at the onset, that the deductions were on account of four judgments in contention which were delivered at various times in 2014, 2015, 2017 & 2019.

“Two of these judgments were consent judgments based on terms of settlement entered into by NGF in 2017 & 2019. Again, two of the four judgments were based on an earlier judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in 2013.

“It is, however, amazing that from 2013 – 2021 neither NGF nor ALGON deemed it fit to either challenge or fully comply with any of these judgments. In furtherance of the consent and settlement the NGF itself made payments in billions to the consultants based on the same judgment it is deriding now.

“By various letters addressed to the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Honourable Minister of Finance, both NGF and ALGON expressed no objection and actually recommended the same set of consultants for payment.

“Indeed, the judgement debts were much higher than the above figure, but these officers ensured that the consultants granted a consistent concessional offer.

“The office of the HAGF also subjected the claims of the consultants/contractors to investigations by both the DSS and EFCC in order to further ascertain the veracity of the claims. Recommendations for payment were thus made based on the positive outcomes of these investigations.

“Since both NGF and ALGON that have entered into judicial settlement on account of which consent judgment was entered have refused to comply with these judgments, it became pertinent for the Federal Government to take the initiative in order to prevent a situation where the debt liability of NGF and ALGON would be transferred to the Federal Government and eventually excluded against its assets and interest.

“The interest of the Federal Government to intervene in the negotiated settlement was borne out of the fact that the Consultants made Federal Government a party to the action against NGF and ALGON the implication of which was that the judgment may be executed against the interest and assets of the Federal Government over liability that was incurred exclusively by NGF and ALGON in respect of which the Federal Government is not responsible.

“It is curious to note that both NGF and ALGON who had actual knowledge of these judgments between 2013 and 2019, consented to their partial compliance and also undertook in 2019 to settle them from their FAAC Allocations, only turned around in 2021 to take steps to challenge the judgments.”